New research on old graves – What kind of ritual space was the urnfield of Nienbüttel? (original) (raw)
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Breaking and Making the Ancestors. Piecing together the urnfield mortuary process in the Lower-Rhine-Basin, ca. 1300 -400 BC, 2021
Towards the capstone of the European Bronze Age, in an area stretching from the Carpathians in the East to the North Sea in the West, vast cremation grave cemeteries occur that are perhaps better known as ‘urnfields.’ Today some 700 of these burial sites have come to light in the Netherlands alone. In this corner of Europe, also known as the ‘Lower-Rhine-Basin,’ these cemeteries are often characterised by vast collections of small burial mounds under which the cremated remains of decedents were buried in small shaft-like pits. In many a case the cremated remains had been put in urns first, providing these cemeteries with their very name. Though rich in numbers, urnfield graves are often described as ‘poor’ and ‘simple’ as only in rare occasions decedents were provided with grave gifts. However, when close attention is paid to the actions involved in the creation of these seemingly simple graves, they in fact reveal a richness in funerary practices that on their turn hint a complex and intricate mortuary process. This book delves into the wealth of funerary practices reflected in more than 3,000 urnfield graves excavated throughout the Netherlands in order to reconstruct the mortuary process associated with the urnfields in this particular corner of Europe. Together these graves tell interesting stories about how the dead related to each other, how plain and simple objects could be used as metaphors in the creation of relational and ancestral identities and how the dead were inextricably linked to the land.
Vojvodine – Migalovci: A necropolis dating to the beginning of the Urnfield culture
Prilozi Instituta za arheologiju u Zagrebu, 2013
Rescue excavations at the site of Vojvodine-Migalovci revealed a necropolis with 27 urn graves that date to the beginning of the Urnfield Culture. At this highly complex site cultural elements from four separate cultural groups were identified. The necropolis was dated to the Ha A1 period (approximately 12th century BC).
The Development of Burial Rites from the Tumulus to the Urnfield Culture in Southern Central Europe
E. Borgna/S. Müller-Celka (eds.), Ancestral Landscapes. Burial Mounds in the Copper and Bronze Ages (Central and Eastern Europe - Balkans - Adriatic - Aegean, 4th-2nd millenium B.C.). Proceedings of the International Conference held in Udine, May 5th-18th 2008, 2011
tmo 48 Failaka, Fouilles françaises 1984-1988 céramique du temple-tour et épigraphie, sous la dir. d'Y. calvet et m. pic, édition bilingue français-anglais, trad. par e. Willcox, 2008, 204 p. (isBn 978-2-903264-98-7) tmo 49 Archaeozoology of the Near East VIII (Actes des huitièmes Rencontres internationales d'Archéozoologie de l'Asie du Sud-ouest et des régions adjacentes, Lyon, 28 juin-1 er juillet 2006 / Proceedings of the eighth international Symposium on the Archaeozoology of southwestern Asia end adjacent areas, Lyon, June 28th-July 1st 2006), ed. by e. Vila, l. gourichon, A.m. choyke and h. Buitenhuis, 2008, 648 p., 2 volumes. (isBn 978-2-35668-005-1) tmo 50 Actes de vente dans le monde grec. témoignages épigraphiques des ventes immobilières, J. game, 2008, 210 p. (isBn 978-2-35668-004-4) tmo 51 Amphores vinaires de Narbonnaise. Production et grand commerce. Création d'une base de données géochimiques des ateliers, F. laubenheimer et A. schmitt, 2009, 204 p. (isBn 978-2-35668-007-5) tmo 52 Fronts de scène et lieux de culte dans le théâtre antique, recueil édité par J.-c. moretti, 2009, 240 p. (isBn 978-2-35668-010-5) tmo 53 Espace ecclésial et liturgie au moyen Âge, sous la dir. d'A. Baud, 2010, 382 p. (isBn 978-2-35668-011-2) tmo 54 Espace civil, espace religieux en Égée durant la période mycénienne. Approches épigraphique, linguistique et archéologique, éd. par i. Boehm et s. müller, 2010, 240 p. (isBn 978-2-35668-012-9) tmo 55 Entre nomades et sédentaires. Prospections en Syrie du Nord et en Jordanie du Sud, sous la dir. de p.-l. gatier, B. geyer et m.-o. rousset, 2010, 288 p. (isBn 978-2-35668-014-3) tmo 56 Regards croisés sur l'étude archéologique des paysages anciens. Nouvelles recherches dans le Bassin méditerranéen, en Asie centrale et au Proche et au moyen-orient. Actes des rencontres internationales « Broadening Horizons / Élargir les horizons », éd. par h. Alarashi, m.-l.
The Iron Age Urnfield Tradition of Southwestern Jutland, Denmark
Acta Archaeologica, 2020
This study examines two urnfields, their development, burial rituals, grave goods and the cremated remains in a renewed analysis of the Danish Urnfield Tradition. The osteological investigation reveals a very high proportion of children´s graves in these communal burial sites. Individual expression and demonstration of status are muted in burial rituals adhering to strict norms, although differences between age categories show through variations in the size of a burial monument. The use of CT scans and a detailed analysis of all artefacts provide evidence of the ritualized breaking of urns and the retrieval of bones from graves. Such retrieval of bones together with the layout and development of urnfields demonstrate the importance placed on the ancestors in the Early Pre-Roman Iron Age. The inconspicuous burials, together with the incorporation of all age categories, suggest that the focus of these burial communities is on a relational rather than individual identity.
SEARCHING FOR THE BURYING COMMUNITAS IN THE LATE BRONZE AGE URN FIELD AT MÜLLROSE (EAST BRANDENBURG)
LATE BRONZE AGE MORTUARY PRACTICES AND SOCIETY IN THE CARPATHIAN BASIN — Proceedings of the International conference in Zagreb February 9—10, 2017 Zagreb, 2019, 2020
The examination of Late Bronze Age burial rituals aims to gain a broader understanding of the actions communitates take when burying a deceased member. These actions are determined by the group's eschatology or simply follow rational needs. In Müllrose, a Lusatian urn field in East Brandenburg (14th — 9th century B.C.), both impetuses can be observed. Firstly, charcoal analyses imply that the selection of wood for the pyre was based on economic reasons. Secondly, the anatomically correct stratification of cremated bones including burnt personal items (weapons and jewelry) in several burials reflects the idea of an afterlife where the dead possess a physical body and social identity. Thirdly, the anthropological analysis indicates that the cremated remains of a person were consciously placed in a grave. The aim of this paper is to present these different aspects of Late Bronze Age mortuary practices in East Brandenburg.
Nienbüttel – New Research on Old Graves
In: M. Augstein & M. Hardt (Hrsg.), Sächsische Leute und Länder – Benennung und Lokalisierung von Gruppenidentitäten im ersten Jahrtausend. Neue Studien zur Sachsenforschung 10 (Braunschweig 2019) 227–235.
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Beyond Urnfields. New Perspectives on Late Bronze Age – Early Iron Age Funerary Practices in Northwest Europe, (Schriften des Museums für Archäologie Schloss Gottorf, Ergänzungsreihe 16),, 2023