Dating the Ladies

The cemetery in Nižná Myšľa is one of the most important funerary sites in Early Bronze Age Central Europe. Many years of excavations led to the discovery of nearly 800 graves associated with the Otomani-Füzesabony culture. The presented paper is an attempt to reconstruct the spatial development of the cemetery, based on statistical analyses of grave goods and using the latest findings concerning the absolute chronology of selected categories of finds. A significant role in the analyses was played by female burials, in which numerous objects were discovered, which were evidence of the relatively high status of women in the local community. This provided the authors with a basis for discussion with regard to the dominant male-oriented narratives concerning the communities of fortified settlements.