Naslov
Burial Practices in Early Mediaeval Croatia – Cultural and Temporal Aspects

Autori
Fabijanić, Tomislav

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
16th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists - Abstracts Book / Willems, Willem - Den Haag, 2010, 105-106

Skup
16th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists

Mjesto i datum
Den Haag, Nizozemska, 01.09.2010. - 05.09.2010

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Burial practices; early mediaeval Croatia

Sažetak
Early mediaeval period on the territory of present-day Croatia is marked by decline of Antique civilization, settlement of Slavic population and emerging of the Croatian state. In archaeological terms, these complex processes are identifiable almost exclusively by the data obtained from the cemeteries. Presently, several dozens cemeteries with more than a thousand graves are known. Their basic characteristics and analyses of grave finds indicate that there are two distinguishable groups of graves: “pagan” and “Christian” graves, the pagan rite being used until the middle of the 9th century. Great majority of graves contain inhumated bodies. However, cremation was also practised in the so called "pagan“ horizon of burials. It is obvious that the Slavs that settled the hinterland of the eastern Adriatic coast used cremation for a short period of time, so the question why there was the change of rite is of utmost importance. According to the earlier opinions, the adoption of inhumation would have to have been a response to adoption of Christianity, but new approaches emphasise the importance of social contacts between the Slavs and autochthonous population, as weel as the possibility of arrival of several Slavic groups that at the same time used different burial rites. Thus, the study of burial processes becomes very important part of the study of Croatian history in general. Graves with inhumated bodies also show that some bodies were subjected to special treatment. Examples include possible decapitations, partial burning of the body in grave instead on a pyre, and in one specific case human bones were placed in a ceramic vessel which was itself positioned on the inhumated body. It can be said that the treatment of the body reflects the way living persons were treated. In this respect, wooden coffins have usually been used for burial of prominent individuals which is attested by the wealth of the grave finds. Although, early medieval graves and grave finds in Croatia are well known and thoroughly analysed, the treatment of the body have usually been of secondary interest. Therefore, this paper aims at pointing out those funerary practices that can be observed in early mediaeval Croatian cemeteries, with special regard to cultural and temporal implications of body manipulation.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Arheologija

POVEZANOST RADA