scholarly journals PROBLEM OF FUNERAL RITES OF THE POPULATION OF SCYTHIAN AGE IN THE SEYM RIVER BASIN

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-262
Author(s):  
O. O. Bilynskyi

The author analyzed the problem of burial sites of the population of Scythian Age in the Seym region. Currently there are several locations associated with the local population. These are the burial sites from the Moiseevo and Maritsa hillforts and the necropolis near Dolinske village. The burials from the Moiseevo hillfort probably date back to the medieval times and the necropolis at the Maritsa settlement belonged to the Yukhniv culture. According to the available data, burial in the territory of this site was carried out after the hillfort ceased to function as a settlement — ca. 4th century BC. Necropolis near the Dolynske village is well known in the literature as an example of ground burials of the forest-steppe population of Scythian Age. However, detailed analysis of the circumstances of discovery of burials and the grave goods suggests that the burials were actually covered by the mounds but they did not survive due to the removal of soil. The grave goods is reminiscent of the nearby Sula necropolises. The lack of common burial sites in the region prompts the search for other burial rites. Traditionally cremations with the further dispersal of ashes are the common types of burial that do not leave visible burial sites but despite the complexity of their detection there are still no finds that would indicate this rite. The fragments of human bones at Shyryaevo, Kuzina Gora and Moiseyevo hillforts are the only hints that could indicate this. A round amulet which was made of human skull bone was discovered at the latter. Stray finds of human remains occurred at the sites of the entire forest-steppe territory in Scythian Age and many sites of Central Europe but the irregularity of such finds at the Seym region demonstrate that they could not be a mandatory consequence of a certain burial rite. The wide variety of analogies offers the options for the reconstruction of special burial practices that could lead to the deposition of human bones. By analogy with other cultures, the cannibalism, temporary burial at the site, and the deliberate storage of bones that may have been obtained from the burials can be assumed.

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-162
Author(s):  
Gamzat D. Ataev ◽  
Tufan I. Akhundov

The article is devoted to the study of burial rites of the Middle Bronze Age - the most important source for the study of the ideological ideas of the population of Dagestan. The funeral rite is an important ethnographic feature and a conservative element of archaeological culture. Along with the inventory, it is considered a reliable base for identifying the characteristics of a culture, its chronology and boundaries. The aim of this work is to study the burial rite of the population of Dagestan of the Middle Bronze Age based on the analysis of burial monuments, the study of which allows us to identify various religious ideas and rituals of the cult character of the local population. Fundamental shifts in the development of the culture of Dagestan at the turn of the Early and Middle Bronze Age led to the cultural transformation of the region and caused changes in the ideological perceptions of the local population, which was reflected in the funeral rites. This led to an increase in ethnic diversity, mobility of the population, the spread of the burial rite, cromlechs around burial structures, the appearance of burials in log cabins and with carts, the use of ocher, pebble, tree and reed bedding in the funeral rite, etc. All these facts testify to the great diversity of the funeral rite.These events are associated with the significant influence of the steppe tribes on the culture and ideological ideas of local tribes. A comprehensive study of burial structures and rituals of the population of Dagestan in the Middle Bronze Age made it possible to highlight many problems associated with ideological ideas and social organization of society, ethnocultural contacts of the local population with neighboring tribes. The study of the materials of burial monuments made it possible to form an idea of ​​the spiritual culture of the population of the region under consideration: to reveal that the population of Dagestan in the Middle Bronze Age had complex and varied beliefs, among which ideas about the "soul", "afterlife", magical, protective techniques, cults of animals, nature and other cosmological representations, etc.


