The historical sites of Kish and Ur both exhibit the societal, cultural, religious, and political hallmarks of the Early Dynastic Periods. Excavations have uncovered several thousand deposits of human remains between the two. From these deposits, ranging from the Jemdet Nasr to the Ur III periods (3100–2095 BCE), we can see the mortuary culture of their respective times. Ur’s Royal Cemetery displays the wealth and grandeur of royalty and conceptions of the afterlife. Kish and Ur’s private burials exhibit the typical mortuary processes of the average individual. Burial Y426 at Kish and burial PG390 at Ur both exhibit variation of the “typical” mortuary process in patterns of denied funerary rites. The individuals interred in burial Y426 and burial PG390 lack the necessary and expected preparation, positioning, grave goods, and treatment of the deceased. Using Archaeothanatological methodology allows for the reconstruction of the individuals and grave goods of Y426 and PG390 to their original composition at the time of deposition, thereby revealing the intentional denial of expected funerary rites and subsequent rejection of post-funerary rites, such as kispum.