Graves of the Unburied: Symbolic Iron Age Warrior Burials in East Lithuania
Volume 8 (2007): Weapons, Weaponry and Man (In memoriam Vytautas Kazakevičius), pp. 292–301
Pub. online: 9 November 2007
Type: Article
Open Access
Received
17 January 2007
17 January 2007
Revised
18 May 2007
18 May 2007
Published
9 November 2007
9 November 2007
Abstract
The paper analyses symbolic warrior burials found in East Lithuanian barrows dated to the Iron Age. The discussed graves contain mainly weapons, without any human remains. Judging from the grave assemblages and the shapes of the weapons, it is supposed that higher-status individuals used to be buried symbolically more frequently. Stressing the male gender and the warrior status was the primary task when performing a symbolic burial.