Page 19 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(1) (2024)

of other similar cremation graves within the me- flected their original placement among the de-
dieval architecture, the discovery suggests the ceased’s attire.
existence of a small cremation cemetery, con- In addition to the osteological material,
firming for the first time the practice of crema- these graves provide inventories of new, previ-
tion burials in this part of Osor (Blečić Kavur ously unknown objects from the Osor archive
and Kavur 2013; Blečić Kavur 2014a, 110–111, fig. of material culture, as well as finds that, though
64; 2021, 542–543). previously known, have now been documented
Further discoveries include younger buri- in their specific archaeological context. Notably,
als, dated to the Early Iron Age, based on pre- the grave of a young person from the southern
served architecture and accompanying grave nave of the church’s forecourt (5.184) (Bully et al.
goods. During excavation campaigns in 2013, 2017, fig. 2, 5; Čaušević-Bully et al. 2017, fig. 14)
2016, and 2017, a total of five graves were docu- stands out for being quite different from others
mented outside the church and along the mon- (fig. 2–3). This individual was buried in a semi- 19
astery's vestibule, located in the deepest layers flexed position, surrounded by large unworked
beneath medieval structures, some of which had stone blocks, and oriented northwest-south-
partially destroyed them (Bully et al. 2017, 17– east. With a rich array of jewellery and attire, it
20, fig. 20–21; Čaušević-Bully et al. 2017, 807– represents the most affluent grave in that area.
808, fig. 14–15; Bully et al. 2024) (fig. 2–3). The The various items reflect the female attire of the
grave architecture varies: four of the graves fea- higher social strata in Osor society. Instead of
ture a standard rectangular stone chest con- the anticipated imported goods, the individual
struction, made of four vertically placed lime- is represented by locally crafted objects, such as
stone slabs, though their covers were not a multi-part spectacle fibula, bracelets, 3 amber
preserved (5.185, 5.285, 4.232, 8.105) (fig. 3). One beads, 8 glass beads, and 12 bone beads (Blečić
grave (5.285), located in the southern nave of Kavur 2021, 543, fig. 6). This substantial invento-
the Romanesque vestibule and beneath a medi- ry mirrors the typical ensemble of Osor commu- Death in Osor: Rituals and Practices of Prehistoric Burials
eval baptismal font, had already been emptied nity attire, previously known only from tumu-
during antiquity or the Middle Ages (Bully et lus graves near the Church of Sv. Marija (Mladin
al. 2018, fig. 2–3). Despite the absence of grave 1960). The grave is tentatively dated to the sec-
goods, the grave’s north-south orientation re- ond half of the 9th century, with potential con-
mains a significant novelty. The graves were tinuity into the early 8th century BCE, corre-
generally placed directly on the limestone bed- sponding to the II phase of the Kvarner cultural
rock or carved into it (Bully et al. 2018, 3, fig. group. The discovery of a simple serpentine fibu-
3), while the smallest of them, almost square in la with a disc on the bow from the southeastern
shape (4.323), was pressed into a layer of com- grave (8.105), also with a regular orientation, in-
pacted clay. Given the few delicate bone remains dicates that burials continued there until the 7th
and amber beads, this grave is presumed to have or even 6th century BCE (fig. 3).
been that of a small child (Čaušević-Bully et These seven graves were located at the high-
al. 2014, 8, fig. 4; Marić et al. 2014, 463, fig. 2). est point in Osor’s urban space and are likely part
The remaining graves contained individual bur- of a larger cemetery complex, where burials took
ials in crouched positions, with heads placed at place over a longer period from the tenth to the
the southern side or in the corner of the grave 7th/6th centuries BCE. Given their distribution
(Bully et al. 2017, 5, fig. 2; Čaušević-Bully et al. around the church’s northern and southern pe-
2017, 807–808, fig. 14–15). Attire and jewellery rimeter, it is plausible that the complex medie-
were mostly placed around the deceased's head val architecture significantly destroyed or over-
or upper body, suggesting that during the funer- laid much of the necropolis. Nonetheless, each
al ceremonies, the positioning of grave goods re- grave has provided new, reliable data not previ-