three chamber graves at gniozdovo

8/3/2019 Three Chamber Graves at Gniozdovo

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Three chamber graves at GniozdovoBy D. A. Avdusin a nd T. A. Pu skin a

Avdusin, D.A. & Puskina, T A ., 1988, Th ree Ch am ber Graves at Gniozdovo. (Trekammergraver fra Gniozdovo). Fornvnnen 83. Stockholm.Cre m ation has been regarded as the prevailing burial rite at Gniozdovo, but since1960 an increasing number of inhumations in pits under mounds have beenfound (due to mod ern exeavation m ethods), Som e of the pits are large and contained graves in wooden chambers. Three chamber graves are discussed in thisartide. All three are Scandinavian graves from the 970's (acc. to linds and den-drodates). Two contained each a woman in a sitting position, and one containeda rich male grave with a horse. Costumes and burial riles show that the dead wereScandinavian. The main bulk of the Scandinavian finds at Gniozdovo point toMiddle Sweden, but the materials discussed here point to Denmark andSouthern Norway.D.A . Avdusin an d T .A. Puskina, Kafedra archeologii, Istoriceskij fakul'tet, Moskovskij Gosu-darstvennyj Universitet, Moscow, 119899 GSP, USSR.

In archaeological l i terature one can s ti l l see theop in ion tha t c r e ma t ion wa s a bs o lu td y p r e va i l ing a t Gniozdovo. (This spe l l ing is doser to theRus s ia n p r onou nc ia t io n tha n the va r ia n t Gn z dovo. T he s a m e a pp l ie s to T im e r iova . Th es c ho la r ly t r a ns l i t e r a t ion i s Gn z dovo , T i m e rvo, Puskina Kirp icn ikov , Nedos iv ina , Ses tov ica , Cern igov [ ISO/R9 norm] . Edi tor ' s comm.)Indeed , for a long t ime only remains of c remations were found during the excavations of themounds . Exc e p t ions we r e r a r e a nd s u r p r i s e da r c ha e o log i s t s , ma ny of wh om c o ns ide r e d the mto be outs id e the genera l chrono logica l l imits ofG n i o z d o v o .

How ever , f rom 1960 the nu m be r of inh um at ions began to increase not iceably , and i tbe ca m e possible to int erp ret som e formerlyun ide n t i l i e d p i t s unde r the mounds a s bu r ia lpi ts . In recent years the number of bur ia l p i tsha s g r own a nd the y now numbe r a r ound 85 .Even if m ore th an 1100 m ou nd s were excavatedby 1986, the number of s tud ied inhumations iscons idcrable and adds a new e lement to thegenera l p ic ture of Gniozdovo.T he inhu m a t ion s at Gn ioz d ovo we r e foundtha nks to mode r n e xe a va t ion me thods whe r ethe whole mound was thoroughly inves t iga ted .

The nar row t renches of the o ld excava t ionscould not inc lude the comple te bur ia l p i ts ,which there fore were not d iscovered . Modernre-excava t ion s of m ou nd s with t r aces of o ld excava t ions , r evea led p i ts unnot iced before . As asurv iva l of the c remat ion r i tua l , a l igh t bonf i reim ita t i ng a funera l pyre was bu rn t on theg r ound p r e pa r e d f o r the mound , a nd on lyaf te rwards was the bur ia l p i t dug . This c i r -cu m sta nc e is p rob ably the reason for themis takes in the research : as the a rchaeologis tsrea che d the level of the pyre witho ut f indingany objec ts in i t , they s topped d igging andr e ga r de d the mou nd a s a c e no ta p h . Exe a va t iontrenches dug only down to the level of the pyre,and occasionally a bit into the filling of thebur ia l p i t were somet imes t raced in the prof i leso f the mounds du r ing mode r n e xc a va t ions .

O n m a ny o f the Gn io z dovo m oun ds the r e a r ecavi t ies tha t for a long t im e were in te rpre ted astraces of cardessly f i l led pits f rom old excava t ions . Examina t ions f rom the las t decadehave shown that in many cases i t is not so: thecavities are a result of the m ou nd fll ing in af terthe rott ing of the roof on the bur ial pit . Smallmounds of ten not more than ha lf a meter h igha nd " r u in e d " by s unke n p i t s , we r e u s ua l ly no t

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Chamber graves at Gniozdovo 21excava ted s ince they were regarded as no t verypro m isin g. But the bu r ial pits were of ten founde x a c t l y u n d e r t h o s e u n p r e t e n t i o u s m o u n d s .

Some p i ts s tnd out because of the ir s ize :2 .5x3 .75 m a nd e ve n 4 .5x4 .5 m. Along thewalls of these big pits traces of wooden facingwere occas iona l ly found, a nd some t im es re mains of the f loor and the roof. The r e i s nodoub t tha t the s e a r e bu r ia l c ha mbe r s , aprev ious ly to ta l ly unknown bur ia l r i tua l a tGn iozdo vo, a r i tua l which one by the way m ighthave supposed because of some objec ts whichhave not been on the pyre : a lea ther br id le wi thmounts , ova l brooches with t r aces of g i ld ing ,objec ts of th in bronze or s i lver th reads notda m ag ed by the fi re , e tc . But it bec am e poss ib leto t a lk wi th c e r t a in ly a bou t c ha m be r s a t Gn ioz dovo only af ter they were discovered by excava t ion s (Avdus in 1976 pp . 122 -123 ) .

T he b a d p r e s e r va t ion o f o r ga n ic ma te r i a l a tGn ioz dovo h inde r e d the d i s c ove r y o f inhu ma t ions indud ing thos e in c ha mbe r s . I n mos tof the bur ial pits no skeletons were found: theywere not preserved . Also wood and bone a represerved only in except iona l cases , andtherefore there a re prae t ica l ly speaking notraces of coff ins . I t was impossible to discovercoff ins by the help of the dis tr ibution of ther ivets as did A. S. Grslund (1981) in Birka: ther ive t s in the Gn ioz dovo inhuma t ions we r epoorly preserved as also, by the way, objects ofnon - f e r r ous me ta l s . The p r e s e r ve d me ta l ob jec ts a re very cor roded . The sandy so i l o fG nio zd ov o acc ou nts for this . It is well ven-t i la ted , f ine sand , and the a i r which came in tothe grave caused th e decay of orga nic objec tsand cor ros ion of meta l ones .

