Revista Habitus - Journal of the Goiano Institute of Prehistory and Anthropology

Throughout humanity’s trajectory, the phenomenon of death, in its physical, spiritual and social dimensions, has been apprehended, elaborated and experienced in different ways. Death has been misunderstood, feared, sacralized and even desired, but it has never been ignored, and it has always played an important role in the identity and transformation of both ancient and contemporary societies. From a synchronic approach, its definitive and dogmatic character becomes apparent, since as well as causing the destruction of the physical body, it also brings the various stages of life to an end; crystallizes status, often represented in the treatment given to the dead; and begins a process of dissolution of the social being, despite the belief in life after death. From a diachronic point of view, the behavior of the living towards the dead is noteworthy, as well as the proximity between them, so variable in the different times and spaces. Given the numerous aspects that cover this phenomenon, since antiquity, it has been the object of reflection and study by philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, historians, architects, legislators, and archaeologists, among other experts from diverse areas of knowledge. From an archaeological perspective, the possible ways to discuss attitudes towards death and its consequences for both the dead and the living are wide-ranging and abundant. Some topics of interest include the gestures and rituals that involve the burial of bodies, and the subsequent taphonomic processes they undergo; the spaces selected and transformed to receive the dead, inserted in the broader context of the surrounding landscape; and the materiality of symbols and concepts linked to death, represented through spaces, structures, buildings and objects. Although extensively explored internationally, these themes still deserve greater prominence in studies within the Brazilian territory, especially in the context of mortuary practices in the post-colonial period. This dossier, therefore, aims to promote a space dedicated to discussions focused on the different aspects of the materiality of death in South American contexts of the 18th, 19th, and beginning of the 20th centuries, so studies centered around archaeothanatology, archeology of death, cemetery archeology, and archeology of the funerary landscape are welcome.