Bio-archaeological Notes on the Punic Lilybaeum: The 190 Hypogeum

Abstract

This paper integrates the results of recent bioarchaeological analyses and 3D reconstructions of Tomb 190, a hypo- geum in Lilybaeum's Punic necropolis (modern Marsala), one of the largest collective Punic burial sites in western Sicily. This suite of new approaches has addressed anthropology, demography, funerary practices, interactions with the dead, and the changing use of spaces. Modelling structural events and reconstructing funerary practices from the 4th - 2nd centuries BCE, we traced persistent variation and flexibility in the use of the funerary space over time. Taphonomic and palaeopathological analysis shows that young individuals (from perinatal age onward) were included within the burial space. It was possible to delineate additional aspects about living conditions, behavioural and work activities and habits, and health status. Such results have great resonance beyond this site and enhance our understanding of society in terms of cultural hybridization and growth according to a diachronic aspect. We advance a model of broad accessibility to the burial space, strengthening emerging narratives of social dynamics in the Punic settlements in Sicily.