Grave Arrangements and Constructions of the Western Enclave of the South-eastern Urnfield Cultures from the Perspective of the Burial Ground at Radzovce (Slovakia)

Abstract

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.