Spatial Analysis of Funerary Areas : 8th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in Thessaloniki 2002

Plzeň: Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, 2004. — 159 s. — ISBN 80-86898-07-5.Funerary areas and burial monuments represent an important source for archaeological chronology as well as for reconstructing social relations and cultural norms of past societies, and their variability in time and space. In the last few decades archaeologists have gradually become aware of the spatial significance of their data, including those originating from cemeteries and burial contexts. Funerary data is currently analysed in its spatial circumstances and in its relationship to other components of the prehistoric community areas, residential and ritual areas for example. Spatial relationships within funerary areas also illuminate continuity and change in the perception of sacred space and provide valuable insight into the question of monuments’ re-use.The growing interest in the spatial studies is also reflected in the wide range of papers presented during the session “Spatial Analysis of Funerary Areas” at the 8th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in Thessaloniki 2002. Most of them are included in this volume as well as several other papers which could not be given in the Thessaloniki session. Sixteen contributions written by scholars from thirteen different countries approached the spatial structure of funerary areas from the level of landscape down to the spatial relations within particular cemeteries and even within individual burial contexts.The book covers a wide range of theoretical and methodological issues, such as: locating cemeteries in the landscape; age; gender and social relations derived from mortuary evidence, and also the chronological and spatial development of sites and the question of their continuity. We regard as very important that spatial distribution of both artefactual and biological variables are treated in the current debate. Future projects will of necessity have to interconnect all these aspects of burial more closely. The chronological span of topics is wide: from the Palaeolithic to Iron Age and the geographical scope includes vast regions of Europe from Belgium to Estonia and from Italy to Scandinavia.A further aspect which should be stressed here is application of new analytical methods. The introduction into archaeology of ancient DNA analysis, advanced databases and Geographic Information Systems created a new dimension in the analysis of past human activities. New methods and approaches are progressively being implemented into the inter and intra-site investigations and their impact will be dramatically felt in the near future.That so many scholars with very different geographical and scientific backgrounds joined in the discussion of methods and approaches to spatial studies of funerary areas is extremely satisfying. This lively discussion promises to establish a forum for continued future co-operation and comment concerning new trends and topics in this field of archaeological research. We hope that this inspiring volume will be soon joined by further spatial studies of human mortuary behaviour. First evidence of the archaeological context of burials from Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Greece __(Lilian Karali & Maria Gkioni).__Was sind die Gefäßvolumina in der Kultur mit Schnurkeramik in Böhmen? Ein Ausschnitt aus den Untersuchungen zu den metrischen Eigenschaften der schnurkeramischen Gefäße in Mitteleuropa __(Aleksander Dzbynski).__The spatial distribution of artefacts in Corded Ware graves __(Tereza Kovářová).__Early Bronze Age burial practices and skeletal populations: a case study from West Macedonia __(Christina Ziota & Sevasti Triantaphyllou).__Some spatial aspects of the ritual behavioural at the beginning of Bronze Age __(Magdalena Kruťová & Jan Turek).__Potential of GIS for analysis of funerary areas: prehistoric cemetery at Holešov, distr. Kroměříž, Czech Republic __(Ladislav Šmejda).__The spatial analysis of the early Bronze Age Únětice culture cemetery at Polepy (Bohemia) __(Martin Bartelheim).__The archaeology of time-space: hoarding and burial in Late Neolithic Scandinavia __(Peter Skoglund).__Bronze Age tumuli in Denmark and the Skelhøj project __(Henrik Thrane).__Evolution of burial places in western Flanders in the Bronze and Iron Age __(Jean Bourgeois & Bart Cherretté).__Stone-cist graves, landscape and people __(Gurly Vedru).__Funeral plant offerings from Greek historical sites: a preliminary study __(Fragkiska Megaloudi).__Tumuli in the Hallstatt landscape: continuity and transformation __(Hrvoje Potrebica).__Wechselseitige Beziehungen im Nekropolen- und Bestattungskonzept im Laufe der mehrmaligen Belegung des zentralen Funeralareals in Murska Sobota/Nova tabla (Slowenien) __(Georg Tiefengraber).__The use of space in the Etruscan cemeteries of Pontecagnano (Salerno - Italy) in the Orientalising period (8th–7th century BC) __(Mariassunta Cuozzo, Andrea D’Andrea & Carmine Pellegrino).