Analecta Archaeologica Ressoviensia vol. 8 (2013)

URI dla tej Kolekcjihttp://repozytorium.ur.edu.pl/handle/item/873

The eighth volume of our journal contains works which are predominantly focused on funerary archaeology. Our intention was to provide readers with articles presenting different interpretative perspectives on mortuary practices and the contents of past burials. The choice of this theme is not accidental. Excavations of cemeteries and graves, as well as matters associated with burial rites, were an important part of archaeology from its very foundation as a scientific discipline. At the same time, for some periods and cultures, these sources were basic cognitive material which clearly indicates their importance. This applies largely to the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, the periods to which most attention is devoted in this volume. The development of archaeology, and especially the growing need for interdisciplinary perspectives, led to major changes in our current understandings of the meaning and significance of funerary sources. Although we have not yet moved beyond the stage defined by the French thanatological school as ‘multidisciplinary compilation of all knowledge on death’ (L.-V. Thomas, Tworzenie tanatologii, [in:] Wymiary śmierci, ed. S. Rosiek, Gdańsk 2010), we believe that this is only a transitional phase. In our view the current phase represents an essential step for the future development of funerary archaeology and for acknowledging it as a serious academic sub-discipline. The present volume seeks to establish the goals and methods of this emerging discipline and it is the second work dedicated to this subject (after S. Czopek (ed.), Hic mortui vivunt. Z badań nad archeologią funeralną, Rzeszów 2012). Some articles included herewith are the result of ‘Rzeszów Funerary Seminars’. Together, these represent another initiative implemented in the Rzeszów region intended to instigate a broad debate on various aspects of funerary archaeology.

Kolejny, ósmy już, tom naszego czasopisma zwiera prace, dla których podstawowym słowem kluczowym jest archeologia funeralna. Zamierzeniem redakcji było przedstawienie Czytelnikom artykułów podejmujących różne aspekty interpretacyjne archeologicznych źródeł grobowych (funeralnych). Wybór tej tematyki nie jest przypadkowy. Badania cmentarzysk i grobów oraz związane z nimi zagadnienia obrządku pogrzebowego były od początku wyodrębnienia archeologii jako dyscypliny naukowej ważną jej częścią. Dla niektórych okresów i kultur źródła te były zarazem podstawowym materiałem poznawczym, co jednoznacznie podkreśla ich rangę. Dotyczy to w dużej mierze epoki brązu i wczesnej epoki żelaza, której poświęcamy tu najwięcej uwagi. Rozwój archeologii, a przede wszystkim coraz silniejsza potrzeba interdyscyplinarnej perspektywy interpretacyjnej, spowodowały, że w ostatnim czasie wyraźnie zmienia się narracja dotycząca znaczenia i możliwości poznawczych źródeł funeralnych. Wprawdzie nie wyszliśmy jeszcze poza ten etap, który francuska szkoła tanatologiczna określa „multidyscyplinarnym zestawieniem całej wiedzy o śmierci” (L.-V. Thomas, Tworzenie tanatologii, [w:] Wymiary śmierci, red. S. Rosiek, Gdańsk 2010), ale jest to stadium przejściowe. Wierzymy, że jest ono warunkiem koniecznym do wyodrębnienia archeologii funeralnej jako subdyscypliny naukowej. Poszukiwaniu właściwych jej celów i metod ma właśnie służyć prezentowany tom, będący drugim wydawnictwem podejmującym tę tematykę (po książce S. Czopek (red.), Hic mortui vivunt. Z badań nad archeologią funeralną, Rzeszów 2012). Część z zamieszczonych w nim artykułów stanowi pokłosie cyklicznych spotkań pod nazwą „Rzeszowskie Seminaria Funeralne”. Jest to kolejna inicjatywa, realizowana w środowisku rzeszowskim, mająca na celu podjęcie szerokiej dyskusji nad problematyką archeologii funeralnej.

