Inhumation Graves Research Articles

SARMATIAN NECROPOLIS FROM MEDELENI (COM. PETREŞTI, UNGHENI DISTRICT, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA)

Medeleni sarmatian cemetery is located at the left side of the road Chișinau-Sculeni, about 1 km north of the river Prut and 1,3 km north-north-east of the Medeleni village. Reported in the winter of 2015 during the reconstruction of the irrigation system in Blindesti, the site was partially investigated, by rescue excavation, this spring. It was explored an area of 864 square meters, there havingbeen discovered five north-south oriented inhumation graves and a religiouscomplex bounded by grooves and provided with entrance in the south. All thegraves were disturbed in antiquity, skeletons being partially or fully torn. According to the inventory and anthropological measurements, the graves belonged to females people. From all complexes, stands the tomb 1, which wasprovided with a rich inventory, consisting of three pendants and 11 vestment goldapplies, 13 agate beads and a clay spindle whorl. The analysis of the inventory items with chronological value and of other objects confirm the dating ofdiscovered complexes in the second half of the century I - century II AD. Regarding the ethnic-cultural affiliation, rite, funerary practices and inventory items plead for assigning Medeleni necropolis to Sarmatian antiquities.

Flint artefacts from the Wielbark culture cemetery at Weklice, Site 7, Elbląg county

In the Bronze Age flint was still being used throughout Europe. In the early periods of that age flint continued to play an important role in the economy in many areas, as evidenced by the numerous flint mines in use at the time as well as flint tools. In the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages, flint still had an important place in the economies of communities living in East Central Europe. At the same time, analysis of late flint industries suggests that some of those had no utilitarian significance. The presence of flint, especially in inhumation graves from the cemetery at Weklice (used by communities of the Wielbark culture during the Roman Period) potentially adds to the debate about its significance. The cemetery at Weklice is the one of the best-known sites from the Roman Period in Poland. The graves are mostly equipped with local finds of metals: gold, silver, copper alloys, iron and amber as well as Roman imports (glass beads, vessels: glass, copper alloys). The collections comprise over of 4000 finds, however this number may change, as excavations in 2012 and 2013 revealed 22 flint artefacts. The presence of flint materials in a Roman Period cemetery admits several possible interpretations: 1) Those may be remnants of older settlements, with graves being dug into older strata and thus some of the specimens of flint could be in their secondary filling on the site; 2) Those may be remains of flint knapping activity by the Wielbark culture community; 3) Those may have been placed in the graves deliberately by the Wielbark culture community as an instance of an older custom involving the placing of flint in graves.

Formation processes of a reopened early Bronze Age inhumation grave in Austria: The soil thin section analyses

Early Bronze Age and early medieval inhumation graves in (central) Europe had often been re-opened a short time after burial and, in most cases, grave goods were removed. To improve the understanding of the archaeological evidence of these graves, one re-opened grave from a large early Bronze Age (Wieselburg/Gáta culture) cemetery in Weiden am See, eastern Austria, was excavated using a microstratigraphic protocol to maximize data collection for the reconstruction of the context formation process and, consequently, the interpretation of the re-opening process. In this article the results of the soil thin section analyses are presented and discussed.

Robbery or Ritual Activities? Searching for a Reinterpretation and Genesis of the ‘Robbed Barrows’ of Sudovian Culture

One peculiarity of the Suwalska Group of Sudovian culture is the very large number of barrows with destroyed inhumation graves. Since the 1950s, this fact has been interpreted as the result of the robbery of grave goods, which took place in late Antiquity. Common features in the ‘robbed graves’ observed in cemeteries at Osowa site I, and the villages of Szwajcaria and Żywa Woda, were: 1) the concavity of the top of the barrow and the lack of stones in the stone lining on the barrow surface; 2) traces of the ‘robbery trench’; 3) the multilayer stone pavement (concentration) over the skeleton grave; 4) the complete or partial lack of human bones in the grave, especially the lack of a skull and bones of the post-cranial skeleton, with the exception of the legs; and 5) traces of fire in the grave pits and on the stone pavements. These features and the almost complete lack of human bones in the stratified layers of the barrows, formed as a result of ‘robbery’, lead us to the conclusion that they were material traces of ritual practices connected with opening the barrows and relocating human bones and grave goods from inhumations. The basis of these activities was probably the principle of the proper burial of the dead. The real moment of death was not the end of the vital functions, but the complete decomposition of the body. After that, the re-deposition and secondary burial of bones took place. Key words: West Balts, Roman Period, robbed barrows, ritual activities. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/ab.v23i0.1301

