Avescope Memento Mori

to the sexing. In this particular case, the old theory held true.
Another site I worked on had an individual from the earlier
Bronze Age and this showed a different rite: fancy dagger, big
bracelets on the lower arms and some sort of chain – the
purpose of which is lost to me:
The jewellery shown here is not from this particular site but is
typical of what we were getting. The bracelets are really rather
small and it is suggested that they were worn as a rite of
passage: perhaps on hitting puberty, an adolescent female
would wear them to mark this important fact. Conjecture – but
possible.
Also found on site were several large pits containing
deliberately smashed pottery – consisting of a mixture of heavy
coarsewares and finely decorated wares – mixed with the
skeletal remains of calf, goat, deer (evidenced from antler) and
pig. The pig fragments showed signs of butchery. The
destruction of so much pottery in one instance was certainly no
accident: these remains were evidence of ritual feasting, almost
certainly connected to funerary practice. We do the same today
– although we are not generally so destructive at the wakes for
our loved ones.
We don’t know why these people practiced both inhumation
and cremation. It may have been a personal choice, it may have
been linked to their place in society – it may have been because
it was harder to dig a big grave in the frozen soil of a trans-
Alpine winter. We do know that the funeral pyres were
frequently poorly prepared because the cremated bone
fragments are often large enough to be identified by the naked
eye: a well maintained and fuelled fire will produce a hotter
flame, thus creating finer fragments and ashes.
On this particular site I encountered cremations where the
fragments of bone had been collected and buried in a hole with
unburnt bronze jewellery, as well as cases where the ashes and
charcoal had been collected, place in a pot and then buried,
either on their own or with other pots which presumably
contained food or drink. Why do have both types of cremation?
Who knows.
The Roman Province of Raetia et Vindelicia
Links with the classical world stretched back centuries –
through both trade and conflict. Securing Rome’s northern
frontier and the valuable Alpine passes were the pretext for the
invasion by Tiberius and Drusus in 15BC. The inability of the local
Celtic tribes to unite, coupled with their penchant for individual
glory on the battlefield i.e. a lack of discipline - meant that the
Legions had soon pushed as far as the Danube. In time, this
would become the permanent border or Limes.
Romanisation brought big changes to the region: the initial
forts and fortresses of the early days of the advance – as the
province was pacified – often became civilian settlements. The
greatest of these was Augusta Vindelicia, named after the
Emperor Augustus. Augsburg, as it is known today, is located at
a convergence of the rivers Lech and Wertach and was ideally
situated to take advantage of the nearby Alpine passes.
Becoming the capital of the province in about AD120, the city
developed an extensive hinterland. Roman law forbade the
burying the dead within the limits of the town. When we find
burials within Roman settlements – and specifically during the
period when the settlement actually functioned – they are often
neonatals – individuals who died during or soon after childbirth.
They are often found in the foundations of Roman buildings are
typically interpreted as being buried there for ritual purposes.
Roman cemeteries were typically located along the main roads
leading to a settlement or fort. Modern urban development
frequently disturbs the remains of this period, including the
dead. Funerals were primarily a concern of the family.
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