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Aktualnie wyświetlane 1 - 13 z 13

XXIX International Archaeological Conference in Rzeszów “Archaeological research in south-eastern Poland, Ukraine and northern Slovakia” (23–24 April, Rzeszów, Poland)
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Panakhyd, Halyna
(review) A. Korvin-Piotrovskiy, F. Menotti (eds.), Tripolye Culture in Ukraine: the Giant-Settlement of Talianki
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Diachenko, Aleksandr
Einige Bemerkungen zu musikarchäologischen Fragen
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Malinowski, Tadeusz
Changing archaeological paradigms and the interpretation of cemeteries
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Błaszczyk, Dariusz
This article reviews and discusses different schools of archaeological thought and their approaches to the study of burials and cemeteries. The paper begins with discussion of traditional archaeology with its emphasis on investigating ethnic issues and looking for markers of ethnic affiliation and indicators of the wealth/social status of the deceased. Then, the contribution to the study of cemeteries made by processual archaeology with its interest in generalizations and relationships between material remains of mortuary practices and their social correlates is examined. Finally, the impact of post-processual archaeology with its focus on studying the symbolic meaning of mortuary evidence and the attention paid to the role played in funerary rituals by ideology is presented. It is stressed that the way archaeologists study cemeteries and the type of research questions they ask directly depends on the school of archaeological thought to which they belong. It is also proposed that all three of the main theoretical paradigms in contemporary archaeology are not necessarily contradictory but can be complimentary in revealing various aspects of mortuary evidence and possibilities of its interpretation.
‘Warrior-women’ in Viking Age Scandinavia? A preliminary archaeological study
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Gardeła, Leszek
This paper seeks to provide a new contribution to the debates on Viking Age women by focusing on a rather controversial notion of ‘female warriors’. The core of the article comprises a preliminary survey of archaeological evidence for female graves with weapons (axes, spears, swords and arrowheads) from Viking Age Scandinavia. Attention is focused not only on the types of weapons deposited with the deceased, but first and foremost on the meanings which similar practices may have had for the past societies. The author discusses why, where and how the weapons were placed in female graves and attempts to trace some patterns in this unusual funerary behaviour. In addition to exploring the funerary evidence, the iconographic representations of what could be regarded as ‘female warriors’ are also briefly considered. Lastly, a few remarks are also made on the notion of armed women in the textual sources.
The communicative aspect of burial mound symbolism. A commentary to Homer’s accounts
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Mierzwiński, Andrzej
In archaeological discussions one may observe two fundamental and complementary aspects of burial mound symbolism – cosmological and sociological. In the first instance the process of building the mound represents a ritual reconstruction of the world’s structure. In the other instance it attests to the hierarchical ordering of the community. The complementarity with regard to the cosmological aspect means that the range and structure of the community transcends the borders of temporality. There is one other aspect, however, which could be labeled as the ‘communicative aspect’. It confirms the symbolic ‘inscribing’ of the dead into the cosmic and social order and their active role in sustaining the functioning and integrity of various spheres of existence. In consequence, the memory of the dead ancestors was guaranteed and the respect towards the deceased was not only an obligation dictated by the gods, but it also remained something for which the living constantly cared. This relative sense of human existence may be encountered in Homeric eschatology.
Chamber graves of the Bylany culture (Ha C – Ha D1) in north-western Bohemia
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Půlpán, Marek; Reszczyńska, Agnieszka
This article explores the notion of chamber graves of the Bylany culture (Ha C – Ha D1) from selected sites in north-western Bohemia. The analytical part of the paper examines direct and indirect evidence for the occurrence of such wooden features in grave-pits. Further sections present the negative effects which the post-depositional processes may have had on the archaeological material. The major part of this study discusses the functions, techniques and forms of chamber graves and explores the diversity of such features with regard to their construction, arguing that the main evidence that proves the existence of a chamber is a wooden roof. In result of the conducted analyses the authors propose several reconstructions of different variants of chambers of the Bylany culture. The occurrence of chambers is traditionally associated with a group of largest and most lavishly equipped graves with parts of horse harness, wagons and weapons. However, a thorough analysis of cemeteries of the Bylany culture in north-western Bohemia has revealed that also modestly furnished graves may have contained chambers. The problems discussed within this paper may form a basis for future interpretations of the social structure of Hallstatt period societies.
Beiträge zur Forschungen Lausitzer Brauchtums
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Dąbrowski, Jan
