Considerations about the Appearance of Medieval Christianity in Central and Southeast Europe
In terms of the archaeological discoveries the consequences of Constantine and Methodius mission are visible in the burial occurred around new religious buildings. Today in Slovakia – Nitra region – occurred during 9-10 centuries a number of small churches around which were developed cemeteries. Funerary practices during this stage cannot be separated from those existed in the rural area, where the pagans rituals can be proved. In both cases the funerary inventory is not much special and consists mainly of jewelry. The notable difference is given by the existence of weapons in graves around the church, which proves once again that the funerary inventory is rather important from the perspective of social differentiation than ethnicity. The analysis of the 9th to 11th century cemeteries and graveyards on the territory of Moravia shows that we have three types of connection between necropolis/cemeteries and church:
a. necropolis in rows outside the settlement – in rural area;
b. superimposed cemetery by a church – mostly in urban area at the beginning;
c. cemeteries that occurred immediately after the church building
Keywords: Central Europe, Christianity, Middle Age, Necropolis, Graveyards
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