Perica N Spehar

A recent study from Central Europe has changed our perception of the cat's domestication history. The authors discuss how this has led to the development of an interdisciplinary project combining palaeogenetics, zooarchaeology and radiocarbon dating, with the aim of providing insight into the domestic cat's expansion beyond the Mediterranean.

U naseobinskim slojevima u tri vizantijska pogranična utvrđenja u srpskom delu Podunavlja otkrivena su arheološka svedočanstva deponovanja ptica, koje je prethodilo izgradnji objekata različite namene. Reč je o jamama u kojima su bile pohranjene cele, naopako okrenute keramičke posude, unutar kojih su se nalazili skeleti ptica. Pomenute
jame nalazile su se ispod podnica kuća, kao i u blizini bedema, sa njegove unutrašnje strane. Magijska snaga vršenog obreda bila je dodatno pojačana prilozima u vidu gvozdenih noževa i klinova, dok je u jednom slučaju konstatovano i prisustvo malih staklenih amorfnih predmeta. Rad se bavi proučavanjem prakse prinošenja različitih životinjskih žrtava pre početka gradnje, koja je konstatovana ne samo u srpskom delu Podunavlja, već i na većem broju nalazišta širom Evrope opredeljenih u 12. i 13. vek. Sprovedeni rituali po svemu sudeći predstavljaju odgovor srednjovekovnog stanovništva na izazove koje su sa sobom nosili krizni trenuci. Budući da je evropsko stanovništvo u pomenutom razdoblju bilo uveliko hristijanizovano, okretanje ka nehrišćanskim običajima u teškim trenucima predstavlja simbiozu narodnih verovanja i zvanične religije.

The last reviews of sites and finds dated to the 10 th and 11 th centuries on the territory of modern Vojvodina were made quarter of century ago. Development of the methodology of archaeological investigations, re-examination of old and appearance of new sites and finds, as well as the ongoing evaluation of the results of archaeologically explored necropolis in Batajnica, all suggested the necessity for a work dedicated to the problem of colonization of Hungarians as well as to the analyses of the phenomena typical for that period in Serbian part of Banat, Bačka and Srem. K e y w o r d s:

Archaeological evidence of 14 th-18 th century burial practices on the territory of Latvia. in studies by archaeologists, ethnographers, folklore researchers and researchers in other fields burial practices are generally interpreted as part of a corpus of beliefs and norms observed at the time of death, in preparing the deceased for burial, in the course of the burial itself and in commemorating the dead. the following features of burial practices are assumed to reflect christian influence: inhumation burial, grave orientation with the head to the west, burial in a shroud without grave goods, and burial inside churches and in consecrated churchyards. on the territory of latvia several christian norms of burial ritual had stabilised by the 15 th century, although in the Middle Ages and later several traditions inherited from prehistoric times (burial in special clothing and with grave goods at sites chosen by the people themselves, etc.) continued to be observed. the long persistence of certain burial norms in rural areas can be explained in terms of the syncretic character of the religious life of the indigenous population. Burial with grave goods and in sites not directly connected with churches can be regarded as local characteristics observed also in the nearest neighbouring countries: lithuania, Estonia and former Prussia. let us note that in other countries of Europe, too, christianisation was not immediately followed by changes in people's thinking and religious ideas. Parallel to christian teachings, an older stratum of beliefs was retained for a long time, transformed under the influence of christianity. Evidently, the situation in the Baltic cannot be directly compared with central and Western Europe, and not all of the criteria applied in the study of religious life in this area can be accepted as absolute. the course and preconditions of christianisation differed between different ethnic groups and countries. As the christian church developed, certain characteristic features were retained in each region. in studies by archaeologists, ethnographers, folklore researchers and researchers in other fields burial practices are generally interpreted as part of a corpus of beliefs and norms observed at the time of death, in preparing the deceased for burial, in the course of the burial itself and in commemorating the dead (nikitina. the purpose of burial practices is to ensure the transition from the present condition to a different one. in this respect, a funeral resembles a christening, a marriage or some other rite of transition (van Gennep 1977; Sedakova 2004, 31). in the area of present-day latvia various aspects of the religious life of the indigenous population of the medieval and post-medieval age have been analysed mainly on the basis of evidence from

A hoard, discovered in Štítarský forest near Mďstec Králové (district of Nymburk, central Bohe-
mia), was found to consist of a brass bow-Àbula with eagle heads (in three fragments), two bronze
Àttings and a strap-end from a belt. All these objects were produced in 7th century. The bow-Àbula
and the Àttings have parallels in Eastern Europe, in the Middle Dnieper region as well as in Crimea.
The Àbula was made of brass, and the bronze mounts were found to be minimally tinned, as X-ray
Áuorescence spectroscopy and micro-photographs revealed in two cases. The strap-end also has pa-
rallels in the Carpathian Basin. It is extremely difÀcult to ascertain whether these Ànds are the result
of contact with Eastern Europe or through the Carpathian Basin and the Avars. Some Ànds from the
Avar cultural sphere as well as from the Byzantine milieu are known from the region of Nymburk and
date from the 7th and mainly the 8th century. The new Ànd clearly shows the existence of long-distance
contact at the time of the rule of Samo.

Deposition of relics in graves – a custom compatible with liturgy or – a sacrilege? For
modern Christians, deposition of saints’ relics to accompany burial seems a sacrilege. Nevertheless,
in late antiquity it was quite common among Christians, being a form of burial ad sanctos, or, near
to the relics of the holy martyrs. However, gradually, containers with relics, or encolpia as they
were known, assumed the character of magic charms, becoming a sort of an amulet – guarantee
of salvation. This fact gives rise to protests of the clergy and a synodal ban on the use of encolpia.
During the Middle Ages deposition of relics in graves is much less common and limited on the
whole to burials of rulers and higher-ranking ecclesiastics. Holy relics (in particular, relics of the
Holy Cross) are placed in containers shaped like a cross (and to them the name encolpion is now
restricted) and also, set into finger-rings. However, their use for storing relics is very rare and, in
many cases, poorly substantiated that demands the careful verification of the finds. The absence
of bans in medieval liturgical texts makes it necessary for us to conclude that deposition of relics
in graves was not considered a sacrilege. But we need to stress that the custom was limited to
burials of the privileged.

Апстракт: У касноантичком периоду простор данашње источне Србије припадао је провинцији Приобална Дакија. Захваљујући спроведеним истраживањима, овај део лимеса и његово залеђе су у значајној мери проучени, о чему сведочи неколико десетина касноантичких фортификација које су нам познате, a међу њима се према величини и специфичном положају издваја утврђени комплекс откривен на локалитету Мокрањске стене. У даљем тексту ће бити реч о остацима живота на поменутом налазишту у периоду од 3. до 6/почетка 7. века.

Interviews with CONPRA secondees from University of Belgrade taken during CONPRA Conference, Round table and Workshop held in Belgrade in November 2016 (CONPRA, Contributing Preventive Archaeology is EU funded project , FP7, Industria et Academia, Maria Curie)