Inhumation burials are recorded in Britain and Europe during excavations in a standardized way, especially graves of early medieval date. Just a limited number of attributes are usually foregrounded and these mainly concern skeletal identification, the grave plan and, when a burial is furnished, a list of objects, particularly metalwork, as well as occasional reference to burial structures, if present. In this paper, we argue that concealed within these recorded details are attributes that often receive little attention, but which can provide evidence for community investment in the individual funerary rite. These include grave orientation, grave morphology, the body position and the empty spaces in the grave, as well as categories of material culture. We argue here that these factors enable us to define communal burial profiles and can facilitate the identification of group perceptions and actions in dealing with death. By capitalizing on these additional aspects of funerary ritual, archaeologists can move away from a general dependency on well-furnished burials as the main stepping-off point for discussion of social and cultural issues. This has particular relevance for regions where unfurnished burial rites are the norm and where furnished rites do not rely on a wealth of metalwork.

中文翻译：

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封闭的剧院：中世纪早期英国葬礼的过程和表演

英国和欧洲在挖掘过程中以标准化的方式记录了墓葬，特别是中世纪早期的坟墓。通常只突出有限数量的属性，这些属性主要涉及骨骼识别、坟墓计划，以及在提供墓葬时的物品清单，特别是金属制品，以及偶尔提到的墓葬结构（如果存在）。在本文中，我们认为隐藏在这些记录细节中的属性通常很少受到关注，但可以为社区投资于个人丧葬仪式提供证据。包括墓地方位、墓葬形态、墓葬体位、墓穴空间、物质文化类别等。我们在这里争辩说，这些因素使我们能够定义公共埋葬概况，并有助于识别群体在处理死亡时的看法和行动。通过利用葬礼仪式的这些额外方面，考古学家可以摆脱对精心布置的墓葬的普遍依赖，将其作为讨论社会和文化问题的主要起点。这对于没有家具的埋葬仪式是常态并且有家具的仪式不依赖于丰富的金属制品的地区特别相关。