The biritual cemetery of the Bronze Age from Opatów site 1, Kłobuck distr., Śląskie voiv. – the study of the funeral customs

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.