‎Ludwika Jo?czyk‎
‎Funeral Rites of the Yotvingians Excavations from a Cemetery in North-eastern Poland‎

‎, brepols, 2026 Hardback, Pages: 353 pages, Size:216 x 280 mm, Illustrations:57 b/w, 227 col., 27 tables b/w. Language(s):English, Polish. *NEW. ISBN 9782503618593.‎

Reference : 68497

‎ Summary The burial rites of the Yotvingians, a people who inhabited the Suwa?ki region of north-eastern Poland, were until recently almost completely unknown to archaeologists. For a long time, it was considered that the funeral rites of this people could not be identified archaeologically, and while finds such as settlement complexes have been excavated, related necropolises were not found. This changed with the identification of the Mosi??ysko burial ground in the Szurpi?y settlement complex, dated to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries AD, which is the first sepulchral site of the early medieval Yotvingians to have been discovered and surveyed using state-of-the-art archaeological methods. The results from these excavations are presented for the first time in this monograph. The excavations at the site yielded traces of collective cremation burials discovered scattered on the surface of the site, accompanied by stone structures. The equipment of the deceased, intentionally destroyed and burnt, included numerous fragments of ornaments, parts of costume and tools, as well as sporadically occurring weapons and horse riding gear. In addition to finds of artefacts characteristic of the early medieval Suwa?ki region, it was also possible to distinguish interregional varieties akin to finds from Sambia, Curonia, and other lands inhabited by the Balts. The results of this ground-breaking find, documented here, have now made it possible to expand research into the Yotvingians, and to identify similar sites. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Translator?s note Chapter 1. Introduction Subject of Study Aim of the Work Geographical Scope Chronological Scope Methodology Chapter 2. Settlement Complex in Szurpi?y History of Research History of Settlement Chapter 3. State of Research on the Funeral Rite Szurpi?y Micro-region The Czarna Ha?cza Group Chapter 4. Natural Environment of the Szurpi?y Area Location Geological Structure Climate Vegetation Chapter 5. Archaeological Investigation at Mosi??ysko Field Surveys Excavations Geophysical Surveys Chapter 6. Analysis Archaeological Sources Archaeological Features Bones Grave Goods Topography of the Cemetery within the Settlement Complex in Szurpi?y Extent of the Cemetery and the Distribution of Finds Burial of the Dead Chronology Chapter 7. The Context of Mosi??ysko Cemetery Funeral Rites of the Settlement Micro-region of Szurpi?y and the Czarna Ha?cza Group Funeral Rites in Selected Regions of Central and North-Eastern Europe Chapter 8. The Funeral Rites of the Old Prussians in the Light of Historical and Ethnographic Sources Chapter 9. Conclusions and Desiderata Works Cited Plates Appendix A. Analysis of Cremated Human Remains El?bieta Jaskulska Appendix B. Metalographical Analysis Grzegorz ?abi?ski, Tomasz Goryczka, and Krzysztof Anio?ek Appendix C. Microscopic Analysis of Non-ferrous Metal Artefacts Karol ?o??dziowski Appendix D. Results of Metallographic Analysis of Non-ferrous Alloys Ewelina Mi?ta-Jakubowska Appendix E. Archaeometric Analyses of Ceramic Vessel Samples from the Cemetery in Szurpi?y and Local Clay Samples Ma?gorzata Daszkiewicz Index‎