INTER-SECTION Volume II | Page 7

| Fenno F. J. M. Noij |

Patterns in the distribution of graves in the central medieval cemetery of Reusel, the Netherlands

Local variations in burial practices

Catelijne I. Nater Leiden University

Abstract Cemeteries from the Central and Late Middle Ages have not yet been studied extensively, even though cemeteries can provide interesting information about societies. This study assesses patterns in the ways that individuals were buried at the central medieval cemetery of Reusel( the Netherlands). It was examined whether patterns in grave morphologies and distribution were different from burial practices in other medieval cemeteries. In order to do this, the distribution of different grave morphologies and their orientation were examined. Different grave morphologies appeared all over the cemetery, apart from the ladder gravetype, which was restricted to the eastern part of the churchyard. Differentiation was also apparent in the orientation of graves. One woman was buried in a priest-like position. Such patterns suggest that social differences between individuals were expressed by burial in different parts of the cemetery, and by burial in different types of graves and orientations. Furthermore, this study confirms the existence of local variation in burial practices in this period.

Keywords Central Middle Ages, graveyard, spatial analysis, North Brabant, burials

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Introduction Archaeological research on ancient burials and their context can give a great deal of information about past societies( Effros 2003, 1-3). Prehistoric cemeteries have been studied extensively, since grave fields are among the best documented and well-preserved features to learn about societies from this period( Drenth and Lohof 2005, 433; Toorians 1998, 1-9). Cemeteries from the early medieval period( the fifth to eighth centuries CE) have seen much study as well, because the abundance of grave goods in such burials( Effros 2003, 2; Theuws and Van Haperen 2012, 163; Treffort 1996, 73) makes them relatively easy to date( Arts et al. 2007, 41; Blair 2005, 240-1; Lefever et al. 1993, 179; Renfrew and Bahn 2012, 123-4). Cemeteries from the Central and Late Middle Ages( around CE 950 to 1500), however, are studied less, especially in the Netherlands( Arts et al. 2007, 58; Arts 2013a, 23; Theuws in press). As a result, knowledge on funerary rituals and their social meaning in this period is limited. Furthermore, local differences in mortuary ritual are apparent( Blair 2005, 60-1; Daniell 1997, viii). This means that one cannot simply extrapolate knowledge about death rituals from one location to another. Therefore, more research on this subject is necessary to understand social cultural religious values in past societies.

In order to contribute to the research on medieval graveyards, the cemetery of Reusel, a village in the southern part of the Netherlands, is studied( fig. 1). This case study was chosen because the cemetery was well-dated and well-documented. This site has been excavated between 1995 and 1997 by the University of Amsterdam. The excavation resulted in the recovery of the foundations of three former churches: an early timber church, followed by a Romanesque church to which a tower was added later on, and eventually a gothic

2016 | INTER-SECTION | VOL II | p. 5