Some remarks on flat graves of south-eastern group of Funnel Beakers Culture

Abstract

Oberc T. 2020. Some remarks on flat graves of the southeastern group of the Funnel Beaker Culture. Sprawozdania Archeologiczne 72/1, 115-146.Flat graves of the southeastern group of the Funnel Beaker Culture (FBC SE) are a phenomenon underrepresented in archaeological studies of the Eneolithic. Researchers' focus on "the megalithic idea" in recent decades left other forms of burial largely unexplored. In fact, it seems that even 70% of graves of the FBC SE could be described as part of the latter group. In this study, some comments on the location of flat graves within cemeteries, the construction and orientation of graves, as well some insights about the buried population will be provided. This research is based on a sample collected from previously published studies from most of the known geographical range of the FBC SE. As will be shown, the problem of flat graves is a complex one, which should be considered in the context of the entirety of FBC SE funerary practices.