via Vera Files, 20 November 2021: Pivoting from Covid deaths to ancient burial practices seems like a hard turn to me but there you go.
So far, the earliest burial in the Southeast Asian region has been recorded at Ille Cave, Palawan, a burial site that included skinning, dismemberment, smashing of bones, cremation, and burial directly dated at 9,000 years ago.
The earliest known flexed burial (involving the bending of arms or legs) are those from Bubog Cave in Ilin Island, Mindoro dated 5,000 years ago and Duyong Cave and Sa’gung Rockshelter in Palawan, dated 4,500-5,000 years ago.
Sarcophagus Burial: The most familiar burial position, lying on the back, is seen in the one-thousand-year-old sarcophagus burial tradition in Mulanay, Quezon and the settlement-burial sites in San Remigio, Cebu. A sarcophagus is a box-like burial vessel made of stone and placed above ground.
Some 15 prehistoric stone sarcophagi carved from limestone have been found in Mt. Kamhantik, Mulanay. Rectangular in shape and without a lid, each sarcophagus contained another box-like or circular receptacle. The method of stone carving is similar with some Indonesian sites in Bali, North Sumatra, or East Kalimantan.
Limestone secondary burial jars in various sizes, shapes, and decorations have also been found in Kulaman Plateau, Sultan Kudarat, in the 1960s.
Maitum Mortuary Potteries: An exceptional collection of secondary burial jars, with human and non-human shapes, have been discovered in Ayub Cave, Maitum, Saranggani. The lids are shaped as human heads; the jar bodies have arms and hands as well breasts or genitals. Body ornamentations include distended earlobes, bracelets, arm rings, and headbands. Their distinct faces are like portraits of individuals, expressing a range of emotions.
Source: Covid-19 recalls precolonial burial practices – Vera Files
