Page 16 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(1) (2024)

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studia universitatis hereditati, letnik 12 (2024), številka 1 / volume 12 (2024), number 1

Figure 1: Topography of Osor graves and necropoles (Google Earth, elaborated by Martina Blečić Kavur, 2024)

space of Osor and how its inhabitants interact- Within the City Walls
ed with them. This is most clearly reflected in Burials within the city were known in the north-
th
their classification based on various criteria. A ern extension of Osor as early as the 19 century.
topographic approach focuses on the location However, no detailed records exist about these
of graves and necropoles in relation to the settle- burials, their precise topographical positions, or
ment, their strategic position, and the terrain's other specifics, except for critical notes (Benn-
morphology. Within individual necropoles, the dorf 1880; Marchesetti 1924, 141; cf. Faber 1974,
arrangement and orientation of graves, their po- 80; 1980; Mihovilić 2013, 215). More recent re-
tential hierarchy, and their relationships or dis- search has provided direct evidence of individu-
tances from one another are of great importance. al graves located from the Chapel of Sv. Katarina
Whenever documentation allows, the types of (St. Catherine) to the monastery of Sv. Petar and
graves and their possible social or ritual func- its surrounding areas (fig. 1). In total, nine graves
tions will be highlighted, providing insights into were discovered, displaying different burial
grave typology and burial rituals. Thanks to past methods and rituals. These findings significantly
and modern archaeological research, necropoles contribute to the understanding of funeral cus-
and individual graves from the Bronze and Iron toms within the city’s living perimeter. Unfortu-
Ages have been documented in several different nately, the minimal preservation of osteological
locations both inside and outside Osor’s perime- material prevents a more detailed analysis, and
ter, which guides the analysis of burial practices interpretations, for now, rely heavily on materi-
in this discussion. al culture artefacts.