Paper short abstract:

This paper outlines the burial practices found in two of the Mendip caves by different cultural groups, the Mesolithic and Neolithic. The continuing focus of caves being used for burial suggests a commonality in ritual, but this does not necessarily prove a smooth and connected transition. This paper will look at the skeletal and material culture remains from both caves and will suggest that although there appears to be a continuity of sense of place, the ‘funeral teas’ laid on by each group would have been very specific to their cultural needs.