When studying an ancient society or one that is a part of our modern world, Archaeologists always seem to be interested in the status of the deceased. Status is generally defined as a stratified social order that humans tend to be organized within. There are many kinds of status such as polical, religious, economic, or status based on your age or gender that you are either ascribed (born in to) or acheived (gradually earned throughout your life time). There are many other kinds of status that effect our everyday life without even realizing it. For example, corporate status, status within your household or family, status based on your education or even status based on how famous you are. Our society seems to be obsessed with it, and without knowing it, most of the tasks we accomplish in life are aimed at increasing our status.
When measuring the status of a deceased indidvidual, archaeologists generally look at the quality, rarity, and abundance of grave goods, osteology (healthier bones can mean higher status), shaping of the cranium and feet, evidence of continual modification or up-keep of the grave, monuments, or the amount of space their grave site is alotted. All of these things can give us an indication of the individuals status, but archaeologists can never be too sure. Grave goods could have been placed there by somebody else, the grave could have been looted, or items that are known today as ordinary, or inexpensive could have meant something completely different to that particular culture or society thousands of years ago. It is important to assess the entire social context when indicating status.
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