Original scientific paper
EARLY-MEDIEVAL CEMETERY AT LIVADE IN KONJSKO FIELD
Maja Petrinec
; Muzej hrvatskih arheoloških spomenika
Abstract
Excavations of the pre-historic n/mulus at Livade in Konjsko Field discovered 27 early-medieval graves containing 32 buried persons. The graves were placed in the battom of the tumulus and in regular lie rs, just a few of them being outside, south-west, of the tumulus. The three of the latter (graves 28,29,30) have rough Slane architecture, made of undressed stone blocks and covered with irregular stone slabs. Others are buried directly in the soil, just a few of them surrounded with smaller stones. All were oriented west -east. Most of the graves contain one body, and four of them contain simultaneously buried two or three bodies, all of them children with an adult person (graves 1-3, 8, 12-13, 15-16). All persons for whom this could be established, had their arms placed down the body. Eleven graves contained goods, mostly jewellery. ln two oft hem there were found small iron knives. Although appearing humble, the Livade graveyard in Konjsko Field has been of exceptional importance in attempts of more precise dating not only of particular grave goods, but also of similar graveyards in our lands. Although the practice of burying of the deceased in pre·historic tumuli in various epoques of the Middle Ages in our lands is not a custom of , we deem that in the case of Konjsko The historic tumulus was chosen for location ofa graveyard only for The fact that this is a rocky land, flooded a part oft he year, wherefore finding a location for burying the dead is not easy. This is, in fact a smaller settlement graveyard in tiers with Christianised deceased. In early·medieval Croatia, this kind of graveyards is characteristic for the period from the mid 91th till the turn from the 10th to the till centuries. Given the number of the graves discovered and that not a single case multipie layers has been found, it may be concluded that the graveyard was in use for a shorter period of time only, within the above chronological limits. Based upon analysis of the grave goods, that include goods characteristic for the pagan burial horizon of the 8th and the early 9th centuries (clustered earrings, rings with rhomb· or shield-shaped widening, necklaces made of multi-sectioned glass pearls), but also those usually found in the horizon characterized by Christian burial customs of the late 9th and the 10th centuries (four-bead temple decorations and temple decorations with vertically placed bead), dating in the second third or The second half oft he 9th century has been proposed. Translated by: D. Kečkemet
Keywords
Konjsko; tumulus; early Middle Ages; graveyard by tiers; jewellery
Hrčak ID:
81788
URI
Publication date:
29.12.2005.
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