Experimental Archaeology - a Bronze Age-style Cremation

In September 2004, at Archaeolink in Aberdeenshire, an experiment was carried out inspired by the excavations in April 1998 of an Early Bronze Age grave at Findhorn in Moray. To recreate the cremation process, a pig carcass was used. It was dressed in a woven woollen shroud fixed by a bone pin, and wore a faience bead necklace. It was cremated on an open pyre. The main purpose of the experiment was to examine what happens to faience beads when they pass through a funerary pyre, but it also provided other useful information and insights. The pyre was lit at 3pm in the afternoon. Only at 3pm the following afternoon were the remains cooled down enough to examine. This short film is an edited version of this 24-hour experiment.
The experiment was overseen by the late Ian Shepherd and his wife Lekky, Dr Alison Sheridan (formerly of NMS) with assistance from Moira Greig and Bruce Mann (ACAS), and the staff of Archaeolink.
Dr Alison Sheridan presented a paper on the experiment at the “A Lad O’Pairts” conference in 2010, held in memory of Ian Shepherd.