Ac c o r d ing to the l i t e r a tu r e , the inh um a t io nsf ound du r in g e a r l ie r e xc a va t ions a t Gn ioz dov o ,were s i tua te d on the outsk ir ts o f the cemetery . I tis now proven tha t some mo un ds with b ur ia lp i ts , a mong the m wi th c ha mbe r s , we r e s i tua te din the m iddl e of the C en tra l and the D ne prm ou nd g rou ps (Avdus in 1977; Avdu s in &Pus k ina 1982 pp . 68 80). T he m ou nd s a r o undthem have a lso been excava ted and they conta ine d the u s ua l Gn ioz dovo g r a ve s : c r e ma t ionswith grave goods , wi thout grave goods , andcen ota ph s . Alrea dy th is fact le ts us supp ose tha tthe mounds wi th bu r ia l p i t s indud ing thos e

w i t h c h a m b e r s a n d m o u n d s w i t h c r e m a t i o n sa r e c on te mpor a r y , Th i s s uppo r t s the v ie wwhich we have sugges ted ear l ie r , tha t theGniozdovo cemetry was used for a shor t per iodof t ime and tha t there a re no ind ica t ions of anyevolu t ion of the bur ia l r i tua ls .The c ha mbe r s in ou r op in ion , ha ve thefollowing character is tics :

T h e f irs t is the traces of wo oden facing alo ngthe wal ls , somet imes toge ther wi th a woodenroof and in some cases with a wooden f loor .

T h e second c harac te r is t ic is the s ize . I f theusua l inh um ati on s a re found in p i ts m ea sur ing190x90 c m, 230x85 c m o r e ve n 280x120 c m,the n the c ha mbe r s a r e u s ua l ly c ons ide r a b lylarge r : 225 x 275 cm , 320 x 150 cm etc .T ha t i s why s ome p i t s un de r mo un ds c a n bedassif ied as chambers , even if the facing of thewalls , the bones, and the grave goods are notpreserved . Such a re for example p i ts measur ing275 x 175 cm , 345 x 210 cm . S om e pits w ith s izesdo s e to the s e c ons t i tu te a n in te r m e d ia t e va r ia n twh ic h c ha r a c te r i z e the m mor e a s c ha mbe r s ,a l tho ugh t here is no cer ta in ly ab out i t . T hu s , ap i t 240 cm long , and 170 cm wide con ta in edonly the ske le ton of a horse , whi le the mas te rp r oba b ly wa s bu r ie d in the ne ig hbo ur in gm ou nd w h ic h is a na logo us in s t r uc tu r e a nds ize. Th e o th er p i t mea su r in g 280 x 120 cm conta ine d on ly a hu m a n s ke le ton . S imi la r m ou nd ss e e ming ly ha ve to be re ga r de d a s a n in te r m e d i a te g r oup .

M o u n d s c ov e r in g t w o c o n t e m p o r a r y b u r i a lpits , e ither s ide by s ide or in a row are notda s s i f ie d a s c ha m be r mo und s . No c oup le s 'bur ia ls have been found in chambers .T he th i r d c ha r a c te r i s t i c of the c ha m be r s isno t e x te r na l , c ons t r uc t iona l , bu t in te r na l ,r i t u a l . T h e c h a m b e r s c o n t a i n o n l y i n h u m a t ions , and the bodies can be ex tended , twis tedon the bac k or on the s ide, or s i t t ing. Asi de f romthe human ske le ton , there is somet imes a lso ahorse ske le ton in the chambers . Be tween themis a p ile of horse furn i ture an d som et im es evena saddle . The chamber r i tua l for male gravesc on ta in we a po ns e i the r by the s ke le ton o r t h r u s tinto the wall .

Ac cord i ng to these c r i te r ia 13 bur ia ls can ber e ga r de d a s c ha m be r s . I n the Ce n t r a l g r oupthe re are 10 m ou nd s: No s. 66, 72, 76, 191, 196,

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22 D A . Avdusin & T. A. Puskina2 0 3 , 212, 255 , 301 , 306 . In the Dn ep r grou pthere a re 2 m ou nd s : No s . 4 , 13 and in theOl ' s a n s ka ja g r oup 1 mo und : No . 28 .

As me n t ione d , the c ha mbe r s we r e ne a r lyalways dug af ter the burning of the r i tual f ire .T hi s charac te r is t ic is c lea r ly seen in the D ne prgroup, where the soil makes i t easier to see thes t ra t igraphy than in the Lesna ja (Fores t ) o rCe n t r a l g r oups . Re m a ins o f c ons t r ue t ions in s ide the bu r ie d pits were found in 7 out of 85 inhum a t io ns . U s ua l ly the r e ma ins of wood a r every insignif icant, as areas of rotten wood orp ices of char red p lanks , which does not makeit possible to form an idea about the construct ion o f the bu i ld ing . The mounds de s c r ibe dbe low are ra re except ions .In 1982 several mounds were excavated onthe south ern p ar t of the Ce ntra l g rou p . In twool the m w ere found the rem ains of woo den cons t rue t ions which were wel l enough preserved toallow details of their construction to be seen.Ne i the r o f the mounds s tood ou t a mong theother ones because of their s izes: 0.5 m high,99.5 m w ide . On the top of them were cavi t ieswh ich we re regard ed as traces of ear l ier excav at ions o r p lunde r ing . Unde r the mounds , on theoriginal surface, were seen slight traces of fires,cu t th rough by rec tangula r bur ia l p i ts , o r ien teda long the c a r d ina l po in t s .

T h e p i t in mo un d C301 m easu red 3 x 3 m,0.8 m deep from the or iginal subsoil surface(Fig. 1) . In the pit were found remains of anotch -bui l t log f ramework me asu r in g 2 .1x2 .1m. The f ramework was p laced on the bot tom ofthe p i t and was cente red to the nor th eas te rncorner so tha t there was an empty space ofabout 0.150.75 m between the walls of the pitan d the f ramework . Bes ides , the f ramework wasaskew in relation to the axes of the pit . A solidlayer of decayed wood, 0.080.1 m wide, couldbe t raced about 0 .250.3 m h igh where thewal ls were . One can suppose tha t o r ig ina l ly thef ramework had been h igher , because there weretraces of single spts of decayed wood in the filling of the pit . The framework was covered by aroof, obviously made of planks 0.10.2 m wideand 0 .020.03 m th ick ly ing nor th- south , i .e .a long the ax is of the chamber . The remains ofthis layer fell into the f ramework and were seenas dis tinct s tr ipes of decayed wood. In the

