engleski

Pigs in Eneolithic burial practices

During the Neolithic and Eneolithic periods pigs frequently occur in different types of deposits found across Central Europe. In the context of the Eneolithic period in Croatia pigs were unearthed in pits, usually complete or almost complete, buried alone or together with humans. Especially interesting is the burial of a man accompanied by two pigs from the site of Đakovo-Franjevac in Eastern Croatia, attributed to the Kostolac culture (Balen, 2011.) This paper will address possible interpretations of such finds by looking at their contextual settings, cultural affiliations, bioarchaeological data, as well as archaeological and ethnographical analogies. Investigation of ethnographical, folkloristic and historical sources often demonstrates how humans have negotiated similar relations with particular animal species in different cultural contexts. They frequently reveal significant symbolic roles pigs have played in human societies, as evident from various customary practices and narratives, but also diverse and ambivalent attitudes people expressed towards them. Such data can be useful for prompting various questions about the burials discussed ; can they be related to certain ritual practices and what roles could pigs have possible played.

pigs; burial practices; Eneolithic; Eastern Croatia

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