Social and Economic Status of the Dead: Burials in the Period of Early Christianity

Abstract

Traditionally, the necropolises of the 4th century have been considered in the framework of the spread of Christianity, conceived as a linear progression. The research into the necropolises of this period is predominantly based upon the premise that the earliest Christian burials are “poor”, so consequently the lack of grave offerings has often been identified as the indicator of Christianity. From this starting point, the research goals have almost always been identified in terms of determination of religious character of the necropolises, i. e. whether they were Christian or pagan. This text therefore aims to question this firmly held belief that the economic status of the individuals buried in the 4th century in the territory of Serbia may be equated to their religious (Christian) identity. The premise which equates the absence of certain artefacts as the proof the presence of religious ideas is problematic, especially since the graves with “rich” offerings were registered during this period, some of them plausibly identified as burials of the Christians. Furthermore, this premise severely limits the issues that can be raised, and the paper proposes the move from the perpetual goal to identify individual graves as Christian or pagan. It is argued here that this period is characterized by frequent and important political, economic, social, and religious changes. If we move from the assumption that the religious identity of individuals (and necropolises) can be ascribed in a straightforward manner, the burials of this period can offer valuable insight into the lives of people who were not subsumed to their religious affiliation, or at least not in the way we ascribe to them.