Burial customs in the countries around Denmark

from:

Erling Albrectsen

Fynske Jernaldergrave II: Ældre Romersk Jernalder, Einar Munksgaard,
1956

[Iron Age Graves from Fyn: Early Roman Iron Age]

IV The grave forms

Burial customs in the countries around Denmark

As will have been apparent from this overview [an earlier section],
Denmark is in Early Roman Iron Age [0 - 200 CE] divided into several
areas by varying burial customs. All in all clear differences can be
observed, but at the same time similarities, which within the various
areas appears clearly as an expression of a widely extended common
culture. Since both difference and similarity are of interest to our
assessment of the development within each culture province as well as
in the great common area, there will be a reason to extend the lines
further, beyond the borders of the country, so that thereby the
burial customs in Denmark are highlighted in a larger setting.

As for Sweden the burial customs can be partially followed by means
of a number of overview works, which highlights the distribution in
some of Sweden's provinces. Well investigated are Gotland and Oeland
through the works of Almgren, Nerman and Stenberger (Almgren u.
Nerman, ÄEG. - M. Stenberger, Öland under äldre järnåldern. - A new
work which deals with the subject, B. Stjernquist, Simris, Lund 1955,
has been published after I [Albrectsen] have published the present
section on the grave forms. Not least for Sweden is mrs.
Stjernquist's report detailed.) Very striking is it that on Gotland
in the earliest pre-Roman Iron Age there are, temporally isolated, a
group of inhumation graves, the presence of which is difficult to
explain (ÄEG p. 3, - B. Stjernquist, Simris pp. 40), as the cremation
grave in this period is the only one found across the Germanic area,
and as on Gotland the later periods of the pre-Roman Iron Age, II and
III, have not until now yielded up any example of unburnt burial
(ÄEG, p. 3 and 12). On the other hand inhumation graves here occur
numerously in Early Roman Iron Age, both in its Early and Late
sections (ÄEG pp 25-, pp 44-) in the shape of graves where the
deceased has been deposited in the direction north-south, with the
head to the north. The graves are lime stone coffins, or the deceased
is overlaid with large stones. As a rule they are covered by a small
mound. Inhumation is slightly more common than cremation. On Öland
the developmet runs in parallel with that on Gotland (Stenberger,
Öland pp 1-, pp 14-. On Öland, however, inhumation does not flourish
fully until period II).

Foe Mid-Sweden E. Oxenstierna's work, Die Urheimat der Goten, enables
us in the main to follow the burial custom. Östergötland has in Early
Rom Time certain points of similarity with Gotland, as cremation
graves and inhumation graves occasionally are covered with mounds.
The cremation graves, however, which are mostly cremation spots,
definitely predominate in many places, except for the large burial
ground at Alvastra (Almgren, Månadsblad 1900, pp 94- - T. J. Arne,
Meddel. från Östergötlands fornminnesförening, 1903-04. -
Oxenstierna, Urheimat, p. 35. - B. Stjernquist, Simris, p. 52.). Here
the dead were lying in the direction north-south, the head as a rule
towards north. Often there were no protective stones around the
grave, but in several cases stone settings or packings. The grave
furnishings were poor. In a small number of cases graves can be dated
as early as period I.

Also in Norway cremation graves and inhumation are found alongside,
since cremation graves continue the tradition from Pre-Roman Iron
Age. From Sande in Jarlsberg a single example of inhumation is known
already in late pre-Roman time (A. W. Broegger, Oldtiden VII, p. 68 -
. Hougen Grav og gravplass 1924, p. 17 fig. 1), probably in temporal
contact with the following inhumation graves from Early Roman Time.
In the landscapes east and west of Oslo Fjord, Oestfold and Vestfold,
both mound-covered cremation graves and inhumation graves are found,
with the cremation graves predominating (Grav og gravplass p. 21 and
31. - Jan Petersen, Norske Oldfund I, 1916, 60. - Mound 105, Store-
Dal, ibid. p. 48. table XVI, fig. 7). In Oestfold alongside with
simply furnished inhumation graves others appear with rich grave
goods. One of these, Mound 105, from the burial place at Store Dal,
is from period I. Those placed in the mound rest in a stone chist
under a low mound; the direction is generally north-south, and as a
rule the head is turned towards the south. Also for the Vestland
already from Early Roman Time I inhumation graves under mounds,
rather poorly furnished, can be shown to occur, and this custom grows
with time, but cremation must be said to be predominating on the
Vestland throughout the Roman time (Schetelig, Vestlandske graver, p.
22 and pp. 51-).

