Burial customs at the end of the Early Bronze Age in Moravia

chronology, typology and absolute dates

Abstract

The classic typochronological schemes of the Early Bronze Age (and other periods) are based on a detailed separation of traits to which chronological qualities are attributed. These qualities involve both artefacts and the nature of burial customs and settlements. In contrast, current research is focused instead on the definition of more robust stages and the tracking of the continuity of phenomena. Systematic records and rescue excavations have made it possible to create an impression of the frequency and form of archaeological sources, both settlements and burial grounds, as well as of the periods in which their archaeological records disappear. These trends are clear in the area of burial customs, where they lead to a minimal archaeological discernment of burials at the end of Early Bronze Age contrasting with the apparent continuity of settlements. This article addresses the issue of the end of Únětice cemeteries in Moravia connected with the movement of burials to the surface level beneath barrows and focuses on traits regarded as chronologically sensitive, which naturally have a clearly longer-term occurrence. Chosen for processing are graves with absolute dates and deposits of human bodies in pits from the end of the Early Bronze Age and the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age which can be used to document these trends.