This article is devoted to pottery vessels or their small sets from cemeteries, which do not contain the remains of the deceased and do not repeat the typical inventories for grave goods. These features include small vessels, usually containers for liquids, and rarely other items. A few chemical analyses have shown that they may have contained food. Unfortunately, descriptions of materials from outside graves are often incomplete and, therefore, there is no doubt that the known catalogue only contains some of the discovered artefacts. Nevertheless there are 273 features from 62 cemeteries. These mostly contain one vessel (up to a maximum of seven items) amounting from 0.2 to 5.8 % of the features from large cemeteries. It should be noted that as for the Lusatian cemeteries there are often metal, stone and flint artefacts among the graves. On the other hand, hoards of vessels are rare. The nature of these vessels suggests that they may have been used for ritual libations, which is considered to be common then. However, it appears that the offerings were given during rituals, which were not always associated with the funeral.
Grave Arrangements and Constructions of the Western Enclave of the South-eastern Urnfield Cultures from the Perspective of the Burial Ground at Radzovce (Slovakia)
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Mitáš, Vladimír; Furmánek, Václav
This paper deals with grave arrangements and constructions of the western enclave of the cultural complex of the South-eastern Urnfield cultures in its early (Piliny culture) and late phases (Kyjatice culture). The discussion is developed from a representative assemblage of finds from the almost completely excavated burial ground at Radzovce (dist. Lučenec) dated to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. With 1334 excavated graves, this is amongst the largest cemeteries of the Urnfield period in Central Europe. This paper presents the analysis of types of grave arrangements (burial pits, graves marked with a stone) and of grave constructions (stones barrows, stone covering, stone boxes) in the context of grave inventories and the internal chronology of the burial ground. The five identified burial horizons are synchronous to stages BB2 (BC1) – HB.
The oldest graves of the Trzciniec culture
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Góski, Jacek
The oldest horizon of the Trzciniec culture spanned over vast geographical areas and its graves may be distinguished by the presence of very specific vases and beakers (Fig. 1). The characteristic features of ceramics allow for distinguishing a group of burials with an early date. Such graves contained similar furnishings and they are known from nearly all parts of the Trzciniec cultural milieu in the area of Poland (Fig. 2–8). Parallel assemblages of archeological finds are also known from western Ukraine. The broad chronological span of the discussed notions may prove the hypothesis that they reflect a relatively short chronological horizon, probably limited to the 17th century BC. The funerary practices of the Trzciniec culture were very diverse already at the early stages of its development and included flat cremation graves with urns, pit-graves and diverse forms of both single and multiple inhumations. Inhumation and cremation graves have also been found in mounds.
“Invisible tombs”. From the research on funerary rituals of communities with funnel beakers
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Rzepecki, Seweryn
The aim of this paper is to present issues connected with “invisible” (from an archaeological point of view) tombs of the circle of cultures with funnel beakers. Four examples were selected to illustrate this problem. They are associated with discoveries on the following sites: Niedźwiedź, Zauschwitz, Bochum-Hiltrop and Schipluiden. Bedding trenches, forming structures in the shape of trapezes – rectangles were discovered on them. They were all originally interpreted as relics of long houses. Only the recent studies indicate their connection with the long tombs tradition. The author presents a thesis that the title “invisibility” of these structures is not due to its state of preservation. It is rather a result of oversimplifying criteria of interpretation. It is probable that next discoveries of tombs of the type described in the paper will be associated with reinterpretation of the already known objects, but considered as houses.
The biritual cemetery of the Bronze Age from Opatów site 1, Kłobuck distr., Śląskie voiv. – the study of the funeral customs
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Szczepanek, Anita; Jarosz, Paweł
The excavations on the cemetery were conducted in the years 1938–2007. There was uncovered 1504 graves, 900 are of the Przeworsk culture and others from II–V period of the Bronze Age and Halsztadt C/D. The typical feature of the burial rite on this cemetery as well as others necropolises of the Górnośląsko-Małopolska Group of the Lusatian Culture is occurrence contemporaries crematory and skeletal burials side by side. The cremation graves dominated only 20% were skeleton burials. Most grave are connected with IV and V period of the Bronze Age only 15% are earlier (II and III period). The basic aim of the present study was to determine interrelations between the type of burial furnishings as well as sex and age of the buried individuals. One only can state that furnishings in grave were probably connected with social position of the dead. Possibly other rules were practiced in infants graves because part of them were richly equipped.
Philosophical reflections on death
(Institute of Archaeology Rzeszów University, 2013) Bobko, Aleksander
This article briefly discusses the relationship between life and death. Understanding of this relationship has changed over the centuries, but this article focuses primarily on contemporary issues. The analysis makes reference to the texts of Max Scheler and Arthur Schopenhauer, as well as to the poetry of Rilke. This indicates that a human being should accept the necessity of death. Avoiding the truth, or attempting to take control over death – which is sometimes suggested by contemporary culture and technology – can be devastating for life.

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