Just as in the North burial of the dead unburnt in some locations is
rather widespread already in the early part of Roman Iron Age, there
are south of the Baltic areas, in which early inhumation graves are
rather common. In certain areas in West and North West Germany,
however, inhumation graves are absent, and yield to the cremation
graves inherited from the La Tène time. (A. Plettke, Urspr. u. Ausbr.
d. Ang. u. Sachsen, p. 56: Skeleton graves are completely absent in
Schleswig and Holstein. - R. v. Uslar, Westgerm. Bodenfunde, p. 159. -
W. Wegewitz, Die langobardische Kultur. - F. Tischler, Fuhlsbüttel,
p. 57). A good overview of the inhumation graves in the areas between
the Alps and the Baltic is given by O. Klindt-Jensen in Foreign
Influences pp 222- with a map p. 177. In the areas around the mouth
of the Wistula the cremation graves of the la Tène time to a large
extent yield in late Early Roman Iron Age to inhumation graves under
mound (Undset, Jernalderens begyndelse, p 140. - Blume, Die germ.
Stämme, p. 157, 163), but inhumation graves, however, are known
already in period I in a not inconsiderable number. It was this
concentration of skeleton graves German research at first saw as an
immigration from the north by the Goths, who were supposed to have
brought the custom of inhumation with them from Gotland to the new
settlements on the North German continent (Zeitschr. für Ethnol.
1905, p. 391 f.). Also further to the west, in West Prussia and
Pomerania, skeleton graves occur in quite substantial numbers, but,
however, numerically subordinate to the cremation graves (Kunkel,
Pommersche Urgeschichte in Bildern, p. 78. - W. la Baume,
Vorgeschichte von Westpreussen, p. 70 and 82. - Eggers, Das römische
Einfuhrgut in Pommern, Balt. Studien, XLII, 1940, pp. 1-). The same
goes for Mecklenburg (R. Beltz, Die vorgeschichtlichen Altertümer des
Gr. herz. tums Mecklenburg-Schwerin, p. 336. Eggers, Der römische
Import, pp. 113-).

Further south and south east, in Silesia and Bohemia, a good deal of
inhumation graves are known, although cremation predominates (H.
Preidel, Die germ. Kulturen in Böhmen, 1930, p. 328. - Chr. Peschek,
Die frühwand. Kultur in Mittelschlesien, pp. 4 and 10-). It is
important that a number of inhumation graves occur in Silesia as
early as in the 1st century BCE, continuing into Early Roman time
(Peschek, ibid. p. 5, cp. p. 368). Also from Bohemia we know a number
of early inhumation graves (J. L. Pic^. Die Urnengräber Böhmens, pp.
411-. - Preidel, Die germ. Kulturen, p. 328), and the same goes for
the areas around the Saale river (Klindt-Jensen, Foreign Inluences,
p. 223) [T.: If I'm not mistaken, this is the area of Thuringia where
the -leben names occur]. But here as everywhere in the German
continent cremation predominates in the beginning of Early Roman
Time.

North of the Baltic in certain areas, ie. North and East Jutland,
Gotland and partly Öland the inhumation graves are much more common
than on the North European continent, although the picture may be
distorted by less excavation intensity south of the Baltic. This
relative abundance of inhumation graves in the North might tempt one
to ask whether the custom of laying the dead unburnt into the earth
is not autochthonous, having originated somewhere north of the
Baltic. That such a leap in burial pratices suddenly may take place,
we witnessed on Gotland, where, as previously mentioned, completely
geographically and temporally isolated inhumation graves are found.
The idea of the inhumation custom arising spontaneously in the North
at the beginning of Early Roman Time is hardly sustainable. It is
decisive here that the inhumation graves appear suddenly and not
rooted in tradition (The Norwegian inhumation grave from Sande in
Jarlsberg from Pre-Roman Iron Age period III (Oldtiden VII, p. 68) is
as isolated example not enough to postulate a continued tradition).
On the other hand, on the continent can be indicated areas, where the
graves of the beginning of Early Roman Iron Age have connection with
constructions [anlaeg] from the la Tène Time. With respect to Silesia
such a contact seems to be present, and here perhaps the inhumation
grave has been transferred from Celtic to Germanic cultural substrate
(Jahn, Mannus 22, p. 85. - Almgren u. Nerman, ÄEG, p. 141. -
Brønsted, D. O. III, p. 146. - Klindt-Jensen, Foreign Influences, p.
177. - Herimod Preidel, Die germ. Kulturen, pp. 328-) The material as
a whole, however, is still so meager, that nothing can be said with
certainty. But as the situation is, it is reasonable to assume that
the custom of burying the dead unburnt has not arisen in the North,
but arrived here by a cultural influence from the south.

Torsten