Spåren talar, 2002 : Järnålder : 21 Gravar för alla :: Monter 21, Gravar för alla

Gravar för alla

Alla begravdes på samma sätt. Män, kvinnor och barn brändes på bål. Benen lades i urnor av lera eller trä tillsammans med några få gravgåvor. Av träkärlet har hartsen som tätade skarvarna bevarats. Urnorna sattes ner i gropar i marken på ett gemensamt gravfält. Vid gropen restes en sten eller träpåle.

Men sättet att begrava har växlat. Tidigare begravdes endast ett fåtal i stenrösen och högar. Senare saknas barngravar medan flera husdjur bränts tillsammans med den döda. Varför dessa förändringar?

Graves for all

Everyone was buried in the same way. Men, women and children were burnt on the pyre. The bones were laid in urns of clay or wood along with a few burial gifts. Of the wooden urns the resin has been preserved which sealed the joints. The urns were placed in hollows in the ground in a common grave field. A stone or wooden pole was raised by the grave.

But the burial customs have varied. In earlier times only a few were buried in cairns and mounds. Later children's graves are lacking, whereas a number of household animals are burnt alongside the dead. What can these changes be due to?