Category: Tumuli

St. Martin i. S./Graschach (Hartwald): Tumulus groups from the Roman period

In the so-called Hartwald, an extensive forest area in the municipality of St. Martin i. S., there are several prehistoric and Roman period tumuli groups, which were attached to the settlements of that time as cemetery areas.

The tumuli of the Faulandsima group, named after the common (“vulgo”) name of the owner, consist of two groups, the larger of which is made up of of 16 tumuli.
Archaeological excavations showed that most of the tumuli belong to the Late Celtic and Provincial Roman periods (late 1st century B.C. to 3rd century B.C.) and contained cremations, some of which yielded rich burials of costumes, vessels or weapons.

The distribution of the so-called Noric-Pannonian tumuli can be localised to southwestern and eastern Styria, the southern Burgenland area and northeastern Slovenia. The size of the tumuli groups and fields varies greatly: we come across small groups with only 3 or 4 tumuli and entire necropolises with over 70 preserved tumuli. The settlements near which the tumuli fields were located were mostly laid out along the ancient path and road systems.
Without exception, the investigated tumuli contained cremated burials. In addition to the mortal remains of the dead, the inventory included vessels made of ceramics or glass as containers for food and drink, costume components (so-called fibulae made of bronze/costume clasps, belt parts, jewelry, etc.), and objects of weapons or equipment made of iron.
In Roman-period graves or burials there is also usually a bronze or brass coin, the so-called obolus, which, according to ancient mythology, served as payment to the ferryman Charon for the journey of the dead across the River Styx to the underworld.

Text: Mag. Andreas Bernhard

All Topics Map