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Monety z cmentarzyska w Gieczu, stanowisko 4, jako źródło do badań obrzędów funeralnych

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Indycka E.

Studia Lednickie

2019

vol. 18

207-243

The article presents the results of the analyses of coins, which were found during excavation works on the early medieval skeleton cemetery in Giecz (site 4). 281 graves were uncovered and examined there, among which were the ones with coins. The conducted archaeological and numismatic analyses refer to funeral rituals, chronology of the burial ground and various cultural phenomena connected with coins. The obtained data indicate that the ritual of depositing coins with the dead at the cemetery located next to the castle-town in Giecz appeared over half century after converting to the new religion and continued for 200 years. On the basis of the conducted analysis it can be stated that the coins were placed with the dead regardless of their sex or age at the moment of death. The deceased were buried in the same way as the majority of the decedents at the burial grounds; their graves did not stand alone. With the exception of the shears, no other special objects were placed in them and no two groups of graves of the same type were registered. Graves with coins, regardless of their orientation as well as sex and age of the individuals buried in them, and regardless of the chronology of the coins which they contained, were placed on the entire burial ground. They were orientated similarly to the majority of graves. The relationship between the type of coin and the grave’s orientation, where the coins were put, was not identified. The complete coins were placed in graves and these included almost exclusively saxon cross coins and princely denars. The custom of placing coins in graves was probably restricted to the elite groups which were in the possession of coins. At the present stage of research one could risk saying that it also showed the bonds connecting members of the family. It is possible that families had their quarters “assigned” at this cemetery, which can be reflected in graves with coins of different chronology located next to each other. The family bonds can also be indicated by the coins minted with the same stamps, which were found in the graves. The archaeological analysis of graves with coins also brought crucial data, which can be pertained to the stages of the functioning of the burial ground. It has been pointed out that in the third decade of the 11th century the custom of placing coins in graves appeared in Giecz. However, it was not prevalent in those days and was probably limited to a small group of the local community which was in the possession of money in the period when the monetary economy had just started to popularize [Łosiński 1991: 251–257]. Presumably the first coins, which were placed in graves of both segments after the incursion of Bretislav, are the cross denars type V, which were first issued in 1060. The research also revealed that in both periods when the burial ground was in use, at least two of its segments were occupied simultaneously. The coins manifested, among other things, power, prestige, wealth and religious content [Kiersnowski 1988: 38; Dzieduszycki 1995: 85–86]. The coins spread, among other ways, through wealth redistribution [Dzieduszycki 1995: 64–69]. The presence of coins in graves — the symbols of wealth and glamour, of which a small piece was placed with a deceased member of the family — despite the absence of other “precious” objects, points to the high social status of both the buried individuals and the contributor. In the research concerning the importance of coins in graves, the iconography of coins attracts attention, especially the religious symbols visible on them [Kiersnowski 1988: 314– 326; 170, 378–379]. Such varied images of a cross and saints can also be found on coins from Giecz. Therefore, it can be assumed that some of the coins were placed with the deceased as a confession of their faith and/or an offering to the Creator. It could be possible that the coins in the youngest children’s graves were their baptism certificate. Only one object from a grave which depicted religious symbols has been identified so far. It was a metal pendant. Its décor presents a miniature Maiestas Crucis, derivative from the pattern known from cards and the covers of Carolingian and Ottonian books [Indycka 2017]. Hence, the coins found in the graves should be included in the group of objects which express the Christian ideology. Diverse aspects of belief in the magic of coins show that the living could have multiple motives for placing coins with the deceased member of the family and community [Miechowicz 2006: 149–153]. Further analyses of the coins minted with the same stamps may lead to the research concerning the origins and distribution of the coins [Paszkiewicz 2015: 237]. The presence of coins in graves, with different periods of emission, brings data concerning the period of their circulation [Suchodolski 2016: 184], as well as their hoarding [Dzieduszycki 1995: 73–78]. The above considerations also point to the family bonds. Due to numismatic and archaeological analyses, the data concerning various cultural phenomena related to coins and funeral rituals and their chronology was obtained. The remarks concerning the usefulness of coins in social analyses, both in the aspect of social hierarchy and family bonds of the Giecz community, are also crucial. However, almost all the issues mentioned in the present article require further interdisciplinary research and profound comparative studies.

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1 Studia Lednickie

1 Indycka E.

1 2019

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Monety z cmentarzyska w Gieczu, stanowisko 4, jako źródło do badań obrzędów funeralnych