Some Remarks on the Orientation of the Dead: Examples From Two East Lithuanian Barrow Cemeteries

Abstract

Two east Lithuanian barrow cemeteries, Baliuliai and Peršaukštis Kasčiukai II, which date to the mid-5th century, are distinguished by a specific pattern of burial orientation. The head appears to generally lie to the west and northwest, which is entirely typical of east Lithuanian barrows. But a closer inspection shows an exceptional feature, i.e. the alignment of the deceased towards a single focal point near the cemetery. The present paper seeks to discuss if this spatial organization was intentional, and if so, what significance the focal point possessed and what views of the afterlife and social objectives might lie behind this mortuary treatment. The grave orientation in both cemeteries is examined, with a certain amount of criticism, in the light of the chronological and territorial contexts. The paper proposes a hypothesis that burial direction is a form of symbolic communication between the living and the dead as well as among the dead within a certain internment area. It suggests that an ancestral tradition was established and maintained through this grave orientation. And it also examines the astronomical framework of the burial directions.

New Human Bone Radiocarbon Dates From the Roman Period–migration Period Lithuanian Cemeteries

“…Inhumation was the exclusive burial custom here during the Roman Period (ca. 3rd-4th centuries AD), but cremation came into dominance since the late 4th-5th century AD, Human Bone 14 C Dates from Lithuanian Cemeteries 413 according to the current model (Kurila 2016). A dense concentration of barrow cemeteries spanning some 60 km from N to S caught the attention of researchers because of the burials that display attributes of military elites or contain prestigious non-local items (Bliujienė and Curta 2011;Bliujienė et al 2017a).…”

“…Samples for this study were collected from burial sites in E, S, Central, and W Lithuaniaregions with well-defined, archaeologically distinguishable features (Bertašius 2016;Bliujienė 2016;Jovaiša 2016;Kiulkys 2016;Kurila 2016). In line with the goal of the project, alongside an attempt to cover the territory of Lithuania when collecting the samples, we also made an effort to date burials of both sexes and different social groups, as defined by archaeological markers.…”

“…The presumed early burials in E Lithuanian barrows are those of females buried with luxurious items, which have analogues in SE and Central Europe and are related to influences from the Gothic Sântana de Mureş culture. The generally accepted date of this cultural horizon is the junction of the Late Roman Period-Early Migration Period (late 4th-early 5th centuries AD) (Bliujienė and Curta 2011;Kurila 2016).…”

“…Supposedly, the slightly later stage of the East Lithuanian barrow culture is represented by burials of military aristocracy, who were accompanied into the afterlife by weapons and prestigious items that mostly originated from the Middle Danube region at the time of the Hunnic conquests or later. The middle of the 5th-early 6th centuries AD is the chronology most often proposed for this horizon in scholarly debates (Bliujienė and Steponaitis 2009;Bliujienė and Curta 2011;Kurila 2016). The third suggested route of influence or immigration extends from the Sambia peninsula (now Kaliningrad, Russian Federation) into Lithuania through the lower reaches of the Nemunas River and further into W Lithuania as well as along the Nemunas into Central Lithuania.…”

The Sun, the Moon, and the Orientation of Baltic Graves: A Mythological Approach to an Archaeological Problem<br>Solnce, luna i orientacija baltskih pogrebenij: mifologičeskij vzljad na arheologičeskuju problemu</br>

“…193). The graves in the Baliuliai barrow cemeteries (Švenčionys district), dating back to the mid-5 th century AD, were directed toward a sand hill in the environment of the burial site whose archaeological exploratory excavation did not produce any significant results (Kurila 2013). In the Gintališkė burial ground (Plungė district), inhumations of the Late Iron Age, as well as cremated human remains in inhumation pits, were parallel to the flow of the Salantas stream (Fig.…”