nor th-wes te rn corner the roof seemed to pro-trude a l i t t le ver the f ramework. The f loor wasbe t te r preserved and was uncovered ver thewhole area. I t consis ted of planks 0.05 m thickan d 0.150.25 m wid e and w as or i en ted in thes a me d i r e c t ion .O n th e floor the re were well prese rved picesof birch bark, especially in the nor thern par t .Almos t in the middle there were spread ind isorder 50 beads of go lden and s i lver -g lass ,ye l low and r ibbed g lass beads , a c ross - shapedp e n d a n t w i t h p u n c h e d o r n a m e n t a t i o n ( F i g .4 : 1, 2) , and a f ragmen t of an eq ua l-a r m edbronze brooch . To the south-wes t of these , bythe wal l o f the f ramewo rk , were i ron hoops an da handle of wooden bucke t shaped l ike a t run-cate d cone , lyin g on its s ide, and a small thro wnclay vessel wi th l ine or na m en ta t io ns (F ig . 4 : 3 ) .In the south-eas t corner there were remnants ofa round b irch bark box with a bundle of dif-ferent textiles , in which lay small f ragments ofan oval bro nz e broo ch (F ig. 4 : 4) , weak tra ces ofa l i t t le wooden cup. By the s ide of i t s tood twowax candles (F ig . 4 : 5) , p r o t r ud ing 5 c m a boveth e roof. Nin e mo r e th in c a nd le s a nd f r a gme n tsof them were found in dif ferent places in theeas te rn par t o f the f ramew ork . M os t of thecandles have s lightly melted edges. In the south-wes t corner and a long the southern wal l weresome unident i f ied smal l bones .

T h e p it in m ou nd C-3 06 m eas ure d 2 .3 x 2 .85m and was 0.780.8 m deep from the surface ofthe subsoil (Fig. 2) . In the pit there were the rem a ins o f a woode n c ha m be r in post c on s t r uc t ion , me a s u r ing 2x2 .6 m be twe e n the c o r ne rposts . Along the walls of the pit , a height of upto 0.4 m, was a layer of rotten wood, 0.050.1m thick. To ju dg e from the fact tha t the ro ttenwood was evenly d is t r ibu ted a long the wal ls ofthe pit , and bent around the posts , the walls ofthe bur ial construction consis ted of a row ofhor izonta l p lanks or logs sqeezed be tween theposts and the subsoil walls of the pit . The im-prints of the wooden facing were clear ly vis ibleon the surface of the subsoil . The corner postwas preserved 0.150.2 m above the floor, hada d iam ete r of ca . 0 .25 m, a nd the pos t ho les were0 .30.4 m deep . The ends of the pos ts tu rnedout to have dif ferent shapes: three of them wereblunt and one was axed in to a cone .

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Chamber graves at Gniozdovo 23

As in the f irs t case one can suppose that thebu r ia l c ha mbe r wa s h ighe r tha n the he igh t o fthe preserved wooden p lanks . The roof and thef loor were t r aced . The upper layer which probably was the remains of the roof, wa s ba d lypreserved and cons is ted main ly of a th in layerof rotten wood found as spts and belts of thec r os s - be a r ing be a ms . The lowe r c ove r , p r o ba bly th e floor , cons is ted of t igh tly la id pl ank s0 .03 m th ick and 0 .15-0 .3 m wide . The f loor -ing c ove re d the who le bo t tom c ha m be r on thesubsoil of the pit . I t was covered with a thinlayer of l igh t-grey clay an d birch ba rk.

One more de ta i l o f the cons truc t ion of thechamber mus t be ment ioned , wich is f a i r ly wel lseen: 0 .9 m f rom and para l ld wi th the wes te rnwall there was a plank set on its edge, as ifsepara t ing the remains of the bur ia l f rom theres t o f the cons truc t ion .In the wes te rn par t o f the chamber , on thef loor , were found fragments of two doubleshell-ed br oo che s of gilt bro nz e of type J P 51 b (?) .Unde r the m we r e p r e s e r ve d s ma l l f r a gme n ts o fs ilk and pices of the shoulder-s traps of the skir t(F ig . 4 :9) . A l i t t le fur ther to the south therewere a th row n c lay vesse l wi th wave or na m en ta -

Fig. 1. The pit under moundC-301 with remains of anotch-built log frameworkwith roof and floor of planks. Gropen un der gravhaugC-301 med rester av en laf-tet tommer-ramme med takog gulv av planken . iM1 1 CM ' C S i , - ^ i i * 3c a< ^ c ^ ^ - -* w fe - < ^ M ^ a t C - C C C)>e>">e^>/m/M>f'e">'>">Mwe>nw>,9 mr

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24 D. A. Avdusin & T. A. PuskinaFig. 2. Th e pit und er lhegrave mo und C-306 with remains ol a wooden cham berin post construction withroof and floor of planks. Gropen under gravhaug C-306 med rester av et trekam-mer i stolpekonstruksjonmed tak og gulv av planken

20 _ i CM

t ion and a la thed - turned wooden cup with t r acesof s i lver mounts a long the br im (Fig . 4 : 10, 11).O n th e nor t he rn half ot the f loor was found at ra nsp are nt g lass bead (F ig . 4 : 12). Bes ides ,main ly in the eas te rn par t o t the chamber therewere 3 large and 9 thin wax candles and fragments of them. One of the candles had mel tedcom ple te ly in to a wax lum p with the imp r in t o fthe wick (Fig. 4 : 68). Elsewhere drps of waxwere found on the floor.

T he th i r d m ou nd wa s s i tua te d on the ou t -sk ir ts o f the Dnepr group , 1.81.5 km from the

Ce ntr a l g roup . It was excava ted in 1984. Th em ou nd w hich was d is f igured , was 11 11.5 mwide , 0 .9 m h igh . There was no c lear ly v is ib lecavity in the top of it.

Under the mound, on the subsoi l , there wasan intensive oval fire with traces of criss-crosslaying of the f ire , or iented towards the par ts ofthe wor ld . T he cen te r of the f ir e was cu t t h ro ug hby a r e c ta ngu la r bu r ia l p i t me a s u r ing 3 .5x3 .7m, 0.951 m deep from the surface of the subsoil . In the pit were found remnants of a bur ialchamber in pos t cons truc t ion . The s ize

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Chamber graves at Gniozdovo 25Fig. 3. The male grave in apit unde r mound Dn-4, in achamber in postconstruc-tion. Mannsgraven i engrop under haug Dn-4, i etkammer i stolpekonstruk-sjon.

me a s u r e d be twe e n the c o r ne r pos t s wa s2 . 5x 2 . 5 m, w hich is the same as the bot to m ofthe p i t . 3040 cm long untr immed p ine pos tswere preserved , pro jec t ing a l i t tle above the topof the post holes (Fig. 3) .

