Page 52 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol. 5(2) (2017)
P. 52
dia universitatis her editati, letnik 5 (2017), številk a 2 52or better, cleaning, was continued, because it wassite and destroyed it near the grave (Fig 5). After
obvious that at the bottom of the defined grave the third pit was completely emptied, it was pos-
hereditatinew pits emerged as a dark layer – black oily soil,sible to come to some conclusions.
organic residues or maybe humus – which from
the upper layers could have reached the lower Discussion and Conclusion
ones. The first layer was located close to the right The grave was excavated in a field and according
leg, the second close to the left hand, and the to preliminary data the body was placed within
third around the place where the skull of the de- during the last century. The burial pit was shal-
ceased person was placed. In the empty pit, close low and it had unusual orientation. Somewhat
to the bones of the right leg, small metal objects similar situations were described at other ar-
were found, but with no potential for further chaeological locations, such as on the site Stari
analysis. A similar composition was found close Perkovci – Debela šuma in Brod-Posavina coun-
to the bones of the left hand, the pit was dug to ty, but at first glance, this was a slightly different
the bottom but no other artefacts were detect- case. In Stari Perkovci – Debela šuma the dis-
ed; if there was any organic material laid in the covered person was killed and buried in a shal-
pit, it had not been preserved. In the third pit, low pit. The pit configuration was quite irregu-
discovered under and near the skull, immediate- lar, and it was clear that digging and burial had
ly after the raising of the skeleton, corroded iron been done in haste.4 But the burial pit was spa-
objects were found. Deeper digging revealed cious enough to throw the body into, positioned
firearms’ ammunition: about twenty anti-air- on its side, and cover it with earth. That case
craft bullets and twice as many bullets of various also appertains to the victims of World War II
calibers for machine guns and rifles. The ammu- or the post-war period. But there are a few no-
nition was unused, spent shells were not found. ticeable differences between the two cases. The
Close to the bullets, some organic material was burial pit from Josipovac – Verušed near Osi-
found, remnants of the leather cases for ammu- jek is also located not in the cemetery but in a
nition and parts of a belt. All the ammunition field, yet its contours show a neat, precise digging
was documented, measured and photographed. work, though indeed shallow. However, this pit
As all the ammunition was unused and poten- is wide and long enough to lay the body on its
back in extended position. Metal buttons were
Figure. 5. Storing of ammunition from the burial pit be- detected at several positions close to the skele-
fore its safe destruction (Photo: Krešimir Filipec, 2007). ton, as it was mentioned before: three at the lev-
tially very dangerous to the environment, an of- el of both shoulders, two at the chest level, two
ficial pyrotechnist arrived on the archaeological on the right humeral bone and six more, almost
in line near the spine on both sides, from the su-
prasternal notch to the waist level. The position
of the buttons indicates remains of the short up-
per part of a military uniform with epaulettes.
Also, after further research, a thesis was set
about the iron, corroded emblem in the shape of
an eagle. This emblem was most probably posi-
tioned on the cap or was a part of the military
uniform. The burial was preliminarily defined
as a burial of an unknown soldier. The person
who buried his dead body first dug a grave with
4 Krešimir Filipec and Marija Šiša-Vivek, „Report on the archaeolo-
gical site Debela šuma,“ Hrvatski arheološki godišnjak no. 3 (2006): 69-
71.
obvious that at the bottom of the defined grave the third pit was completely emptied, it was pos-
hereditatinew pits emerged as a dark layer – black oily soil,sible to come to some conclusions.
organic residues or maybe humus – which from
the upper layers could have reached the lower Discussion and Conclusion
ones. The first layer was located close to the right The grave was excavated in a field and according
leg, the second close to the left hand, and the to preliminary data the body was placed within
third around the place where the skull of the de- during the last century. The burial pit was shal-
ceased person was placed. In the empty pit, close low and it had unusual orientation. Somewhat
to the bones of the right leg, small metal objects similar situations were described at other ar-
were found, but with no potential for further chaeological locations, such as on the site Stari
analysis. A similar composition was found close Perkovci – Debela šuma in Brod-Posavina coun-
to the bones of the left hand, the pit was dug to ty, but at first glance, this was a slightly different
the bottom but no other artefacts were detect- case. In Stari Perkovci – Debela šuma the dis-
ed; if there was any organic material laid in the covered person was killed and buried in a shal-
pit, it had not been preserved. In the third pit, low pit. The pit configuration was quite irregu-
discovered under and near the skull, immediate- lar, and it was clear that digging and burial had
ly after the raising of the skeleton, corroded iron been done in haste.4 But the burial pit was spa-
objects were found. Deeper digging revealed cious enough to throw the body into, positioned
firearms’ ammunition: about twenty anti-air- on its side, and cover it with earth. That case
craft bullets and twice as many bullets of various also appertains to the victims of World War II
calibers for machine guns and rifles. The ammu- or the post-war period. But there are a few no-
nition was unused, spent shells were not found. ticeable differences between the two cases. The
Close to the bullets, some organic material was burial pit from Josipovac – Verušed near Osi-
found, remnants of the leather cases for ammu- jek is also located not in the cemetery but in a
nition and parts of a belt. All the ammunition field, yet its contours show a neat, precise digging
was documented, measured and photographed. work, though indeed shallow. However, this pit
As all the ammunition was unused and poten- is wide and long enough to lay the body on its
back in extended position. Metal buttons were
Figure. 5. Storing of ammunition from the burial pit be- detected at several positions close to the skele-
fore its safe destruction (Photo: Krešimir Filipec, 2007). ton, as it was mentioned before: three at the lev-
tially very dangerous to the environment, an of- el of both shoulders, two at the chest level, two
ficial pyrotechnist arrived on the archaeological on the right humeral bone and six more, almost
in line near the spine on both sides, from the su-
prasternal notch to the waist level. The position
of the buttons indicates remains of the short up-
per part of a military uniform with epaulettes.
Also, after further research, a thesis was set
about the iron, corroded emblem in the shape of
an eagle. This emblem was most probably posi-
tioned on the cap or was a part of the military
uniform. The burial was preliminarily defined
as a burial of an unknown soldier. The person
who buried his dead body first dug a grave with
4 Krešimir Filipec and Marija Šiša-Vivek, „Report on the archaeolo-
gical site Debela šuma,“ Hrvatski arheološki godišnjak no. 3 (2006): 69-
71.
