ROMANSHIROUKHOV P r u s s i a n G r a v e s i n t h e S a m b i a n P e n i n s u l a , w i t h I m p o r t s , We a p o n s a n d H o r s e H a r n e s s e s , f r o m t h e Te n t h t o t h e 1 3 t h C e n t u r y : t h e Q u e s t i o n o f t h e Wa r r i o r E l i t e I n t r o d u c t i o nThe political events of the 11th and 13th centuries in European history defined the formation of post-Viking Age Prussian society. Long-term historical processes, such as the formation of the early kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden in the early 11th century, the feudal division of Poland from the second third of the 11th to the beginning of the 13th century, and indirectly the feudal division of Ruthenia in the same period, step by step changed social, economic and political life from the outside, beyond Prussian society. And it might be logical that at the heart of these changes were members of the Prussian ruling classes, the warrior elite.One of the possible consequences of the processes mentioned above was the decline in transit trade through the lands of the West Balts, determined by the sudden decrease in Scandinavian imports from the beginning of the 11th century. The assimilation of the main types of weapons and ornaments taken from Scandinavians in the ninth and tenth centuries occurred at this time.If the influence of southern Scandinavian and Gotland Viking Age cultures is not so obvious on the Prussians as perhaps it was on the Curonians (Bliujienė 2008, p.169, Fig.1), political events in Poland at the beginning of the 11th century had a direct impact on Prussian society. The death of Boleslaw I around 1025 led to the weakening of Polish political and administrative centres. This resulted partially in the consolidation of Prussian warrior elites, and caused an increase in invasions into neighbouring Polish lands. At the same time, there was a great increase in imports from Poland (?) and Western Europe, and the early Russian principalities in Prussian lands (Antoniewicz 1955, p.243ff; Kulakov 1994b, pp.121-122).In describing the main features of post-Viking Age Prussian warrior elites, let us look at the next issues in the article:The main types of imports in 11th to 13th-century Prussian graves with weapons and horse harnesses.Prussian double-layer cremation graves 1 with weapons and horse harnesses from the tenth to the 13th century.Prussian (Sambian) 'collective' cremations, or Aschenplätze.Prussian warrior elites in the late 12th and 13th centuries.1 A pit human cremation grave with a horse burial below, a kind of burial rite which appeared in the former area of Sambian-Natangian culture during the fifth and sixth centuries and existed in the north Prussian area at least into the first half of the 13th century. P R U S S I A N G R AV E S I N T H E S A M B I A N P E N I N S U L A , W I T H I M P O RT S , W E A P O N S A N D H O R S E H A R N E S S E S , F R O M T H E T E N T H TO T H E 1 3 T H C E N T U RY: T H E Q U E S T I O N O F T H E WA R R I O R E L I T E ROMAN SHIROUKHOV AbstractThe article presents the...
The field research at Groß ottenhagen (Berezovka) conducted in 2003 and 2004 was the first international scientific collaboration between German and russian archaeologists in kaliningrad region since 1945. The Groß ottenhagen cemetery demonstrates almost continuous functioning for about 1,000 years, from the roman iron Age up to the middle Ages. The part of the site considered in the article belongs to the last stage of the development of sambian-natangian culture among the old Prussians in the 11th to the 13th centuries Ad. despite a first analysis by the excavators in 2005, this data from the cemetery has never been fully published. Groß ottenhagen graves from the discussed period are represented by so-called double layer burial features, with human cremations on top of horse burials. The burial rites and grave goods at the cemetery are discussed in the context of archaeological material from the sambian peninsula and southwest and central lithuania. The relative chronology of Groß ottenhagen is based on an analysis of grave goods, as well as the stratigraphy and the spatial distribution of the graves. According to the absence of imported/status goods at Groß ottenhagen, the cemetery probably belonged to a peripheral group of the late sambian-natangian region culture of the Prussians.Prussians, Early medieval period, archival archaeology, cremation graves, burial rite, typo-chronology, natangia
Roman Širouchov KURŠIŲ NERIJOS ANKSTYVŲJŲ V I D U R A M Ž I Ų A R C H E O L O G I N I A I PA M I N K L A I . K U R Š I Ų I R P R Ū S Ų KO N TA K T Ų Z O N O S K L AU S I M A S AnotacijaStraipsnis skirtas XIII-XV a. Kuršių nerijos archeologinių paminklų tyrinėjimų rezultatams apibendrinti, pagrindinių radinių tipams analizuoti ir kuršių ir prūsų genčių spėjamų kontaktų zonai nagrinėti. Apžvelgiamos ir revizuojamos nusistovėjusios paskutinio dešimtmečio teorijos, skirtos palikusiems XIII-XV a. Kuršių nerijos paminklus etnosams identifikuoti. Darbe pateikiama iki šiol neskelbta naujų tyrinėjimų ir archyvinė archeologinė medžiaga. PAGRINDINIAI ŽODŽIAI: prūsai, kuršiai, laidosena, etniniai indikatoriai. AbstractThe paper is dedicated to the generalisation of the investigations results for the 13 th Curonian Spit archaeological sites populaton are also reviewed and revised. Unpublished till now new archaeological investigations and archival data is reflected in this study.
The article is dedicated to the application of AMS 14C dating method of cremated bones and samples of related charcoal, which is rather new for the East Baltic region. The data of 3 Western Balts cemeteries from Lithuania are analysed. Results of radiocarbon dating are compared to the estimated typological chronology of the artefacts. The OxCal simulation is applied in order to obtain the most probable dates. The study lays the foundation for further spatial and static analysis of selected data.
The article focuses on the analysis of the wooden buckets used in human burials of the Ostriv cemetery studied in 2017–2020. The discovery of dominant culture-defining artefacts, such as penannular and ring brooches, zoomorphic bracelets, and spiral neck-rings, suggest that this ancient population may be originated from the coastal part of the East Baltic region, including Sambian Peninsula, historical Curonia and Semigallia and the results of anthropological and paleogenetic studies reinforce this theory. One of the characteristic features of the burial rite of the Ostriv cemetery was the presence of sacrificial food stored in vessels (buckets). Remnants of buckets – in the form of bandings hoops, handle mounts, and forged handles – were found placed at the feet of the deceased. Taking into account the fact that buckets were not generally incorporated into the burial practices of the Baltic tribes of that time, the authors of the article suggest that this rite infiltrated into their society after migration to the Porossya region of Ukraine and was associated with the complex processes of the Christianization of the Baltic settlers. Keywords: Old Rus’, Western Balts, burial rites, buckets, Christianization, migration, Ukraine
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.