Una aproximació fenomenològica multisensorial al món funerari a Mallorca durant el posttalaiòtic (550-123 a.C.)

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation takes a phenomenological and multisensory approach to study the Postalayotic funerary realm (550¿123 BC). A fresh viewpoint on the variety of burial practices developed during this period in Mallorca's prehistory is provided by the multisensory analysis of three Late Iron Age necropolises and the review of other notable necropolises from this period. Eight chapters and three parts make up the structure of this work. The interpretive proposal is offered, and the boundaries of the period's chronological and cultural framework are set forth in the first part, which consists of chapters 1, 2, and 3. The descriptive examination of three case studies is the main focus of the second part's chapters 4 and 5, which also provide an interpretation of the necropolises of Son Maimó, Cova Monja, and Ca's Santamarier's burial practices. Finally, more burial sites are examined using a multisensory approach in the third part's chapters 6, 7, and 8. The findings reveal a relationship between individuals, events, and things that is marked by sensory, emotional, and memory experiences that began with a community member's passing and continued until individuals left the funerary area. The in-depth analysis of the necropolises of Cova Monja, Son Maimó, and Ca's Santamarier as well as the bibliographical analysis of thirteen other sites demonstrate how the variety of burials and the complexity of the practices associated with them define the Postalayotic funerary world. Particularly, the ritualized consumption, ritualized sonority, ritualized movement, the olfactory component of the activities, the procession and entry into the burial spaces, the implications of funerary containers, the role of accompanying objects, and the formation of ritual specialists. Postalayotic's intricacy extends beyond the many sorts of burials and the manner in which the remains were cared for, even beyond the mechanisms of the deceased's individualization in various types of receptacles. The creation of a wide range of practices intended to ensure the departed had a good death was greatly aided by the living, who were also involved since they were immersed in the multisensoriality of the performances, settings, objects, and people. Differences are also seen between the three types of burials in all of this funerary complexity analysis, which supports the notion of regional diversity and variability that has been characterizing the examined period. The work pursued in this doctoral thesis standardizes, completes, and enhances our prior understanding of the components and dynamics of these sites as well as our understanding of the Postalayotic funerary world. The significance of the deceased in society as well as the value of the last physical and sensory encounters between the living and the dead as well as between the living and objects are emphasized in this regard. When considering funerary settings, it becomes clear that meaningful locations were chosen and produced sensory and memory mechanisms, such as connections to former communities, the development of a sense of belonging, and the strengthening of the sense of place. At the same time, it is clear how a number of multisensory and ritualized actions were used to provide a good death as well as negotiation and interpersonal contact. By analyzing the funerary world from a practical and ritualized standpoint, with people and their funerary activities and experiences as the main focus, our proposal shifts the concept's attention from funerary artefacts and the departed to people and their funerary actions and experiences. As a result, this research goes beyond only analyzing the materiality and gaining a greater understanding of it; rather, it serves as the foundation for an understanding of and reflection on how the people of Postalayotic Mallorca experienced death. In this approach, a personalized narrative that is centered on people and their experience of death replaces the conventional and central function of objects and the relationships and forms of power created through their distribution.