On ly s ome a r e a s o f r o t t e n wood a nd s omenear ly fully rotten planks of the roof and thef loor were preserved. The planks of the roof o b vious ly lay eas t -wes t . Judging by the s izes andshape of the a rea of ro t ten wood on the bot tomof the pit , the f loor was made of planks, 0.1 0.15 m wide , in the same d irec t ion and on twope r pe nd ic u la r c r o s s be a ms . I n the we s te r n e ndof the p i t were found r em na nt s of b i rch b ark onthe f loor leve l . The bot tom of the p i t was daub-ed with a grey blue clay. O n the f loor of thebu r ia l c ha m be r wa s f ound a l a r ge nu m be r o fi tems f rom a male bur ia l . Along the wes te rn

wall lay in the south-w es te rn co rne r a longgrey s late w het s to ne (Fig . 6 : 12), two ba rre l-shaped i ron weights covered with bronze (F ig .6 : 4 , 5) , a cra m po n with two spikes (Fig. 6 : 16),a f ragm ent of a thin s ilver disc . Alm ost in themiddle and not l r f rom the wal l a c rushed ,small thrown clay vessel with l inear-wavy orna m en ta t io n (F ig . 6 : 18) and the h and le of abucket which obviously was hollowed out of onepiece of wood, and not made of s taves, becausethere were no hoops with the handle , as usua l lyfastened it to the bucket. Closer to the wall lay:an iron bit w ith two link s (Fig. 5 : 4) , an ironclasp f rom the br idle (F ig. 6 : 13), f rag m ent s ofa second c lasp , f ragm ents of one bron ze andone i ron mo un t . Fu r the r to the no r th a n dnorth-west f rom these objects were found 5arr ow -h ea ds (Fig. 6 : 1), an iron clasp, 8 east

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26 D A . Avdusin & T A. Puskina

m

C 3 O 0

^ * ^:

1,2,4,8,9,12 , ,_3 , 5 . 6 , 7 , 1 0 , 1 1 .

Fig. 4. The finds from grave C-301: nos. 15, and from grave C-306; nos. 612. Funnene fra grav C-301:nr. 15, og fra grav C-306: nr. 612.

bro nze bu t to ns (F ig . 6 : 2 ) and a f ragmen t oftex t i le . In the nor th-wes t cornera lance t- shapedspear -head s tood with the poin t upwards (F ig .5 : 1; typ e J P E, or A. N. Ki rpic nik ov typ e I ) .Almos t in the middle of the chamber were twos t i r rup s with rou nd ed s tep (A. N. K irp icn iko vtyp e I ; Fig. 5 : 6) , and a sword w ith a sem icir-cu la r po m m el ( type J P V; F ig . 5 : 2 ) . O n thelower par t o f the b lade lay a horseshoe-shapedbronze brooch with face ted heads and remainsof textile. To the left of the sword was a easts ilve r pe n da n t cr o s s wi th punc he d o r n a m e n t a tion (Fig. 6 : 3) , re m ain s of the up pe r chest par tof a caf tan which consis ted of two close l ines ofnar row s i lk r ibbon and 24 bronze but tons (F ig .6 : 2) . T h e caf tan w as t ightly b ut ton ed . A li t t leto the east of the low r im of the fstening of thecaf tan, evidently at the belt , there was a l i t t leydlow-grey slate whetstone (Fig. 6 : 11), a strike-a-light (Fig. 6 : 15) with a piece of flint and twoiron r ings. These objects lay in a dark-brown,

f ine, spt of rotten m ater ia l m eas uri ng 18x19cm. Ins ide the a rea there were 7 f ragmentedbronze badges f rom a belt purse (Fig. 6 : 69), apiece of c loth, and so me hazel nu ts . In the southeas te rn c orn er of the p it were found the rem ain sof a horse 's skull with two iron r ings with smallrods (F ig . 5 : 8 ) and one m or e i ron r ing .

The ana lys is of the bur ia l equipment g ivereason to suppose that in the f irs t two caseswomen were bur ied in a s i t t ing pos i t ion . As inm ost cases of this type of bur ial the vessels w ereplaced to the r ight of the deceased, and thebur ia l was probably or ien ted towards the wes t .The ethnic identity can fair ly easily be defmedby the set of broo ches an d de tails of the dre ss a skirt with hinges, a goffered linen shirt and adress of the tun ica type . T his cos tum e is cha racter is tic for Seandinavia f rom the IX to the beg inn in g of the XI c e n tu r ie s ( H gg 1981). T h eth ird m ou nd conta ined a m an, ev ident ly bur iedwith a horse or par t of a horse.

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28 D .A . Avdusin & T. A. PuskinaOn the whole the goods and r i tual in all threeburials are fair ly well known at Gniozdovo andoth er bur ia l s i tes (Ses tovi tsa , Timer iov o , K iev) ,except for some details which we will discussmore c losdy . The grave goods which enable usto date the graves have to be s tudied in detail .Both ova l brooches in mound C-306 be longto the type J P 51b, wh ich is da tab le to the second qua r te r -m idd le of the X century . (Pe te r sen 1928 pp. 5967). T he necklace from m ou ndC-301 consisted of golden and silver glass beads,ye l low beads and la rge r ibbed beads , a combina tion whic h is cha ract er is t ic for the secondhalf of the X century. T h e s ilver pe nd an t crossesf rom our mounds add to the mater ia l r ecent lydescr ibed in an a r t i de by N. G. Ne dos iv in a .T h e one f rom m ou nd C-301 is cu t ou t of a th insilver disc , the other , f rom mound Dn-4, is east .Bolh c rosses a re decora ted with punched ornaments , bu t i t looks unfmished on the pendantf rom the male bur ia l . N . G. N edos iv ina da tesanalogUOUS finds mainly to the second half ofthe X century , par t ly to the beg inn ing of the X Ic e n tu r y . ( Ne dos iv ina 1983 pp . 222 - 2 25 ) .

The spearhead and the sword a re espec ia l lyin te re s t ing in the m ale bur ia l . Based on the OldRu ss ian m ater ia l A. N. Kirp icn ik ov (1966a p .32 ) da te s the la nc e t s ha pe d s pe a r he a ds wi thou torn am en ta t io n on the socke t to the X c entury .Ac cord ing to J a n Peterse n (1919 pp. 154156)this type was in exis tence in the end of theVIIIfirs t half of the IX ce ntury , but surviv edto the end of the IX century.