__Early Iron Age mortuary ritual in southwest Germany: the Heuneburg and the “Landscape of ancestors” project __(Bettina Arnold).__ Plzeň: Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, 2004. — 159 s. — ISBN 80-86898-07-5. Funerary areas and burial monuments represent an important source for archaeological chronology as well as for reconstructing social relations and cultural norms of past societies, and their variability in time and space. In the last few decades archaeologists have gradually become aware of the spatial significance of their data, including those originating from cemeteries and burial contexts. Funerary data is currently analysed in its spatial circumstances and in its relationship to other components of the prehistoric community areas, residential and ritual areas for example. Spatial relationships within funerary areas also illuminate continuity and change in the perception of sacred space and provide valuable insight into the question of monuments’ re-use. The growing interest in the spatial studies is also reflected in the wide range of papers presented during the session “Spatial Analysis of Funerary Areas” at the 8th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in Thessaloniki 2002. Most of them are included in this volume as well as several other papers which could not be given in the Thessaloniki session. Sixteen contributions written by scholars from thirteen different countries approached the spatial structure of funerary areas from the level of landscape down to the spatial relations within particular cemeteries and even within individual burial contexts. The book covers a wide range of theoretical and methodological issues, such as: locating cemeteries in the landscape; age; gender and social relations derived from mortuary evidence, and also the chronological and spatial development of sites and the question of their continuity. We regard as very important that spatial distribution of both artefactual and biological variables are treated in the current debate. Future projects will of necessity have to interconnect all these aspects of burial more closely. The chronological span of topics is wide: from the Palaeolithic to Iron Age and the geographical scope includes vast regions of Europe from Belgium to Estonia and from Italy to Scandinavia. A further aspect which should be stressed here is application of new analytical methods. The introduction into archaeology of ancient DNA analysis, advanced databases and Geographic Information Systems created a new dimension in the analysis of past human activities. New methods and approaches are progressively being implemented into the inter and intra-site investigations and their impact will be dramatically felt in the near future. That so many scholars with very different geographical and scientific backgrounds joined in the discussion of methods and approaches to spatial studies of funerary areas is extremely satisfying. This lively discussion promises to establish a forum for continued future co-operation and comment concerning new trends and topics in this field of archaeological research. We hope that this inspiring volume will be soon joined by further spatial studies of human mortuary behaviour. First evidence of the archaeological context of burials from Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Greece (Lilian Karali & Maria Gkioni). Was sind die Gefäßvolumina in der Kultur mit Schnurkeramik in Böhmen? Ein Ausschnitt aus den Untersuchungen zu den metrischen Eigenschaften der schnurkeramischen Gefäße in Mitteleuropa (Aleksander Dzbynski). The spatial distribution of artefacts in Corded Ware graves (Tereza Kovářová). Early Bronze Age burial practices and skeletal populations: a case study from West Macedonia (Christina Ziota & Sevasti Triantaphyllou). Some spatial aspects of the ritual behavioural at the beginning of Bronze Age (Magdalena Kruťová & Jan Turek). Potential of GIS for analysis of funerary areas: prehistoric cemetery at Holešov, distr. Kroměříž, Czech Republic (Ladislav Šmejda). The spatial analysis of the early Bronze Age Únětice culture cemetery at Polepy (Bohemia) (Martin Bartelheim). The archaeology of time-space: hoarding and burial in Late Neolithic Scandinavia (Peter Skoglund). Bronze Age tumuli in Denmark and the Skelhøj project (Henrik Thrane). Evolution of burial places in western Flanders in the Bronze and Iron Age (Jean Bourgeois & Bart Cherretté). Stone-cist graves, landscape and people (Gurly Vedru). Funeral plant offerings from Greek historical sites: a preliminary study (Fragkiska Megaloudi). Tumuli in the Hallstatt landscape: continuity and transformation (Hrvoje Potrebica). Wechselseitige Beziehungen im Nekropolen- und Bestattungskonzept im Laufe der mehrmaligen Belegung des zentralen Funeralareals in Murska Sobota/Nova tabla (Slowenien) (Georg Tiefengraber). The use of space in the Etruscan cemeteries of Pontecagnano (Salerno - Italy) in the Orientalising period (8th–7th century BC) (Mariassunta Cuozzo, Andrea D’Andrea & Carmine Pellegrino). Early Iron Age mortuary ritual in southwest Germany: the Heuneburg and the “Landscape of ancestors” project (Bettina Arnold).