Planigrafia cmentarzyska i elementy obrządku pogrzebowego / The arrangement of graves and elements of the funeral rite

Abstract

The cemetery in Gogolin is one of the flat cemeteries with a biritual funeral rite typical for the Upper Silesian-Lesser Poland group of the Lusatian culture. In the north and south-west range of this group, the Częstochowa-Gliwice subgroup was distinguished. In the classic stage of this subgroup, i.e. at the end of the Bronze Age and at the beginning of the Hallstatt period, a distinctive feature of the funeral rites is the prevalence of cemeteries with more inhumations than cremations. The necropolis in Gogolin is the most southwestern site of this subgroup. Inhumation burials dominate at most biritual cemeteries, although there are also some where cremation graves prevail. It is worth emphasising the peripheral location of the cemetery within the Upper Silesian-Lesser Poland group, because the communities from the western bank of Oder river, representing the Silesian group of the Lusatian culture, practiced cremation burial rite exclusively. At the analysed necropolis 71 graves were examined, including 38 inhumation and 29 cremation burials. The cremation graves varied from simple, small pits with concentrations of bones suggesting their original placement in an organic container, to graves imitating inhumation burials in respect of the grave pit size and furnishing. In three cases, the type of burial rite could not be established because the burials were almost completely destroyed.