New Materials for the Study of the Funeral Rite of the Przeworsk Culture in Western Buh Region

Abstract

Burial monuments are an important element of the spiritual culture of the Przeworsk population of the Western Buh region. The main type of burials was cremation in an urn or earthen pit. The cremation rite had dominated throughout its existence, but there are cases of inhumation burials. Borrowing from the Celts, the population of the Przeworsk culture buried weapons, ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2022, № 1 143 jewelry, personal items and pottery. Almost all items were intentionally damaged. There are cases of intentional damage to small items: brooches, spurs, scissors, pins, needles, etc. One of these burial complexes was discovered by the so-called «black diggers» and transferred to the Lviv Regional Council «History and Local Lore Museum». The burial complex contained a ritually bent double-edged sword, a shield handle and a spearhead, which were connected to each other, an iron brooches and a ritually damaged shield boss. The four iron spurs were connected in pairs. The funeral rite and the items found in the burial have numerous analogies on the monuments of the Przeworsk culture in Poland and Western Ukraine. Among the total number of burials of the Przeworsk culture, burials with swords stand out. Obviously, the presence of a sword is an evidence of the high social status of its owner. The set of features of the material found in the burial allows us to confidently date it to the phase C1a—C2 of the Late Roman period (middle — end of the 3rd century AD). The advance of the bearers of the Przeworsk culture to the south and east in this chronological period was accompanied by local military conflicts. In any case, the Przeworsk population in the region of the Western Buh was an integral part of ethnic and cultural processes that lasted throughout the 3rd century. The formation of the source base of funerary monuments of the Przeworsk culture in the future will make it possible to identify certain regional features in topography, funeral inventory and ritual actions. Given that the study of monuments of this archaeological culture in Ukraine remains low.