Animalia tantum. The “ritual role” of animals in Middle Bronze Age funerary contexts in the highlands

Abstract Animal burials are very common in the ancient world; the practice was widespread and had different meanings, ranging from offerings to the deceased to ritual banquets. Archaeology can only partially reconstruct the multitude of symbols connected with human burials associated with the interment of animals. In Armenia, and more generally in the Southern Caucasus, between the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC, during the protohistoric period known as the Middle Bronze Age, the burials were by typically covered by a mound, locally known as a kurgan. One of the most significant features of the deposition is the presence of numerous wild and domestic animals. This paper analyses the interment of animals from a symbolic perspective and puts forward hypotheses regarding their role in human burial customs.