engleski

Funerary archaeology

During the rescue excavations in 2007, a pit containing human skeletal remains was found at Potočani in Croatia. The remains of at least 41 person of all age groups and both sexes were found, mostly articulated but commingled and without a clear pattern of organization. No associated artefacts were present in the pit except for few pottery fragments of Lasinja Copper Age Culture (c. 4300 to 3950 BCE). Three direct dates on skeletal remains from different layers of the pit all showed the same age (cca 4100 cal BCE). Radiocarbon dates, patterns and location of injuries, combined with the manner of disposal of the dead, and the characteristics of the assemblage (e.g. sex and age) all point to a single episode of violence (massacre). Here we discuss the results of bioarchaeological analysis of the sample in the context of other known mass graves from the similar timeframe. Further, preliminary results of stable isotope analysis and genomic analysis of the whole sample that is in progress will add to our understanding of various issues related to patterns of contact and interaction in Europe during Copper Age.

bioarchaeology ; prehistory ; croatia ; potočani ; copper age ; lasinja culture

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