In archaeology and anthropology grave goods are the items interred along with the body. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech/discourse) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Anthropology is the study of the physical and social characteristics of humanity through the examination of historical and present geographical distribution, cultural history, acculturation, and cultural relationships. ...

They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods are a type of votive deposit. Most grave goods recovered by archaeologists consist of inorganic objects such as pottery and stone and metal tools but there is evidence that organic objects that have since decayed were also placed in ancient tombs. An icon of Aghia Paraskevi with votive offerings hung beside it. ...

Some of the most famous and well preserved grave goods are those from ancient Egypt; there, people believed that goods buried in tombs could be used by the deceased in the afterlife. They also painted images of the deceased enjoying earthly life, working, and being in the company of family members; occasionally images of servants, called ushabti, were placed in tombs to serve the deceased in the afterlife. Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with shabti. ...

Where grave goods appear, grave robbery is a potential problem. Etruscans would scratch the word śuθina, Etruscan for "from a tomb", on grave goods buried with the dead to discourage their reuse by the living. The tomb of pharaoh Tutankhamun is famous because it was one of the few Egyptian tombs that had not been thoroughly looted (prior to its discovery by Carter, that is). Grave robbing is the act of uncovering a tomb or crypt to steal the artifacts inside or disinterring a corpse to steal the body itself or its personal effects. ... The Etruscan civilization existed in Etruria and the Po valley in the northern part of what is now Italy, prior to the formation of the Roman Republic. ... Languages in Iron Age Italy, 6th century BC Etruscan was a language spoken and written in the ancient region of Etruria (current Tuscany plus western Umbria and northern Latium) and in parts of what are now Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna (where the Etruscans were displaced by Gauls), in Italy. ... Pharaoh was the ancient Egyptian name for the office of kingship. ... Nebkheperure Lord of the forms of Re Nomen Tutankhaten Living Image of the Aten Tutankhamun Hekaiunushema Living Image of Amun, ruler of Upper Heliopolis Horus name Kanakht Tutmesut The strong bull, pleasing of birth Nebty name Neferhepusegerehtawy One of perfect laws, who pacifies the two lands[1] Wer-Ah-Amun...

Ceremonies dedicating goods to the use of the dead are still practiced in some cultures today. Some East Asian peoples offer what are popularly known in English as "Hell Bank Notes" to the dead, believing that by burning these offerings of money, it will become available for the deceased to spend. East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... The widely used $10,000 Hell note. ...

Analysis of the grave goods

The first stage analysis of the grave goods, helps determine: country, people, the society type, the town, cemeteries, etc., basically the sociological setting of the society. Even the 'cemeteries', or burials, and grave goods of a small 'suburb' of a town, may help determine the small society, mix of people and that subgroup's relationship with other countries, or peoples.

A second stage study helps understand where some of the grave goods originated. For example, gold, silver, jewelry, ornaments, tools, etc., all items of "workmanship", have their provenance (origin) determined, and then the time frame boundaries set. The provenance of some 'grave goods' may only be guesses, since some of the most interesting, spectacular, and unique items have been buried there. An example from early 3rd millennium BC, is a flat disk, with a hole in the middle for a spindle, and possibly intended to be spun like a top. (Found with a group of disks, in one "hunting" room, a multiple room mastaba.) Made of steatite, with scenes carved, its provenance can only be guessed. It was found in the mastaba of an Egyptian official named Hemaka. Since grave robbery was so common in Egypt, it may have come from a previous grave owner. Provenance is the origin or source from which anything comes. ... The 3rd millennium BC spans the Early to Middle Bronze Age. ... An Egyptian carved and glazed steatite scarab amulet. ... A mastaba was a flat-roofed, mud brick, rectangular building with sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians of Egypts ancient period. ...

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