The Roman Cemetery of Mannersdorf am Leithagebirge

A Contribution to the Burial Customs and the Demographics of the Population in the Hinterland of Carnuntum during the Roman Imperial Period. Only a few kilometres south of the former Roman provincial capital of Carnuntum, a large part of a Roman cemetery was archaeologically investigated in Mannersdorf am Leithagebirge. In the process, 208 cremations and 49 inhumations were excavated. The cemetery was continuously used from the end of the 1st century AD until the beginning of the 5th century AD. It gives an insight into burial customs and grave goods of a rural cemetery for more than 300 years. The graves can be divided into six different zones, which are spatially separated, but were partly used at the same time. Burial zones I, III and IV were mainly in use during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, and cremation burials predominate. Zones II, V and VI, however, contained both cremation and inhumation burials; the cremations date from the end of the 2nd century to the 3rd century AD, and inhumations date from the 3rd century to the beginning 5th century AD. The transition from cremation to inhumation took place in the second half of the 3rd century AD. In the centre of the graveyard, there was a wide honeycomb-style system of small so-called grave- gardens (burial zone III). One or more cremations were surrounded with ditches, usually in a round or square layout. The ditches were partly linked to each other and formed this extensive system of grave-gardens which were a demarcation of personal space where the members of individual families found their final resting place. At the same time, the grave-gardens served as a connection between the individual burial sites to develop larger communal areas. Concentrations of sherds in the ditches of the grave-gardens indicate funeral meals or other ritual acts at the graves. The custom of burials in the centre of the grave-gardens existed for about 150 years, from the late 1st century AD until the first half of the 3rd century AD. Cremations, both individual and in groups are found in the other zones from the end of the 2nd century AD onward. In addition, the stone from some burials was re-used for later stone slab burials. There is no significant difference in the grave goods of the cremation burials. The burials seem to be standardized in their equipment and are characterized by their uniformity. To a large extent they are exclusively equipped with pottery. Few graves display a personal touch by containing a larger number of different grave goods. A big change occurred in the late 3rd century AD. While a combination of cremation and inhumation burials occurred for some decades, by the beginning of the 4th century AD inhumations become the sole form of burial. They are consistently richer in grave goods than the cremation burials were. In addition to a variety of ceramic vessels, glass vessels, tools, coins, jewellery and clothing accessories were often found. It is apparent that female burials were equipped with more clothing accessories and grave goods than male burials. While the cemetery served as a burial ground for the residents of a nearby manor, by the middle Imperial period it seems to have also served as the necropolis of a larger settlement, whose location remains unknown. A rural population is reflected in the simpler grave goods, whereas more prosperity is assumed as of Late Antiquity. It can also be assumed that this was a Roman-influenced provincial population comprised of different ethnic groups. The anthropological material showed distinct signs of wear due to physical labour. Evidence indicates that some of the deceased were veterans who had settled here in the hinterland of the provincial capital of Carnuntum. The abandonment of the cemetery in the early 5th century AD is likely connected with the end of the late Roman manor, which was destroyed by fire.