Page 33 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(1) (2024)

Commission für Erforschung und Erhaltung of the city wall, at the entrance and on the Kavanela
der Kunst – und Historischen Denkmale isthmus from the Lošinj side. Another necropolis was
23:176. established near the eastern extension of the city wall,
Sacken, E. 1879. ‘Neuere Erwerbungen der close to the current cemetery and the Church of Sv.
Antikensammluug des A. h. Kaiserhauses: Marija, where a tumulus was located at the approach to
Von Ossero auf der Insel Cherso.’ the town from the Cres side. In the area above and east
Archeaologisch-epigraphische Mittheilungen of the Bijar cove, at the site of Mala Prepoved, tumuli
aus Österreich 4:150. were identified in the 1960s, indicating the presence of a
Teržan, B. 2013. ‘Liburnian Two-Part Fibulae necropolis in the wider area of Osor. This strategic posi-
with Conical Helices: Identifiers of Status tion was likely connected with the settlement on the hill
and Affluence.’ Diadora 26/27:241–266. above Bijar and the necropolis at the location of Kono-
Vinski, Z. 1956. ‘Ein Liburnischer Depotfund pičje where flat graves were located in a sinkhole and to
aus Baška.’ Archaeologia Iugoslavica 2:27– the west and north stretched graves under tumuli.
52. ‘Death in Osor’ or the methods, practices, and 33 33
burial rituals during the Bronze and Iron Ages, is an ex-
tensive and immensely important topic, which has only
Summary
been briefly presented through this synthetic review.
In previous studies, focused on the material culture of It has been confirmed, through the excavation of new
this period, the last prehistoric millennium in Osor has burial complexes, that larger necropoles existed along
not been extensively written about from other perspec- the eastern and southwestern approaches to the settle-
tives, especially that considering the concept of the ar- ment, near the still-active land routes. Now, a northern
chaeology of death. To do so, we have to present a top- necropolis has also been confirmed, which was not out-
ographical review and chronological ordering of grave side the urban fabric but within it, assuming that the
locations, along with their contextualization in rela- prehistoric settlement followed the terrain configura-
tion to burial practices both within and outside the ur- tion and existing walls to the greatest extent. Thus, the Death in Osor: Rituals and Practices of Prehistoric Burials Death in Osor: Rituals and Practices of Prehistoric Burials
ban area. The topography and typology of necropoles necropolis near the cemetery and Sv. Marija has been
and graves are essential for understanding how these classified as tumulus burials and the one at Kavanela as
structures were integrated into the living space of Osor a flat grave necropolis, while the necropolis at Sv. Petar,
and how its inhabitants interacted with them. This is based on available data, cannot yet be clearly classified in
most clearly reflected in their classification based on terms of burial methods, with no approach being ruled
various criteria. A topographic approach focuses on out.
the location of graves and necropoles in relation to the It is noticeable, however, that the wealthier graves,
settlement, their strategic position, and the terrain's with a greater number and variety of grave goods, are
morphology. typically those found in stone chests, primarily doc-
Burials within the city were known in the north- umented at Sv. Marija, followed by Sv. Petar and Mala
th
ern extension of Osor as early as the 19 century and Prepoved. All this data indirectly points to the social
more recent research has provided direct evidence of in- community and clans that performed such rituals, their
dividual graves located from the Chapel of Sv. Katarina statuses and positions within it, their beliefs and cus-
to the monastery of Sv. Petar and its surrounding areas toms, and even possible kinships and hierarchies with-
where in total nine graves were discovered, showcasing in the broader community. This societal and ideologi-
different burial methods and rituals. cal concept, as well as the practice of burial protocols,
Burials outside the city walls likely took place at currently suggests that the graves at Sv. Katrina, Sv. Pe-
three strategic locations – following the natural terrain tar, and Sv. Marija represent the earliest phase of burial
and its practical use, the necropoles were situated on the from the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, which
landward sides near the main approaches to the town. were, evidently within the urban space, all covered by
The larger one was located along the southwestern side medieval sacred and memorial monuments. This same