Diet and mobility among Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in Motala (Sweden) - The isotope perspective

Recent excavations at the sites of Strandvägen and Kanaljorden in Motala, Eastern Central Sweden, have unearthed complex and varied funerary remains from the Mesolithic. The two sites are situated on opposite banks of the river Motala Ström. While geographically close and roughly covering the same time span (c. 8000–7000cal. BP), the funerary remains reveal differences and similarities in the treatment of the dead between the two localities. While at Strandvägen human bones were mostly found either scattered along the river bed or in inhumation graves, Kanaljorden contains wetland depositions of disarticulated skulls. We have conducted multi-isotope analyses of δ13C, δ15N, δ34S and 87Sr/86Sr of human and animal remains with the aim of reconstructing the dietary patterns, geographic provenance and mobility of the interred. A series of faunal reference samples and, in the case of 87Sr/86Sr, soil samples have been analysed in order to establish relevant isotopic baselines. The results show a protein intake dominated by aquatic resources, probably consisting of both freshwater and marine fish in varied proportions. The strontium isotope data indicate an interesting distinction between the individuals buried on either side of the river Motala Ström. Five out of six sampled individuals from Strandvägen have isotope ratios consistent with a local provenance, whereas ratios from seven out of eight Kanaljorden individuals indicate a non-local origin. The δ34S analysis proved problematic as a majority of the samples appear to be affected by diagenesis. This is probably the result of contamination by exogenous sulphur from surrounding fluvial and lacustrine sediments, as has previously been reported from other waterlogged sites.

Evidence of innovation and social differentiation in burial practices in Early Bronze Age Moravia

Central European Early Bronze Age (EBA) society is distinguished by its greater variety of burial practices. Along with common grave burials in cemeteries, there is a significant increase in storage pit burials (PBs). PBs are assumed to be a minor deviation from common EBA burial practices. Based on archaeological and skeletal evidence found in contemporaneous pit and grave burials (GBs) within EBA settlements and cemeteries in Moravia, Czech Republic, we present an alternative view that PBs are a social innovation and evidence increasing cultural complexity and gender differentiation. Multidimensional scaling was used to visualise the degree of similarity of the archaeological data, and the relationship of health status to burial location was determined through cross-tabulation. Binary logistic regression was used to predict the odds of being buried in PBs or GBs. Our analyses indicate that in the Moravian EBA community, here are at least two archaeologically visible burial practices, each with different gender treatments. We posit that increased variation in burial practice evidences increasing social differentiation of males from females.

Consideraţii arheologice privind necropola tumulară de la Silvaşu de Jos-„Dealu Ţapului” (oraş Haţeg, jud. Hunedoara) / Archaeological Considerations Regarding the Tumular Necropolis from Silvaşu de Jos-Dealul Ţapului (Haţeg Town, Hunedoara County)

The archaeological site from Silvașu de Jos-Dealu Țapului was considered as being a tumular cemetery belonging to the latest phase (III) of the Coțofeni culture. New data obtained during the research campaign from 2015 proved that from the stratigraphical point of view the inhumation grave from mounds M3 is younger than the features belonging to Coțofeni III stage, from the same barrow. The AMS dates obtained from this site (4 belonging to the inhumations graves and 4 to the Coțofeni III features) supports very well these stratigraphical observations. Consequently the Coțofeni III features should be framed between 3322–3062 cal BC and the inhumations graves stage between 2810–2642 cal BC. Thus, based also on the rite and rituals elements, the inhumations graves from Silvașu de Jos barrows can be considered part of the later stage of the Ochre Graves.

Wooden coffins in the Avar-period cemetery in Frohsdorf, Lower Austria

AbstractThe Avar period cemetery in Frohsdorf is located in eastern Austria in the area of the former western periphery of the Avar Khaganate. In a non-literate culture like that of the Avars, it is only possible to reconstruct everyday culture, including funerary rituals, through archaeological sources. Through archaeological field seasons from 2001 to 2011, we have been able to document numerous coffins and grave fixtures made of wood in inhumation graves. Burials in coffins seemed to be common practice. The coffins are preserved in different states, including wood residues and charred wood residues. In Frohsdorf, in contrast to many other investigated Avar cemeteries, we subjected these coffins and their wooden remains to a detailed analysis. Wood species analyses show a preference for a certain type of wood, namely oak. Based on the preservation status of the wooden remains the authors have developed a hypothesis concerning part of the funeral ritual at this cemetery.

