Page 13 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(1) (2024)

Death in Osor: Rituals and Practices of Prehistoric Burials
Smrt v Osorju: obredi in prakse prazgodovinskih pokopavanj

Martina Blečić Kavur
University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities, Slovenia
martina.blecic.kavur@upr.si

Boris Kavur
University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities, Slovenia
boris.kavur@upr.si

Abstract
Osor, a town at the junction of the Kvarner islands of Cres and Lošinj, is one of the most important ar-
chaeological sites in the northern Adriatic, dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages. Its historical role 13
and importance are undeniable, as it is mentioned in almost all ancient historical sources that addressed
the Caput Adriae area. In archaeological discourse, it is mainly known for its representative material
culture, which has been discussed in detail. Most of these artefacts come from various graves and ne-
cropoles, although there was much less information about these contexts. This paper presents for the
first time a complete concept of the archaeology of death in Osor. It is based on archive records and re-
sults of new archaeological investigations gathering all the available data. They are presented with a top-
ographical overview and the location of the graves in their chronological order, with the typology of the
burials and their contextualization in relation to their positions inside and outside the urban space. Al-
ready known, but also unknown or less available data were analysed in order to create, as far as possible,
a well-rounded knowledge of this extremely important social and cultural aspect of life (and death) in
prehistoric Osor.
Keywords: Osor, Bronze Age, Iron Age, type of burials, rituals, material culture

Izvleček
Osor, kraj na stičišču kvarnerskih otokov Cresa in Lošinja, predstavlja eno izmed najpomembnejših naj-
dišč bronaste in železne dobe na severnem Jadranu. Njegova zgodovinska vloga in pomen sta nedvom-
na, saj je zapisan v skoraj vseh antičnih zgodovinskih virih, ki so obravnavali območje Caput Adriae. V
arheološkem diskurzu je prepoznaven predvsem po reprezentativni materialni kulturi, o kateri je bilo že
veliko razprav. Večina teh predmetov izvira iz različnih grobov in grobišč, čeprav je bilo prav o teh kon-
tekstih veliko manj znanega. V razpravi je, na podlagi arhivskih virov in rezultatov novih arheoloških
raziskav, prvič predstavljen celovit koncept arheologije smrti na območju Osorja z zbranimi vsemi do-
stopnimi podatki. Zasnovani in predstavljeni so s topografskim pregledom in z razporeditvijo grobov
v kronološkem zaporedju, s tipologijo grobnih celot in kontekstualizirani glede na svoj položaj znotraj
ter zunaj mestnega območja. Da bi ustvarili čim bolj zaokroženo celoto znanja o tem izjemno pomemb-
nem družbenem in kulturnem vidiku življenja (in smrti) v prazgodovinskem Osorju, so bila analizirana
že objavljena in neznana ali manj dostopna dejstva.
Ključne besede: Osor, bronasta doba, železna doba, način in vrsta pokopa, obredi, materialna kultura

https://doi.org/10.26493/2350-5443.12(1)13-34 © author/authors