Swor ds wi th s e mid r c u la r pomme l a nd h i l t sdecora ted with a complica ted pa t te rn of a l te r na t iv t ' s i lver and bro nze t hread s , be long to typeJ P V. F ind s of such swords in R us ' a re da t ed tothe X ce ntu ry (Kirp icn ikov 1966 b pp . 9 - 12 )while in Seandinavia they exis ted in the f irs tha lf o f tha t cen tury . (Pe te r sen 1919 pp . 2 6- 28 ) .

Battle axes of type I I are dated to the Xbeginning of the XI century by A. N. Kirp icn ikov (1966 a p. 35) . Th e s tro ng corro sion an df ragm enta ry s ta te of preserva t ion ma ke it impossible lo identify the construction and type ofthe b i ts . S t i r rups wi th rounded s tep of type Iexis ted in E aste rn Eu ro p from 9 00 to 1000 A.D.(Kirp icn ikov 1973 p . 47) .

Two rhombic a r rowheads were s ing led outamong the rus ty a r rows . I t should be noted tha t

a l l types of ornaments , every-day i tems andweapons f rom the three bur ia ls under d iscuss ion , a re represented among the f inds f rom ear l ie r excava t ions a t Gniozdovo.

All three pottery vessels belong to types ofvessels which constitutete a ser ies of f inds inm ou nd s wi th c r e ma t ions . I t wa s une xp e c te d tolind a wooden cup, a birch bark box, textiles ,and candles . Some special conditions in the soilwhich f i l led the pit , preserved the organic mater ia l in these mounds .

The woode n c up in mound C- 306 wa s l a the -tume d a nd ha d r ounde d s ha pe . The r im wa sdecora ted with th in s i lver s tap les . Such bronzeb ind ings a r e known in c r e ma t ions a t Gn ioz do vo, but in these cases the form of the vessels rema ins unknown . Se ve r a l l a the - tu r ne d woode nvessels of a s imilar shape with bronze s tapleshave been found i Birka bur ia ls (A rb m an 1943Taf. 214:1, 215 :la- c; L in de b e r g 1984 pp . 2 4 2 -244) .

The remains of the b i rch-bark boxes cons is t ed of two discs 27 cm in diameter . Along ther im were small holes . This shows that the wallsof the box probably of c loth were sewnto it . In the bun dle of c loth found be twe en thebirch bark discs , were the remains of a red gold-worked s i lk garment , embroidered with tapes ofsmooth and denser s ilk and of a goffered linenshir t . An ova l bron ze brooc h was w rap pe d inthe garment . As ide f rom th is , f r agments ofbrown, coarse, woolen cloth and a piece sewn oftwo r ibbons of un t inc tured b lue l inen a f ragm en t of a skir t , and so me fra gm ents of s ilk r ibbo ns of dif ferent w idth were found. T h e fragments of s i lk a re of Spanish and Byzant ine or i gin. (We would like to than k M . V. Feh ner forident i fy ing the tex t i les and va luable consul-t a t ions . )

T he rem ains of the caf tan f rom m ou nd Dn -4consis ts of two lines rows of narrow silk r ibbonforming a k ind of breas t -p la te 36 cm long .Clo thes of s imila r cu t a re known f rom pic turesand a re re f lec ted in a rchaeologica l mate r ia ls .

F inds of candles a re very ra re . At presentthere a re on ly three ana logies in Old Rus ' mater ial . A conic candle has been found on the level of the roof of a rich couple's grave 100 at Timer iovo . Among the f inds were Arabic co insf r om 960 - 970 AD. , wh ic h da te d the bu r ia l

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Chamber graves at Gniozdovo 29Fig. 6. Finds from tbt- malegrave Dn-4. Funn framannsgraven Dn-4.

i - i ? - I 1 1 C M

16 I l__l I I i CM

(Ne dos iv in a & Feh ner 1985 pp . 111-112).A piece of wax found on the edge of the pit of

a couple ' s bur ia l wi th a horse f rom Ses tovi tsa .(BlifeFdt 1977 pp. 13 8-1 42 ) . A m on g the f indswas a sword of type J P W and a lance t- shap edspearhead , some s t i r rups , a r rows , a be l t purse ,a bone facing from the bow of a saddle in Jell ings ty le e tc . O n the whole these two com plexes a rec on te mpor a r y wi th thos e f r om Gn ioz dovo a ndbe long to the middle and second ha lf o f the X

century . A c rude ly made candle found in one ofthe mounds a t the r iver OFsa near the r iver Be-rez ina be longs to a l te r per iod . The candlestood in a clay vessel which stood at the feet ofthe deceased on the subsoi l in the mor tuaryhou se (Zavi tnevic 1892 p . 140) . O ut s id e E astern Europ there are a few f inds of candles andp i c e s o f wa x in c on te mpor a r y bu r ia l s in J u t l a nd a nd Sou the r n Nor wa y . The r e a r e no s uc hl inds in Sweden.

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30 D A . Avdusin & T.A. PuskinaA 58 cm long candle was found on the roof of

the pos t cons truc t ion bur ia l chamber in Bje-r ingho j in M a mme n . Ano the r s ma l l p ie c e o fwax was found inside it . T h e buri al is da ted tothe end of the X century (Brnds ted 1936 pp .1 0 6 - 1 0 7 ) .A f ragmen t of wax candle was found on thetop of the roof of the chamber in the nor thernm ou nd a t Je l l ing . Th e grave in i t i s da t ed to themiddle of the X century (Brends ted 1936 pp .119 - 120 , Roe s da h l 1974 pp . 20 8 - 2 23 ) . R ic hsilk textiles were also found in these graves.

Wax and candles have been found in someNor we g ia ns bu r ia l s , a mongs t wh ic h the r e a r ea lso boa t bur ia ls . Al l au thors of publ ica t ions ofScandinavian f inds remark tha t they a re ra reand belong to bur ials f rom the upper social leveland poin t ou t tha t the bur ia ls a re r ich (She te l ig1912 pp . 22 2- 22 3) . I t is in te res t ing tha t thes ize and the m etho d of prod uc t i on of the Gn iozdovo candles are the same as of the f ind inM a m m en 2.53 cm wide , ro l led up of une -ven wax tapes. (Worsae 1869 Pl. 7:6) .

