A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 46. (Nyíregyháza, 2004)

Régészet - Sanda Băcueţ-Crişan: Burial rites in the Neolithic in Northwest Romania

Sanda Bäcuet-Cri§an Regarding the role of the children in Late Aeneolithic Age from the Czech Republic, J. Turek noticed in the cemetery of the community the absence or the extreme rarity of children under 2, which can be attributed to the existence of some rules regarding the representation of the children in the society. Turek considers other rituals of children under 2 related to funerals in dwellings, under the floor or on the fireplace (TUREK). In this stage it is very difficult to explain the reason for placing some persons into dwellings, especially taking into consideration the fact that although the majority were children, some of them were adults. Regarding the graves discovered at Port (Suplacu de Barcäu), we probably have to deal with the so called "houses of the dead". Because of the big size of the funerary assemblage 2/2002 (3x2.5 m), we cannot talk just about a pit, we have to consider that this is a dwelling built with a special funerary purpose. This hypothesis is supported by a recently discovered grave 5/2003 situated at about 30 m from grave 2, showing some similarities with the latter as far as the size of the funerary objects (2x2.5 m) are concerned, but it has obvious differences in the burial rite, because grave 5 is a cremation burial. Similar situations have been registered in the Central European zone. Although, there existed cemeteries separated from the settlements, in these cemeteries burial assemblages similar to the dwellings were recorded (RACZKY 1981/82, 8). In Suplac/Küküllőszéplak Group, the author of the research emphasizes the similarity between the mode of arrangement of cremation graves and the dwellings discovered in the settlement (IGNAT 1998, 58). To justify different funerary customs in the Prehistoric Age, we can come up with a contemporary example. A registered custom until the middle of the 20th century, in Platforma Luncanilor, had been the burying of the placenta, which is "the shelter of the new-born's soul, and a dead body after the birth, which has to be destroyed through a funerary ritual". Connected to this ritual the custom of burying the placenta (baby house) under the house was also registered (GHINOIU 1999, 78). This custom - burying the deads into the courtyard (under the window) or in the garden especially in the case of dispersed villages, is being practiced even today. In conclusion, we can assume that there were several types of placing the dead in the dwelling: a. The dead was placed in the dwelling, which was afterwards abandoned and set sometimes on fire, as a result of a purification ritual - graves 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 from Gura Baciului. b. The placing of the dead in the dwelling, and keeping on living in it. c. The existence of some burial assemblages, similar to dwellings, "dead houses"- graves from Suplacu de Barcau/Port "Coräu". References BE.MNARIU 1997 loan Bejinariu: Un mormänt de incineratie neolitic descoperit la Zaläu. [A Neolithic cremation grave discovered at Zaläu.] Crisia 1997. 9-15. BODEA 1997 Monica Bodea: Actul de a Tnmormänta copii in vatra si längä vatra locuintei. [The significance of the customs of children burial in and near the fireplace of the dwellings.] AMN 34. 1997. 735-741. COMSA 1995 Eugen Com§a: Morminte ale purtätorilor culturii Starcevo Cris descoperite in Moldova. [Tombes appartenant á la culture de Starcevo Cris sur le territoire de la Moldavie.] AMN 32. 1995.245-256.