Despre cele două morminte din tell-ul de la Dridu / On the two graves from the Dridu-tell

În anul 1958, în tell-ul situat la nord de aşezarea medievală de la Dridu au fost descoperite două morminte de inhumaţie (M. 1 şi M. 2). Cele două complexe funerare nu au fost descrise detaliat şi au fost publicate fără ilustraţie. Studiul reia discuţia despre cele două morminte şi o completează cu precizări din carnetul de săpătură al Eugeniei Zaharia, o descriere amănunţită, însoţită de desene şi fotografii, a pieselor de inventar, determinarea compoziţiei mărgelelor din sticlă şi a obiectelor de metal (cu excepţia fierului). Examenul microscopic a permis observaţii amănunţite referitoare la caracteristicile morfologice ale mărgelelor din sticlă din M. 2. Trăsăturile caracteristice de ritual şi inventar ale M. 2, încadrat cronologic în a doua etapă de pătrundere a sarmaţilor în Muntenia, au fost analizate într-o lucrare recentă, iar studiul acesta îşi propune doar să completeze câteva aspecte. Corelarea M. 1 cu prezenţa sarmatică în Muntenia nu poate fi exclusă în totalitate. Totuşi, prea multele incertitudini legate de ritualul funerar (petele de arsură de pe unele oase, faptul că oasele nu au fost găsite în conexiune anatomică, ci deranjate) şi inventarul mormântului (din care au mai fost recuperate doar fragmente de piese din bronz, fier sau lemn) sunt cele care au impus opţiunea de a încadra complexul funerar amintit în rândul mormintelor incerte cronologic şi nu în cel al complexelor funerare sarmatice sigure.

Anomalous Mortuary Behaviour and Social Exclusion in Iron Age Italy:

This article explores the relation between abnormal mortuary behaviour and social exclusion in first millennium bc northeast Italy by analysing a sample of some 2000 cremation and inhumation graves from the Veneto region. By drawing from research on funerary deviancy and anthropological, archaeological and bioarchaeological approaches to social inequality, the analysis offers an investigation of Venetic socio-political practices of inclusion in vs exclusion from society, sometimes resulting in niches of extreme social marginality. First, I discuss how cremation represented the normative burial rite in Iron Age Veneto as well as a ritual meant to underline the social meaningfulness of dead individuals granted high degrees of social recognition. Second, I focus on the rarer inhumation ritual and its possible role in substantiating the incomplete social integration of the deceased. Third, I detail how selected practices carried out on non-cremated human remains, such as disarticulation, mutilation and burial outside the formal cemetery, may have been deviant funerary rituals potentially intended to exclude the deceased from society. Finally, this study discusses how the complexity of Venetic funerary practices sometimes resulted in the adoption of rituals not easily definable in terms of ‘deviancy’ and ‘normalcy’, which were variously adopted at different sites and in different chronological phases to express multifaceted concerns about the role of the dead within their community and the variable degrees of social inclusion granted to different individuals.

Multiple burials in Siksälä cemetery (12th–15th cc): Bioarchaeological aspect

The aim of this paper is to give a bioarchaeological overview of the graves with multiple simultaneous burials in the South-East Estonian Siksälä cemetery (12th– 15th cc). Six inhumation graves with a total of 16 individuals were analysed. The studied multiple burials represent various age and gender combinations. Any relations between skeletal pathologies and grave goods could not be observed.In three multiple burials from the studied six, the wounds of the male skeleton indicate violence and these individuals could have died as a result of a violent assault. In two cases, the burials do not display pathological bone changes. The earlier burial dating from the 14th century, contained females aged 17–18 and 12–14 years. Probably an infectious disease of short duration was the reason for the death of both young individuals at approximately the same time in the case of that burial, as well as in the case of the triple children’s burial from the 15th century.In the 15th century, the number of finds in graves decreases. Burial costume becomes simpler and the occurrence of finds pointing to status and ethnocultural identity decreases greatly. All these circumstances are also reflected, in one way or the other, in the studied multiple burials.

The role of birds as grave gifts in richly furnished Roman Iron Age inhumation gravesc. 1–375 AD, eastern Denmark

ABSTRACT In this paper, zooarchaeological evidence from Roman Iron Age (c. 1–375 AD) inhumation graves with focus on the avian remains is presented. The material comprises both old and recently excavated material mainly from wealthy burial sites in eastern Denmark. Birds occur rarely as grave gifts in Danish inhumation graves. In total six graves provided bird remains with three holding parts of or entire goose (Anser anser) skeletons and three yielding domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). Both bird species were offered as food for the deceased as evidenced by cut marks and by the arrangements of the birds in pottery vessels or their location associated with other food offers like meaty portions of pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) and sheep (Ovis aries). Morphometric and contextual analyses indicated that the geese were domesticated geese. All graves with goose were princely graves, containing Roman imports and other animals offered, such as entire, but butchered lambs or pigs but also dogs (Canis fami...