W he r e i t ha s be e n pos s ib le to de te r minec lear ly enoug h the s izes and c ons t ruc t io n of theGn ioz dovo c ha mbe r s , the y f i t c omple te ly in tothe p ic ture based on the mater ia l f rom othercemeter ies f rom the X and the beginning of theXI century . The s izes of the chambers in theSestov itsa m ou nd s vary f rom 5.5 x 5.5 x 1.4 m to2.5 x 1 x 0 .8 m; two c ha m be r s a t T im e r iovo me a s u r ed 5 . 2 x 3 . 7 5 x 0 . 3 m a n d 2 . 9 x 1 . 9 x 0 . 6 m ; inCern igov: 54.6x3.83.1x1.7 m. Woodenco ns tru eti on s in the form of coff ins in n otchcon s truc t ion a re found in Kiev an d Cern igov , ofpost construction in Sestovitsa and Kiev.

The c loses t ana logies to the chamber bur ia lf rom the D ne pr g rou p is to be found in the Sestov i tsa mater ia l : here , as a ru le , the remainsof the horse were placed across the pit near thefeet of the deceased. In two such cases (moundX X V II I 1925 an d X II 1925) there were swordsand r id ing horse harness , and a t the head of thedeceased lay a spearhead , qu ivers wi th a r rows ,and not far away a bucket or a thrown potteryvessel (BlifeFdt 1977 pp . 175- 17 7, 1 88 -18 9) .However , un l ike Gniozdovo, the horse in theSes tovi tsa mounds were usua l ly p laced on as ubs o i l be nc h . Apa r t f r om mound Dn- 4 a tGn ioz dovo two c ha mb e r s wi th ma le bu r ia l s in

the Ce n t r a l g r oup c o n ta ine d r e m a ins o f a ho r se, in these cases the horse was placed at theside of the master , but a lso on the bottom ofthe p it (Avdus in & Puski na 1976; Avdu s in , K a-me ncka ja & Pu skin a 1978) .

From Sestovitsa comes also a f ind of a birch-bark box with s ides and with a bundle ofwoman 's c lo thes , ev ident ly la id as a "g if t" inthe couple ' s bur ia l (Bl i feFdt 1977 mound 26[1946] and mound 98) .

T he cu s tom of bu ry i ng the dead in a s i t t ingpos i t ion has a l ready been observed a t Gniozdovo, in mound C-196 excavated in 1976 andcon ta in ing a rich female grave which on the bas is of the equip m ent and r i tua l is Sca ndi nav ian(Avdus in & Pus kina 1976 mo un d C -196,where by the way, is found one pendant crossn o t m e n t i o n e d i n N G . N e d o s i v in a ' s a r t i d e ) .A n a l o g u o u s a n d c o n t e m p o r a r y b u r i a l s a r eknown in mounds a t T ime r iovo a nd Se s tov i t s a( female Scandinavian graves wi th charac te r is t ic eq ui pm en t) , from the Kiev necropol is ( awoman in a couple ' s bur ia l ) a l l these a rebur ia ls in cha m ber s . A. S . Gr s lu nd n otes tha tbur ia ls in a s i t t ing pos i tion a re charac te r is t ic forthe Birka chambers , and shows s imila r i ty in thebu r ia l s in M idd le Swe de n a nd M idd le Dne p r( Gr s lu nd 1981 pp . 37 - 3 9 ) .

The d iv id ing o f the c ha mbe r wic h a ba r r i e ras found in mound C-306, has a cer tain interest .Th is cons truc t i ona l de ta i l is know n in Je l l inga nd s ome c ha mbe r s in He de by , bu t i s unknowni n o t h e r S c a n d i n a v i a n m o n u m e n t s ( W o r sa e1869).

The examined mater ia l a l lows us to s ta te tha tthe female bur ia ls a re Scandinavian and tha tthe male bur ia l is conn ec ted w ith the V arang iana r me d f o r c e s ( "d r uz ina " ) . The r i tua l a nd theme n t ione d a na log ie s to the bu r ia l e qu ipme n tgive reason to dat e all three com plexe s to the second ha lf o f the X century . T h e uni qu e preser va t ion of wood in the mounds makes i t poss ib leto specify the date . Test samples of two cornerpos t s f rom the c ha m be r in m oun d C- 306 a ndfour f rom chamber Dn-4 were sen t to the la bor a tor y of the Ins t i tu t e of Arch aeolog y a t theSovie t Acad emy of Sc iences . Th e den dr od a t e ofthe f irs t mound was 979 A.D, and for the secon d 975 A.D. (We wish to express ou r gra ti t ud eto N .B .Ce r nyh a nd A .E Ur je va , who s upp l ie d

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Chamber graves al Gniozdovo 31us with the resu l ts o f the ir r esearch .) B ecause ofthe s imila r i t ies in the r i tua l and equipment thet h i r d m o u n d , C-301, can a lso be da ted to the970- ies .

Th ese d a tes co inc ide well wi th the da te of theM a m m e n b u r i a l t h e e n d of t h e X c e n t u r yand m ou nd 100 f rom T im er iov o the 970- iesbased on the da te of the younges t co in . TheGn io z dovo c om ple x is s imi la r to the m pa r t i c u -la r y the c ompos i t ion o f the e qu ipm e n t a nd d e ta i ls in the r i tua l candles , wooden cons truc-tons in pits .

Two more ques t ions have to be d iscussed .Th e y a r e ind i r e c t ly c onne c te d wi th the ma te r i a lun de r d iscuss ion . T h e f ir st i s the ques t ion ofda te o f s ome no r th E u r o pe a n ob je ct s a nd type sin Rus ' . Ac c o r d ing to Sc a nd ina v ia n a na log ie sthe s wor d a nd the s pe a r f r om mound Dn- 4should be dated not l ter than the f irs t half ofthe X century , as a lso the bur ia l itself. M o u n dC-3 06 co uld on the bas is of type J P 51b be d a te dto the middle of the X century , and the dend-roda tes g ive the las t quar te r of the century ,which means tha t these objec ts ou t l ive the irSc a nd ina v ia n pa r a ld s by mor e tha n 25 ye a r s .In th is connec t ion one can draw a t ten t ion to af ind of an equ a la rm ed broo ch of an ear ly typef rom the second quar te r of the IXend of theI X c e n tu r y in a m ou nd tog e the r wi th a th r ownvesse l wi th a s tamp (mound 85 f rom S.I . Ser -ge e v ' s e xc a va t ions) , the f a mous "h y b r i d "s wor d of type J P D f r om m ou nd C - 2 e xc a va te din 1949, is in Seand inav ia da ted no t l te r th anthe IX century . I t becom es obvious th a t i t i s r is -ky to d i rec t ly t r ans fe r the da t ing of the Scandinav ian mat er ia ] to eas t Eu rop ean f inds .

