𓀄 - pannous/hieros GitHub Wiki

𓀄
A5 𓀄 (ver.s)decken? 𓀄 A5A 𓀅 ⇔ 𓊋 angle.bent.corn con.kurve 𒂅 korn ⇔ COVER <<<

𓀄 cover kauer ⇔
𓈎 𓂋 𓋴 𓌟 𓁀 | bury | ܩܵܒ݂ܹܪ qawer קָבַר kavár 𓈎 𓂋 কবৰ kobor قَبَرَ qabara “to bury” ( 𓈎 qab? မြှုပ် hmrup )

𓀄 ᶜverstecken
𓈎 𓂋 𓋴 𓌟 𓀄 | bury |

𓁀 supine elite vs 𓀄 flexed burial, 𓊮 cremation see absent in Egypt burn

Corded ware culture (CWC) people specific custom of bent knees 𓀄 men facing west and women facing east, both looking south. Weapons in front, amphorae in the back.

The distinction between extended (supine) and contracted (flexed) burials in Egypt is well-documented and reflects both chronological shifts and social distinctions.

  1. Early Burials (Predynastic - Early Dynastic, ⋍4000–2700 BCE)
    • Contracted (Fetal Position) Burials
    • Standard in Naqada I–III (4000–3100 BCE).
    • Body placed on the left side, knees drawn up.
    • Commoners and elites both used this form in pit burials.
    • Parallels with Nubian and earlier African burial customs.

  2. Shift to Extended Burials (⋍2700 BCE, Old Kingdom)
    • Supine, Fully Extended Position
    • Became dominant for royalty and elite officials in mastabas and later pyramids.
    • Associated with monumental tomb architecture.
    • Possibly linked to evolving religious beliefs (Osirian afterlife).
    • Commoners Retaining Contracted Burials
    • Many non-elite burials continued using the contracted position even in later periods.
    • Found in simple shaft tombs, pit burials, and non-royal cemeteries.

  3. Middle Kingdom and Later (⋍2000 BCE onward)
    • Elites fully transition to extended burial, often with elaborate coffins and mummy positioning.
    • Flexed burials persist in lower-status graves, particularly in provincial areas.

Possible Meaning of the Hieroglyphic Distinction
• The 𓀄 (seated figure with bent knees) may refer to older, contracted burials or non-elite/commoner graves.
• The 𓁀 (lying figure) may indicate extended elite burials, particularly in coffins or tombs.

Parallels in Other Cultures
• Early Indo-European kurgan burials had a mix of extended and flexed positions, often distinguishing elite warriors from commoners.
• Mesopotamia also transitioned from contracted to extended burials in elite contexts.

History of Extended Burials in Europe, Iran, and India

Extended burials (supine position) appear in different cultural phases across Europe, Iran, and India, often replacing earlier contracted (fetal) burials. The shift is linked to evolving funerary ideology, social stratification, and Indo-European expansions.

Europe

Pre-Indo-European (Neolithic & Early Chalcolithic, ⋍5000–3000 BCE)
• Contracted burials dominate (e.g., Linear Pottery Culture, Cucuteni-Trypillia).
• Burials often in house floors or communal tombs (dolmens, passage graves).

Before Yamnaya, gender-distinct burials existed but lacked systematic orientation.
• Khvalynsk Culture (⋍4700–3800 BCE, Volga-Ural Region) Pit graves
• Sredny Stog (⋍4500–3500 BCE, Ukraine) Single & group burials

Indo-European Expansion & Shift (⋍3000–1500 BCE)
• earliest roots in the Yamnaya horizon (⋍3300–2600 BCE). Kurgan formalized by:
• Corded Ware Culture (⋍2900–2300 BCE) → Introduces single inhumation, flexed position, gendered orientation (men west, women east).
• Bell Beaker Culture (⋍2800–1800 BCE) → Mix of contracted and extended burials, marking early transition.

Bronze Age (⋍2000–1000 BCE)
• Unetice Culture (⋍2300–1600 BCE) → Mix of extended elite burials and contracted commoner burials.
• Tumulus & Urnfield Cultures (⋍1600–800 BCE) →
• Southern/Central Europe: Gradual shift to extended burials in tumuli.
• Cremation overtakes both contracted and extended in many areas.
• Nordic Bronze Age (⋍1700–500 BCE) →
• Early period: Some extended elite burials in wooden coffins.
• Later, cremation replaces inhumation.

Iron Age (⋍800 BCE onward)
• Hallstatt (⋍800–500 BCE) & La Tène (⋍500 BCE–1 CE) → Extended burials for elites, but cremation dominates overall.
• Germanic & Celtic elites → Extended burials, sometimes with chariots or grave goods, but increasingly replaced by cremation.

Iran

Early Period (⋍4000–2000 BCE)
• Elamites & Proto-Iranians →
• Contracted burials dominant in Mesopotamian-influenced cultures.
• Some extended burials appear in western Iran (Zagros region), possibly linked to early Indo-Iranians.

Indo-Iranian Expansion (⋍2000–1200 BCE)
• Andronovo Culture (⋍2000–900 BCE) →
• Proto-Indo-Iranians migrate south from the steppe into Iran.
• Extended burials in kurgans appear among early Iranians.
• Common in BMAC (Oxus Civilization, ⋍2000–1500 BCE), possibly influencing later Zoroastrian funerary restrictions.

Zoroastrian Reforms (⋍1200 BCE onward)
• Extended burials decline sharply due to Zarathustra’s ban on corpse contact with soil (Avesta, Vendidad 8).
• Exposure of the dead (Dakhma/Towers of Silence) replaces inhumation among Zoroastrians.
• Some Scythian and Median elites (⋍1000–500 BCE) still buried in extended form (e.g., in tumuli).

  1. India

Neolithic Burials (⋍7000–4500 BCE)
• Extended supine position, occasionally with grave goods.
• Burials show some differentiation between males and females
• Early use of tooth drilling in buried individuals.

• Chalcolithic Burials (⋍4500–2600 BCE)
• More elaborate grave goods, including jewelry and figurines.
• Some graves contain secondary burials, indicating changing rituals.

Harappan Civilization (3500- ⋍2600–1900 BCE)
• Mostly extended burials, some secondary burials in Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro.
• Evidence of wooden coffins (Rakhigarhi, Sanauli).

Indo-Aryan Migration (⋍1500–1000 BCE)
• Gandhara Grave Culture (⋍1500–800 BCE)
• Associated with Indo-Aryans in NW India-Pakistan.
• Extended burials common, some flexed.

Later Vedic Period (⋍1000 BCE onward)
• Cremation replaces burial → Hindu funerary rites standardize Agni (fire) cremation, as seen in the Śrauta Sūtras.
• Elite burials in later periods (Gupta, Rajput) → Mostly extended burials for rulers (e.g., warrior graves).