Anatomization of varying patterns in funerary rites A case study of three protohistoric graveyards of Swat

Abstract

Our study focuses on the mortuary rituals from the three proto-historic graveyards of Katelai, Butkara II and Loebanr in Swat, aiming majorly on varying and persisting traits of the funerary rites. This study follows an inductive approach that relies on both qualitative and quantitative data for the formation of an interpretation. For the statistical analysis of data thus, we conduct a meta-analysis of extant researches. Such an analysis allows us to construe mortuary rituals of this population in the light of concepts of ritualistic purity, landscape sanctity and indigenously inherent nature of such concepts. The underlying hypotheses pertaining to the concept of ‘family tombs’ and ‘gender specific grave goods’ are also addressed to methodologically in this study, for a seamless fusion of both quantitative and qualitative finds