The s e c ond que s t ion c onc e r ns the c ha r a c te ro f the bu r ia l . N . G . N e dos iv ina ' s a s s um pt iontha t " th e c ross in the bur ia ls no t on ly is a decora t io n , bu t a lso a r i tua l ob jec t , connec ted withthe s p r e a d o f Ch r i s t i a n i ty " , i s in ou r op in io nsupported by the fact that the cross was foundtoge the r wi th c a nd le a nd wa x . Some a u tho r shave cons idered the candles as no t be ing conne c te d wi th Chr i s t i a n r i tua l , bu t we r e l it du r in gthe funera l as a pro t ec t io n aga ins t the m alevo-len t ac t iv i ty of the deceased . In C hr is t ia n i ty ,however , the candle also is a protection again s t a n "unde a n powe r " . Ev ide n t ly , thos e bu r i e d in the c ha mbe r s wi th pe nda n t c r o s s e s a nd

wax candles may be cons idered as some of theear l ies t Chr is t ians in the Smolensk reg ion onthe Dne p r .

We ca l l to a t ten t ion tha t a re l iquary c rosspro bab ly f rom the second ha lf o f the X cen turyhas been found on the open se t t lement a t Gniozdovo (As tasova 1974 pp . 249252). O n e cansuppose tha t beare r s of the new re l ig ion a t Gniozdovo as wel l as Timer iovo and Kiev , a ream on g those bur ie d in the 970-ies , wi th a mixe dr i tua l wh ic h c ombine d the ne w e u l t i e s ymbo lsand o ld hea then bur ia l cons true t ions and se t o fac t iv i t ies per formed on tha t occas ion thepla cin g in the grave of a hors e, everyday objec ts ,gifts for the repose of the soul.

As a co nd us io n we put forward ye t ano the rsuppos i t ion . Usua l ly a l l the Scandinavian para l le ls to some of the e lements in the r i tua l andg r a ve e qu ipme n t a t Gn ioz dovo ha ve be e n c on ne c te d wi th M idd le Swe de n . The ma te r i a lwhich we have d iscussed he re enables us to no tea no the r c on ta c t l ine go ing to De nma r k a nds ou the r n Nor wa y .Translated by Anne Stalsberg and lan Reed. Secretary work by Mai Bye, University of Trondheim.

ReferencesArbman, H. 1943. Birka. Die Grber, I. KVHAA.Stockholm.Astasova, N.L 1974. Enkolpion izG nzd ova . In: Sovetskaja arheologija No. 3.Avdusin, D.A. 1976. Skandinavskie ingumacii vGnzdove. in: VII Vsesojuznaja konferencija po izuceniju istorii, konomiki, literatury i jazyka Skandinavskihstrn i Finljandii. Tezisy dokladov. Gas t' I. M o sk v a -Leningrad. 1977. Gnzdovo der Nachbar von Smolensk.In : Zeitschrift fur Arcbologie, Berlin No.7 . 1976. Otcet o raskopkah v Gnzdove v 1976 godu.Avdusin, D.A. & Puskina. TA. 1982. Gnzdovo v iss-ledovanijah Smolenskoj ekspedicii. In: VeslnikMoskovskogo Universiteta, Serija 8, istorija. No. 1.Avdusin, D A ., Kameneckaja, E.V & Puskina, T A .1978. Otcek o raskopkah v Gnzdove v 1978godu.BlifeFdt, D.L 1977. Da vn'o rus'k i pam jat ky Sestovi-ci. No. 42. Kyiv.Brendsted, J. 1936. Danish Inhumation Graves ofthe Viking Age. In: Acta Archaeologica, Vol, 7, no. 2.Kbenhavn.

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32 D .A . Avdusin & T. A. Puskina

G r sl un d, A.-S . 1981. Birka IV. The Burial Customs.KVHAA. S to ck h o lm.H g g, I. 1981. Kvinnodrkten i Birka. Au n 2. U pp sa la .K irp icn iko v, A .N . 1966 a. Drevnerusskoe oruzie, vyp. 1.M o s k v a L e n i n g r a d . 1966 . b. Drevnerusskoe oruzie, vy p. 2. M os kv a Le n i n g r a d . 1973. Snarjazenie vsadnika i verhomgo konja na RusiI XXI II v v. Len in g r a d .Lindeberg , I . 1984 . Holzsehalen und Beschlge zudt-ra rtige n H olz obj ekt en. In: Birka, I I I Sysle-matische Analysen der Grberfunde. K V H A A . St oc kh o l m .Ned oiv in a , N.G. 1983 . Sredne vekoye kresto v idny epriveski iz listovogo serebra. In: Sovetskaja arheolo-gija. No. 4.

Nedo sivina, N.G. & Fehner, M.V. 1985. Pro greb afn yjobr jad Timervskogo mogifn ika . In : Sovetskajaarheologija, 1985 No . 2.Pe te rs en , J. 1919. De norske vikingesverd. K ri st ia ni a. 192 8. Vikingetidens smykker. S ta va ng er .R o esd ah l , E . 1 9 74 . T h e N o r th e r n Mo u n d : b u r i a lch am be r a nd grav e goo ds. In: Medieval Seandinav ia . No. 7 . Odense .

Shetelig, H. 1912. Vestlandske grver fra jernalderen. Be rg en .Wo r saae , J .A . 1 8 6 9. O m M am me n - f u n d e t f ra h e -de ns ka be ts s lu tn in gs tid . In : Aarbeger for NordiskOldkyndighed og Historie. K e b e n h a v n .Zav i tnevic , V G 1894. Exca vat ions by V.F. Zavi t ne v ic . In : Otcet arheologiceskoj komissii za 189 2 god.S a n k t P e t e r s b u r g .

Tre kammergraver f ra Gniozdovo( G n i o z d o v o l i g g e r 10 k m v e s t for b y e n S m o l e n s k , p D n e p r s h o y r e b r e d d . D e t e r e t s t o r tl r n m i n n e k o m p l e k s m e d flere g r a v f e l t e r s o mo p p r i n n d i g i n n e h o l d 3 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 h a u g e r , f o ru t e n t o b e f e s t e d e b o p l a s s e r / b o r g e r , o g to p n e ," b y m e s s i g " b e b y g d e b o p la s s er . G n i o z d o v of u n k s j o n e r t e f r a se n t 9 . t i l f er ste h a lv d e l av 1 1. r h . B d e g r a v f e l t e n e o g b o p l a s s e n e h a r g i tt e ts t o r t a n t a l l s k a n d i n a v i s k e f u n n . G n i o z d o v o h a rs l e d e s s p i l t , o g s p i l l e r , e n v i k t i g r o l l e i d i s k u s j o n e n o m k r i n g s k a n d i n a v e n e s ro l le i d e t g a m m e l ru ss is ke r ik e t Drevnja ja e l le r Kievskaja R u s ) .

