engleski

Open-minded access to Late Bronze Age societies in southern Carpathian Basin

Late Bronze Age communities in southern Carpathian basin are known through different cultural patterns/cultures/groups. The research project Late Bronze Age mortuary practices and societies in southern Carpathian Basin (IRP-11-2013-5327), funded by Croatian Science Foundation, combines archaeology, anthropology and archaeozoology in attempt to reconstruct burial customs and shed more light on societies that have practiced them, while questioning existing hypothetical models and their territorial and temporal boundaries. Research metodology is based on independent analyses in each field to bypass possible biases, followed by comparison and integration of all data in further discussion and interpretation. Preliminary results indicate benefits of this open-minded approach to Late Bronze Age societies in southern Carpathian Basin. Working independently anthropologists and archaeozoologist are less biased by the existing models in archaeological literature in their interpretation. This „bottom-up“ approach is based on more credible evidences which occasionally do not correspond with existing hypothetical models of past societies. Observed tretment and disposal of bodies, selection of grave goods and overall deposition, suggest different criteria of which some obviously reflected tradition while others indicate innovations presented by individuals living in these communities. Moving beyond the existing borders, it is possible to see images of the ”small worlds” that overlap in the contact networks of practiced customs. Some customs (e. g. cremation of deceased, animal meat as offering of food, and various sets of vessels as containers for food and drink) could be examples of tradition in transitional period from Late Bronze to Early Iron Age in southern Carpathian Basin. Even with the application of open-minded approach, invisible borders still exist, but defined by the people that we investigate, rather than researchers.

communities; Late Bronze Age; mortuary practice

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