Reconnecting the dead in Iron Age Britain: funerary processing and long-distance connectivity at Loch Borralie, Scotland

Abstract

Though mortuary practices seem largely archaeologically invisible in Iron Age Britain, the visible dead were subject to diverse treatment. Here, the authors report the results of a multi-strand analysis of two Iron Age skeletons buried in a stone cairn at Loch Borralie, north-west Scotland. Manipulation of one skeleton, including the possible removal of the brain, fashioning of long bones into ‘tools’ and reassembly for burial, suggests complex mortuary processing, while the east-coast origin of both individuals and their biological ties to Orkney reveal long-distance connections, expanding our understanding of funerary practice, mobility and connectivity in Iron Age Britain.