Author(s):  
O.F. Khairullina ◽  
E.M. Chernykh

The paper is focused on burial grounds of the Mazunino Culture (or Mazunino stage of the Cheganda Cul-ture of the Pyany Bor Cultural-Historical Community by R.D. Goldina) in the Middle Kama Region. They date to the 3rd–5th c. AD and chronologically correlate with the Great Migration Period. The processes of major and minor migrations of that time had an impact on various components of the autochthonous Kama Region cultures. The focus of our research is the burials with throwing weapons, primarily arrowheads found in the Mazunino archers’ burials. The interest in throwing weapon was trigged by the heuristical observation of anthropologist Ivan G. Shi-robokov for the Boyar «Aray» cemetery, where the existence of morphological differences in a group of buried men with arrowheads was statistically proven. To examine this phenomenon, a working hypothesis was put for-ward: intra-group differences of one small necropolis could be reflected in the burial rite and the grave goods of all Mazunino archers’ burials. In total, 148 burials and 146 skeletons with arrowheads from 12 necropolises of the Mazunino Culture have been examined. The comparative analysis of the burial rite features demonstrated a sta-ble correlation between the presence of arrowheads and male burials. The archers’ burials correspond to the burial practices of the majority of the Mazunino population. Rare deviations suggest close relations between local communities and other cultures and ethnicities, primarily with nomadic tribes. Bone arrowheads as a primary weapon of the Mazunino warriors continue the previous traditions of the Ananyino, Pyany Bor (Cheganda) / Kara-Abyz Cultures. A comprehensive analysis of the inter-occurrence of implements in male equipment with arrow-heads allowed distinguishing two conventional groups of burials. The first one is characterized by the presence of only arrowheads in the burial equipment. These grave goods were typical for Mazunino population and consisted of ordinary belts, iron knives, beads, etc. The second group was significantly different, as these were individuals who were skilled in using various weapons, and their kit included various types of weapons for both close and long-range combat. Probably, there was a military gradation among such archers, which needs to be supported by analysis of a larger number of the Mazunino burials. The results of our work need to be verified using the an-thropological materials from other Mazunino burial grounds.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 102
Author(s):  
Opoola Bolanle Tajudeen

This paper focuses on socio-hermeneutic study of gender differentiation in Yoruba burial rites. There are many types of oral genres in Yoruba society. These genres have different functions for different occasion. In essence, Ìrèmọ̀jé eré ìṣípà ọdẹ (hunters funeral dirge) and ìsàà ró (women funeral dirge) are used during men and women funeral rites respectively in Yoruba land. Ogun deity is the founder of Ìrèmọ̀jé chant. Ogun was the first hunter with many adherents who were hunters too. Before the death of Ogun, he ordered his adherents to chant Ìrèmọ̀jé during his funeral rites. He also instructed them to do the same during the funeral rites of fellow great hunters, that is, the hunters that were succeeded by viable children. Ìrèmọ̀jé ìsipaọdẹ is specifically for men and not for women. Ìsàà ró is the final burial rite for the aged women in Yoruba land. This burial rite marks the exit of the aged women from this world to the world beyond. In essence, ìsàà ró is a traditional send-forth for the dead. This type of burial rite was popular in Yoruba land in those days but it was more popular among the Oyo-Yoruba than other Yoruba ethnic groups. Ìsàà ró burial rite is often performed by the Alágbaà (chief head of masquerade) from Ọ̀jẹ̀ family (family of masquerades). It is mandatory for the children of the dead to perform this final burial rite for their dead mother because if they fail to do it, things may not be moving well for either the dead in the world beyond or for the children she left behind in this world. The emergence of western civilization has made great changes both negatively and positively on the popularity of Ìrèmọ̀jé and Ìsàà ró burial rites respectively. This paper discovered that there is that of valuable documentation of Iremoje/Isipa (Hunting chants and funeral rites for Men) and Isaaro (The final funeral rites for Women) in spite of the existence of enormous works on Yoruba Verbal arts and oral literature. The implication of this finding reveal that if a study of this type is not promoted, Yoruba traditions and valuable oral renditions would be endangered. This could further prompt Yoruba journeys to extinction as many studies have shown that English dominance of Yoruba is changing the language attitude of Yoruba native speakers oral and written discusses. The Yoruba natives have flair for us of English than the use of Yoruba because of the inherent values of English in Nigeria and the world at large. This paper concludes that, despite the negative effect of western education and foreign religions in the foregoing, the technological advancement on Ìrèmọ̀jé and Ìsàà ró has shown that the future of both genres are bright as long as the Yoruba race exists.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 99-108
Author(s):  
V. I. Molodin ◽  
L. N. Mylnikova ◽  
M. S. Nesterova ◽  
E. S. Shvetsova

