Radiocarbon dates, cremations, flatgraves and the appearance of the urnfield cemeteries in Belgium
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2015-07-22

Traditionally, the Late Bronze Age is seen as the period during which the urnfield cemeteries appeared in the funerary archaeological record in Belgium. Flatgraves were dominant and replaced in most cases the former barrow tradition. Inhumation was replaced by cremation of the deceased’s body. This transition was dated around 1100 BC based on the typochronological study of the accompanying funerary goods in the burials Radiocarbon dates on cremated bone offered new insights in the origin of the flatgraves and urnfield cemeteries. The appearance of cremations and flatgraves is according the present information a more complicated evolution with regional differences. This process started earlier than assumed before. Some dates are as old as the 15th -14th centuries cal BC. This new phenomenon clearly dominates the funerary ritual from 1200 cal BC onwards, but between 1500-1200 cal BC a co-existence of both traditions of barrows and flatgraves is evident. By using Bayesian analysis we want to try to refine the chronological information concerning flatgraves and the introduction of the cremation ritual in Belgium.