Eine Gräbergruppe der späten Glockenbecherzeit aus Tödling, Oberösterreich. Archäologie – Anthropologie – Archäozoologie

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2-6) of the late Bell Beaker Culture were uncovered during rescue excavations and one grave (grave 1) was destroyed. Of the buried dead, one had been laid down in the right squat position with the head to the south and four in the left squat position with the head to the north. According to the burial custom of the period, these were one female and four male individuals, which was confirmed by anthropological examination. In addition, another female was buried in grave 1. The females (graves 1-2) died at a mature age, while the males (graves 3-6) did not live beyond 30 years. A striking feature of the males is their estimated height of 171-181 cm. In diachronic comparison, the Tödling men were clearly taller than those of the Corded Ceramics Culture and the Bronze Age population from eastern Austria. As food offerings, mainly meat-rich elements of lamb/fawn, young pigs and cattle were given to the dead in the grave. In four graves, a total of three bowls, four cups and one handle pot were found. Eight bow-shaped and one rod-shaped pendants were found as grave goods, as well as a copper dagger, a flint fragment and a possible underlay stone. The grave goods and the dress components prove affiliation to the eastern group of the Bell Beaker Culture. A supraregional comparison of Bell Beaker and Early Bronze Age grave inventories with bow-shaped pendants shows that simple and horizontally perforated types originally belonged to male wear. In these older graves, only one or two specimens are present in the shoulder/upper body and/or pelvic area. Bow-shaped pendants and toggles thus underwent an evolution from a functional component of men's dress to a decorative component of women's jewellery.