Lucy Playford Smith

Research project

Let the Mourner’s Come: A Re-Examination of the Pleistocene Funerary Record

Supervisors: Dr. Andy Needham and Professor Penny Bickle

Summary of research project:

The last major comprehensive study on Palaeolithic funerary archaeology was published in 2011 and primarily focussed on European and Levantine mortuary behaviours, with the southern migration route simply periphery. This PhD aims to update the current synthetic models of the evolution of mortuary practices, integrating new evidence across time, geography and species. A theoretical, desk-based approach will be employed to assess the spatial and temporal development of funerary behaviours. Inter- and intra-community variations will also be considered; noting the influences factors such as of age, sex, and disability. 

Profile

I completed my BA in English and Art History at the New College of the Humanities/Northeastern University in 2022. My dissertation focussed on anthroponyms in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita and Ama Ata Aidoo’s The Dilemma of a Ghost. 

Following this, I completed an MA in Funerary Archaeology at the University of York. My dissertation focussed on Palaeolithic funerary behaviours recorded across the southern migration route; an interest I’ve carried into my PhD.