Roman graves and rural rubbish. Animal remains from the Roman cemetery of Halbturn, Austria

ABSTRACT The Roman cemetery of Halbturn (Burgenland, Austria) was completely excavated in the years 1988-2002. Associated with a small agricultural settlement nearby, it covers an area of about 7,000 m2 and was used as a burial site from the 2nd to the 5th c. AD. An analysis of features and artefacts indicated a diachronic change of burial practices, from a dominance of cremation at the beginning to-wards inhumation graves during the later phases. The spatial and chronological development is complicated by a pattern of re-use of earlier structures, abandonment, and expansion into areas originally designed for other purposes. The cemetery itself is integrated into an orthogonal system of field ditches, which eventually continue into the cemetery and delimit grave groups. A small part of the 23,500 animal bones (NISP ca 6,000) can be interpreted as grave goods or ritually deposited skeletons. The vast majority of the animal remains results from field ditches, pits and grave ditches. These assemblages are do...

Local and foreign males in a late Bronze Age cemetery at Neckarsulm, south-western Germany: strontium isotope investigations

The cemetery of Neckarsulm in southwestern Germany was discovered in 2001 and contained the inhumation graves of 50 individuals in 32 graves. The cemetery was in use for about 50 years during the Late Bronze Age (Urnfield culture, Hallstatt A1 period). The individuals who could confidently be identified were almost exclusively adult males. The majority of the skeletal remains exhibit specialized facets that most likely resulting from horseback riding. Several characteristics make this cemetery very unusual: The inhumations in contrast to normal cremation in this time period, the large number of multiple burials, the uniform sex and age of the deceased. There is no information concerning the cause of death of the individuals from the cemetery. Isotopic analysis was used for diet and mobility investigation. Diet for these individuals was relatively homogeneous and included both terrestrial and freshwater species. Tooth enamel from 37 individuals was analysed for strontium and oxygen isotopes. Almost one-third of the individuals in the sample exhibited non-local strontium isotope ratios and likely came from different areas in southwest Germany.

Ritual and economic activity during the Neolithic in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany: an approach to combine archaeological and palynological evidence

Detecting the intensity of human activities relating to ritual and subsistence behaviours is a daunting challenge in cases where settlement sites are not readily detectable in the archaeological record. We explore the utility of using palynological and archaeological data derived from monumental burial complexes in order to better understand the relationship between ritual activity and subsistence activities. Our case study focuses on the late Funnel Beaker (3500–2900 cal BC) and Single Grave periods (2900–2200 cal BC) in northern Germany. Here, high values for ritual activities correlated significantly with high values for economically induced landscape opening for the megalithic period (3500–3100 cal BC). In the Single Grave Period, an overall agreement of general trends between the two proxies can be observed, i.e. a declining trend in economic activity is generally associated with decreasing evidence for ritual activities and vice versa. Furthermore, our results suggest regional variation in the intensities of ritual and economic activity during both the Funnel Beaker and the Single Grave periods. We postulate a Funnel Beaker core area in the eastern part of the study area, where interdependent economic and ritual structures formed a basis for a stable socio-economic system which inherited the resilience to the adoption of innovations and new ideologies. In the western part, Funnel Beaker groups with a less intensive economic impact and a weaker interlinkage of ritual and economic activities were more open to ritual innovations emerging after 2900 cal BC, as expressed by the construction of Single Grave burials.

Cercetări arheologice în cimitirul din epoca bronzului târziu de la Câmpina (jud. Prahova) – campaniile 2011 şi 2012 / Archaeological research in the Bronze Age cemetery at Câmpina (Prahova county) – campaigns 2011 şi 2012

