Analysis of the Cemetery Župna Cerkev in Kranj (Slovenia). Preliminary observations of the research project (Z6-4608)
Creators: name: Rihter, Jernej
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023

description: Analysis of the Cemetery Župna Cerkev in Kranj (Slovenia). Preliminary observations of the research project[1]

Abstract

The temporal identification of the graves of the Župna Cerkev cemetery is the goal of the first part of the research project. Older researches assume that out of almost 3000 graves more than one third is early medieval. In the current research phase, a stratigraphic dating method will be used to determine the number of early medieval graves without grave goods.

Keywords: Župna cerkev cemetery in Kranj (Slovenia); early medieval period; material culture; stratigraphy; skeletal graves

The cemetery of Župna Cerkev in Kranj (Slovenia) is the largest early medieval cemetery in the territory of the southeastern Alps, as well as in the greater part of Central Europe. Between the 8th and 18th centuries there was an uninterrupted burial continuity of 1,000 years. Excavations between 1953 and 2013 documented 2,943 graves (ZBIVA[2], OIAS 35, 37, 38).

The cemetery does not show the usual horizontal growth in time and space (i.e. horizontal stratigraphy / topographic chronology), but a vertical growth (stratigraphy) caused by the continuous burial on a small, relatively limited space next to an (early) medieval church. The continuation of burial in a limited space created a series of stratigraphic relationships between graves (Rihter 2023, 275-277).

Recently, the stratigraphy of the graves and a typochronology of the head circlets and rings was made (Rihter 2020). This shows that early medieval graves may occur in up to 9 stratigraphic sequences ('layers'), which may be followed by younger graves. The stratigraphic sequences clearly show the beginning and end of the occurrence of early medieval artifacts in the graves (ca. mid-8th to mid-11th century), as well as the reappearance of artifacts in the graves of the High Middle Ages. The last graves with early medieval jewelry are the first (in some areas), followed by »pilgrim graves« with scallop shells (Pecten sp). The stratigraphic situation shows that there is a period without artifacts in graves in between (Rihter 2022). As the examination of the stratigraphically lowest graves shows, the burial began with graves without grave goods, probably at the beginning of the 8th century (Rihter 2023). A large part of the remaining graves without grave goods remain undated.

The presentation includes the results and practical examples of dating early medieval graves without grave goods in stratigraphic sequences (see below in Files: Power Point presentation "Rihter_Maribor_20_10_2023.pptx").

Literatura / Literature 

OIAS 35 = A. Pleterski, B. Štular, M. Belak 2016, Izkopavanja srednjeveškega in zgodnjenovoveškega grobišča pri Župni cerkvi v Kranju v letih 1964–1970. Grobišče Župna cerkev v Kranju 1. – Opera Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae 35. (DOI: 10.3986/9789612549732)

OIAS 37 = A. Pleterski, B. Štular, M. Belak 2017, Raziskovanja grobišča okoli Župne cerkve v Kranju v letih 1972−2010.– Opera Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae 37. (DOI: 10.3986/9789610500315)

OIAS 38 = A. Pleterski, B. Štular, M. Belak, H. Bešter 2019, Začetek in konec raziskovanj grobišča pri Župni cerkvi v Kranju (1953 in 2011−2013). – Opera Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae 38. (DOI: 10.3986/9789610501503)

Rihter, J. 2020. Stratigrafija grobišča Župna cerkev v Kranju in tipokronologija zgodnjesrednjeveškega nakita (Stratigraphy of Župna cerkev in Kranj Cemetery and Tipochronology of Early Medieval Jewellery). – Doktorska disertacija / Unpublished PhD Thesis, Oddelek za arheologijo, Filozofska fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani (neobjavljeno / unpublished).

Rihter, J. (2022). The last Early Medieval and first High Medieval burials with grave goods from the Župna Cerkev in Kranj Cemetery (Slovenia) in the light of stratigraphy and material culture. Predstavitev /Presentation at conference: "Power in Numbers: The Role of the Rural Population in Christianisation and State Formation II", Panel 7, Charles University - Faculty of Arts, Prague (CZE) 12. maj 2022. Zenodo. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8086822

Rihter, J. 2023, Stratigrafsko najstarejši zgodnjesrednjeveški grobovi in začetek pokopavanja na grobišču Župna cerkev v Kranju / Stratigraphically lowest early medieval graves and beginnings of burial in the Župna cerkev cemetery in Kranj (Slovenia). – Arheološki vestnik 74, 2023, 263–308; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3986/AV.74.08

ZBIVA = Belak, Pleterski, Rihter, Štular 2023, Zbiva v4.1 (https://zbiva4.zrc-sazu.si/).(27.06.2023).

 

[1] The author acknowledges the financial support from the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency as part of the Z6-4608 project titled 'Analysis of the Cemetery Župna Cerkev in Kranj (Slovenia)'

[2] Search: https://zbiva.dev.aflabs.org/iskanje/grobovi?search=Župna Cerkev (27.06.2023)