Purpose. Turkic peoples started to spread in the Baraba forest-steppe in the 8th century AD, bringing in their material culture and mixing with local population. At present, there have been recorded two settlements: Lozhka-4 and Sadovka in the Baraba forest-steppe. More commonly studied burial complexes include Chulym-2, Bolshie Luki-1, -3, Vladimirovka-3, Tretie Otdelenie-1, -2, Bazovo-1, Bazovo-2, Vengerovo-1, Vengerovo VII, Preobrazhenka-3, Sopka-2, Turunovka-3A, Hodunekovo, Aul-Koshkul, Oltary-1, Osintsevo-IV. Burial grounds are represented in three types: single mounds, groups of mounds and ground burials. We described the content of the ground burial found in 2016, which belongs to the Early Middle Age and was situated on the settlement of the Krotovo culture Vengerovo-2. Results. It was a single ground burial, located in the South-East – North-West direction. The skeleton was placed in an elongated position, arms along the body, the skull turned to the left and tilted to the shoulder. There was an iron knife in a poor condition near the diseased man’s left hand. There were found two horn buckles to the left of the sacrum and to the right of the lumbar spine. According to the classification by V. I. Molodin of the bone buckles of the Baraba forest-steppe, the full buckle can be referred to the type I, subtype 2, and it can be dated to the 7–8th centuries. By analogy with the buckles of the Srostkinskaya culture, the buckle from Vengerovo-2 is rectangular with a rounded frame, has a T-shape, and the slot for rolling the tongue is separated from the end of the slot isthmus. Such products were widely spread in the Middle Age cultures of Siberia and are dated in a broad range to the 8–10th centuries. The closest analogues to these items can be found in materials of the site Tartas-1, where burials of different times and cultures are represented, and which is situated near Vengerovo-2 settlement. Similar ground burials had been found at the Tartas-1 cemetery in 2008, 2009 and 2011. By the traits of their burial rite and inventory, they were referred to the ancient Turkic culture. Tartas-1 is an elite cemetery of the Turkic epoch on the territory of the Baraba forest-steppe as the site contained stuffed horses and a wide set of accessories such as weapons, jewelry, art objects and horse harness in its burials. There is another similar site, Turunovka-3A, where three shallow-dug soil graves were uncovered at the edge of the high shore terrace. The ancient graves of the Baraba burial ground Vengerovo-2 also do not include ceramic vessels. Conclusion. On the basis of the specific features of the burial rite and inventory, the burial on the site Vengerovo-2 is referred to a common type which was left by the population of the ancient Turkic culture of the Baraba.


Author(s):  
Nikita Savelev ◽  

The article presents an analysis of the burial rite and chronology of the Gumarovo cemetery, located on the border of the steppe and mountain-steppe zones of the Southern Urals, at the southern tip of the almost completely forested low plateau Zilair (Russia, Orenburg oblast, right bank of the Sakmara River). The cemetery consists of 5 stone kurgans, explored in 1979–1980 by an expedition led by R.B. Ismagilov. A burial of Early Scythian time was revealed in one of the kurgans (the so-called “Bolshoy Gumarovskiy”, “Big Gumarovo”), and immediately became widely known among researchers. The cemetery itself belongs to a later time, also known as “Sauromatian” time. Based on the chronological indicators and simultaneous occurrence of accompanying inventory categories, it is determined that the cemetery dates back to the end of the 5th – beginning of the 4th centuries BC and existed for a very short time. The burial rite features of the Gumarovo kurgans (stone mounds, wide oval graves, sloping walls, circular chamber graves, heads of the deceased oriented to the west and the east) indicate that it belongs to a special “Mugodzharian” group of nomads from the Southern Urals steppes eastern part. The origin of this group of nomads is associated with the migration of the Northern and Central Kazakhstan nomads to the steppes of the Orsk-Ilek interfluve, i.e. to the west of the Mugodzhar ridge; with their long-lasting interaction with the local population of the Sauromatian (proved by Blumenfeld and East Aral complexes) and Early Sarmatian time; as well as assimilating part of the Early Saka appearance population, which occupied the steppes of the Southern Trans-Urals in the 7th – 6th centuries BC. It is shown that it is the “Mugodzharian” features that make the kurgans in the eastern part of the Southern Urals steppes significantly specific.