Cercetările arheologice din cimitirul atribuit epocii bronzului identificat la Câmpina (Prahova) au debutat în anul 2008. Primele trei campanii arheologice (2008– 2010) au fost deja valorificate extins într-un volum, dar şi sintetic în articole ştiinţifice, rapoarte arheologice, cataloage şi pliante de expoziţii. În acest studiu ne-am propus publicarea rezultatelor cercetărilor arheologice din anii 2011 şi 2012, completând astfel pentru cei interesaţi pachetul de informaţii ce deja a văzut lumina tiparului. Cercetările ce au avut iniţial un caracter de salvare, s-au derulat în cinci campanii succesive în intervalul anilor 2008– 2012. Au fost descoperite 57 de morminte, câteva deranjate, resturi de oase umane izolate provenind de la mai mulţi indivizi ale căror morminte de inhumaţie au fost afectate de complexe medievale târzii sau recente. Tot în acest sit au fost identificate o serie de complexe asemănătoare unor morminte în care sunt prezente vase/ fragmente, dar lipsesc ori nu s-au conservat oasele umane. Acestea par a fi morminte simbolice. Au fost cercetate atât mormintele de inhumaţie cât şi de incineraţie. Ca rit de înmormântare predomină înhumarea ce acoperă din punct de vedere procentual aproape 80% din numărul total de indivizi identificaţi. Inventarul mormintelor semnalează prezenţa unor elemente specifice culturilor Noua şi Monteoru, iar în trei dintre mormintele de inhumaţie au fost descoperite vase decorate în manieră specifică culturii Tei. Câteva morminte de incineraţie au o ceramică ce deocamdată este mai greu de încadrat cultural, dar o serie de corelaţii, analogii şi alte detalii de rit şi ritual (tipologia complexelor, apariţia unor vase cu gura în jos, pasta nisipoasă, distribuţia în plan etc.) reflectă contemporaneitatea acestora cu celelalte complexe funerare. Datările radiocarbon şi elementele de cronologie relativă indică evoluţia acestui cimitir în etapa târzie a epocii bronzului.

Stress corrosion cracking in ancient silver

Six cases of ancient silver embrittlement by corrosion are discussed with respect to evidence for stress corrosion cracking. Both intergranular and transgranular cracking can occur, depending on whether there is retained cold-work in the silver. The severity of cracking is influenced by a combination of factors, including the amount of cold-work in the silver and the burial environment. The burial environment is important for two reasons. Firstly, the soil weight can induce high stresses, particularly in hollow, thin-walled, and incompletely filled-in artefacts. Secondly, grave burials can result in more aggressive soil environments owing to high salinity from body decomposition.

New Evidence on Burial Practices in Petreşti Culture

The aim of the current paper is to present two inhumation graves belonging to Petreşti culture recently discovered within the Petreşti-Groapa Galbenă settlement (Alba County, Transylvania). The burial of a deceased in a cist made of adobe pieces represents an unusual funerary practice for the Eneolithic Petreşti culture communities. This discovery is especially important because the current state of research related to the mortuary practices of Petreşti culture bearers is not satisfactory.

NEW RADIOCARBON DATES FOR TWO STONE-CIST GRAVES AT MUUKSI, NORTHERN ESTONIA

In the surroundings of Lake Kahala in northern Estonia, which is the richest area in Estonia in terms of Bronze Age stone graves, over twenty graves have been archaeologically excavated in different decades of the 20th century. Only five of them, however, have been excavated in their entirety with proper documentation. Human skeletal remains from two such stonecist graves, Nos 5 and 70 at Sondlamagi, Muuksi, were recently radiocarbon-dated as part of a research programme for studying the chronology and mortuary practices of stone-cist graves. Altogether 13 AMS dates comprise most of the burials in the mentioned graves. The results reveal that the graves were built before 1100 and 800 BC, respectively, and are thus slightly older than previously thought, which necessitates the reconsideration of the dating of such graves. In both graves the inhumations outside of stone cists are of a Bronze Age date and are roughly contemporary with the inhumations inside the cists. This is notable since in some stone-cist grave burials of the outside inhumations are much later insertions to the grave. The burnt bones of grave 5, however, may date from the Roman Iron Age, and cremation(s) remains of an Iron Age date may also have been present in grave 70. The comparison of radiocarbon dates and artefact finds suggests that in the mid-Pre-Roman Iron Age grave 70 was used for some (ritual) practices in which burial was of secondary importance if practised at all. Along with these outlined topics, the article discusses a few details concerning the graves’ structure, the burial practices (primary versus secondary) and the find assemblage.

Just Recycled? A New Light on Roman Imports in Central Germany According to the ‘Central Little Farmstead’ of Frienstedt, Thuringia

Between 2000 and 2003, near Frienstedt, Kr. Erfurt, in central Germany, a settlement, graves, and what is presumably a cult site from the Roman Iron Age, were partly excavated. The habitation of the settlement started at the end of the first century AD, and ended around 400 AD. From the middle of the third century, ten inhumation graves were set out, surrounding a Bronze Age graveyard in a loose circle with a radius of about 120 metres. Two of these are little chambers of a ‘princely couple’. In the centre of the site are several shafts with a presumed ritual function. About 1,500 bronze fragments show a distinct connection with the Roman Empire in the third century, possibly in part due to Germanic soldiers recruited by the Roman army.