Death and Social Structure in the Roman Cemetery at Kenchreai, Corinthia, Greece

FAIN: FT-52951-04

Joseph Lee Rife
Macalester College (St. Paul, MN 55105-1899)

My project is an interdisciplinary archaeological study of a large cemetery of chamber tombs and cist graves of Roman date near the ancient harbor of Kenchreai, the eastern port of Corinth, Greece. The study will involve the exploration and documentation of the chamber tombs, including their architectural form, artifactual contents, and painted decoration. Through a close examination of the physical remains at the site I intend to reconstruct the ancient burial contexts and the funerary rituals enacted there. Then I will interpret these forms and behaviors as expressions of social structure in this diverse port community.