K r e m a s j o n e r b l i tt b e t r a k t e t s o m d e n a b s o l u t t d o m i n e r e n d e g r a v s k i k k p G n i o z d o v o ,m e n f r a 1 96 0 e r d e t s t a d i g b l i tt f u n n e t i n h u m a -s j o n e r i g r p e r u n d e r h a u g e r ( t a k k e t v ae re m d e r n e u t g r v n i n g s m e t o d e r ) . P g r u n n av s t e r -r e l s e n o g t r e r e s t e r e r 13 d e f m e r t s o m k a m m e r g r a v e r e n t i d l i g e r e u k j e n t g r a v s k i k k p G n i o z d o v o . A l le e r e n k e l t g ra v e r . T r e k a m m e r g r a v e r e r d i s k u t e r t i a r t i k k d e n . A l l a t r e l ig g e ru n d e r h a u g e r a v n o r m a l s t o r r e l s e ( h . 0 , 5 m ,d i a m . 99,5 m ) , m e d g r p e r e t t e r d e t s a m -m e n s t y r t e d e k a m m e r e t .

G r a v C - 3 0 1 (f ig . 1) v a r e n k v i n n e g r a v i la f t e tk a m m e r ( 2 , 1 x 2 , 1 m ) m e d t a k o g g u l v a v p l a n k e n K v i n n e n v a r g r a v l a g t s i t t e n d e . F u n n : f ig.4 : 1 3 , fo ru te n: 5 0 g l a s s p e r l e r , f r a g m e n t a v e nl i k e a r m e b r o s j e , e n t r e b o t t e m e d h e m p e r o g

h a n k a v j e r n , f o r u t e n e n n e v e r t i n e m e d e n b u n tt e k s t i l e r o g f r a g m e n t e r a v e n o v a l b r o s j e ( fi g .4 : 4 ) . S p o r a v e n l i t e n t r e k o p p . V e d s i d e n a v t i -n e n s t o d t o v o k s l y s ( f ig . 4 : 5 ) . N i t y n n e l y s o gf r a g m e n t e r a v d e m b l e f u n n e t p u l i k e s t e d e r .

G r a v C - 3 0 6 (f ig . 2 ) v a r e n k v i n n e g r a v i k a m m e r i s t o l p e k o n s t r u k s j o n ( 2 , 3 x 2 , 8 5 m ) m e d t a ko g g u l v a v p l a n k e n F u n n : f r a g m e n t e r a v t o o v a l e b r o s j e r t y p e J P 5 1 b ( ? ) m e d s p o r a v s i l k e o gs k u l d e r s t r o p p e r . H a n d l a g e t l e i rk a r , d r e i d t r e k o p p m e d s p o r a v s o l v b e s l a g l n g s r a n d e n , e ng l a s s p e r l e , 3 s t o r e o g 9 t y n n e v o k s l y s o g b i t e r a vd e m (f ig . 4 : 6 - 1 2 ) .

G r a v D n - 4 ( fi g. 3 ) v a r e n m a n n s g r a v i e tk a m m e r i s t o l e p e k o n s t r u k s j o n ( 2 , 5 x 2 , 5 m ) o gt a k o g g u l v a v p l a n k e r ( s o m v a r d r l i g b e v a r t ) .F u n n : F i g . 5 o g 6 , f o r u t e n s t y k k e r a v e n t y n ns o l v p l a t e , h a n k f ra e t u t h u l e t s p a n n , e n a n d r eb d t e s p e n n e , f r a g m e n t e r a v e tt b e s l a g a v b r o n s eo g et t a v j e r n , 8 s t p t e b r o n s e k n a p p e r s o m fig.6 : 2 , e t f r a g m e n t a v t e k s t i l , e n h e s t e s k o f o r m e tb r o s j e . S p o r a v v r e d e l a v e n k a f t a n i f o r m a t os m a l e s i l k e b n d o g 2 4 k n p p e r s o m f ig . 6 : 2 . IS 0 - h j o r n e l r e s t e n e a v e t h e s t e k r a n i u m m e dt r e j e r n r i n g e r ( h v o r a v 2 s o m fig. 5 : 8 ) .

P g r u n n a v d r k t e n e r k v i n n e n e s k a n d i n a v i s k e , o g m a n n e n h a r p g r u n n a v g r a v s k i k k e nf r b i n d e l s e m e d d e v a r j a g i s k e t r o p p e n e( " d r u z h i n a " ) . F u n n e n e o g a n a l o g i e n e t i l gr a v-

Fa i ma i 81(1 983 )


14/14

Chamber graves at Gniozdovo 33skikken da te re r gravene t il an ne n ha lvde l av de t Fu nn av lys og kors sa m m en med den hed en-1 0 . r h . D e nd r od a te r i nge ne a v C- 306 og Dn- 4 s ke g r a vs k ikken ind ike r e r a t de r e r k r i s tne b la n te r hhv . 979 og 975 e . Kr . P gru nn av de naere dem som i 970-ren b le grav lag t p de nn e m -l ikhe ten e t i lhorer ogs C-301 970- rene . ten i Gn iozdo vo, Tim er jov o og Kiev .

Fu nn av voks lys e r s jd de ne , m en e r k jen t f ra Ti l s lu t t f r emse t tes en an ta gd se : de t te m ate -T im e r jovo ( v r e Vo lga ) og Se stov i ts a ( C je r n i - r i al e t v i s e r kon ta k te r m e d D a n m a r k og So r n o r -g o v ) . An alog ie r e r k jen t fra Bje r inghoj (M am - ge , i m ots e tn ing t il de f leste n de r skan dina vis m e n ) , No r dh a ug e n p J e l l ing , og i no r s ke g r a - ke de m e n te r p G n ioz do vo s om pe ke r mo tver a l le r ike grver. M el lansv er ige .

D ate r in ge ne v ise r a t de t e r r is i kab dt ver - . _ , .r , , , - , , i ,. A n n e s t a l s b e r glo r e de s ka nd ina v i s ke da te r in ge ne a v s ka nd ina v iske funn t i l funn i Os teuropa .

Frmnnen 83 (1983)

three chamber graves at gniozdovo

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