Author(s):  
Rick Peterson

This chapter examines the diversity of Neolithic cave burial practices after around 3800 BC. In this period there is evidence of a secondary burial rite which is focussed on the cranium. There is also one possible example of mummification or the curation of body parts as part of extended funerary practices. Other secondary burial rites can be recognised in a small number of sites. There are also a very small number of primary burials. The most common burial rite in this period is successive inhumation, which is well documented at a number of sites. There are also sites where multi-stage rites of some kind clearly took place, but without sufficiently well preserved evidence to describe them in more detail and other sites where there are Early Neolithic dates from poorly understood single bones. This diversity of burial practice seems to be linked to the fact that all of these different kinds of rite are also attested at other kinds of Early Neolithic site as well as caves.


Antiquity ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 41 (163) ◽  
pp. 190-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poul Kjærum

In 1954 a stone and timber-built mortuary house belonging to the Funnel-Beaker (TRB) culture was excavated at Tustrup, in the county of Randers in Eastern Jutland. At that time such structures were unknown in the area of the Funnel-Beaker culture, but, five years later, a very similar mortuary house was found at Ferslev, just south of the Limfjord, in the neighbouring county of Aalborg. From the archaeological evidence Tustrup dates from the very beginning of the period when Passage Graves (Jættestuer) were being built in Denmark. The structure and the ritual carried out in both the mortuary houses, as it could be deduced from the content and disposition of the grave goods, adds very considerably to our knowledge of the burial practices of the megalith builders of Denmark. Quite apart from this, the discoveries at Tustrup and Ferslev provide us with good fixed points in the relative and absolute chronology of the Funnel-Beaker culture since each house contained a large number of highly ornamented pots as well as charcoal from the walls and roofs of the houses, which could be dated by the C14 method.


2019 ◽  
pp. 321-334
Author(s):  
Marina Ugarković

The article presents ceramic lamps discovered during the 2007 rescue excavation conducted in Burial House 1/2007 in the Roman and late antique Harbour Necropolis of Ephesos, located north of the harbour channel. An imported Roman lamp of probable Cypriot origin, with the first instance of an 'Aρχεπόλεως signature coming from Ephesos, is given special attention among the grave goods from Grave 3. It depicts Hercules dragging Cerberus from the Underworld. Other finds represent imported and local late antique arts and crafts. Some of these may have been used in the context of Ephesian burial rites, most conceivably as lighting devices, contributing thus to a better understanding of local crafts and customer demand.


Radiocarbon ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
C Mas Florit ◽  
M Á Cau Ontiveros ◽  
M Van Strydonck ◽  
M Boudin ◽  
F Cardona ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The excavation of a building in the village of Felanitx in the eastern part of the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands) has revealed the existence of a small necropolis. The inhumations did not provide grave goods except for a bronze belt buckle for which the typological study suggests a Late Antique chronology. The stratigraphical sequence however seems to suggest a possible evolution of the space across time since some graves are cut by others. In order to obtain an absolute date for the necropolis and to verify if there are chronological differences between the graves, a total of 6 human bones samples have been 14C dated by AMS. The results of the radiocarbon dating confirm a Late Antique chronology (4th to 7th century AD) for the graves but do not suggest a chronological evolution. Despite the fact that the knowledge of the necropolis is still fragmentary, the results are extremely important because they provide an absolute date for a Late Antique necropolis in the Mallorcan rural area.


1973 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-375
Author(s):  
Helen Matzke McCadden

In the Presbyterian burying ground at George Washington's encampment in Morristown, New Jersey, on April 29, 1780, Roman Catholic burial rites were performed for a distinguished emissary from Cuba. Dr. James Thacher, army surgeon, recorded the obsequies in his Journal thus:His Excellency General Washington, with several other general officers and members of Congress, attended the funeral solemnities, and walked as chief mourners. The other officers of the army, and numerous respectable citizens, formed a splendid procession, extending about one mile. The pall-bearers were six field officers, and the coffin was borne on the shoulders of four officers of the artillery in full uniform… A Spanish priest performed service at the grave, in the Roman Catholic form. The coffin was inclosed in a box of plank, and all the profusion of pomp and grandeur were deposited in the silent grave, in the common burying-ground, near the church at Morristown.


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