engleski

The reflection of folk beliefs in burial customs in the Early Modern period in northern Croatia

During the Early Modern period, the population of northern Croatia was largely Roman Catholic. Thus, the deceased members of the community were buried in parish cemeteries, in and around the church. The typical burial rite was an inhumation in a supine position with extended legs and with the west- eastern orientation of the body. The graves are usually without grave goods, but sometimes they contain parts of clothing, jewellery and objects of personal devotion such as rosaries, small medals and crosses. However, in some cases there are exceptions and one finds socalled deviant or unusual burials. On the Torčec- Cirkvišče, Crkvari and Nova Rača sites, four skeletons in prone position were found during archaeological investigations. Such burials have been, until recently, interpreted as resulting from the fear of the dead. Among other things, a prone position of the deceased was a way of preventing the dead from returning from their graves after death and hurting the living. Several different explanations have been offered in the last decade, but from historical and ethnological literature, it is evident that the folk belief in revenants (vampires) was growing during the Early Modern period. In this paper I will try to interpret prone burials found on northern Croatian archaeological sites and establish whether they can be linked to the growth of folk beliefs in the undead.

burial customs ; prone position ; folk beliefs ; revenants ; fear of the dead

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