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Bones in motion: Rethinking grave reopenings in Early Medieval Europe (Hungary and Austria)

Des os en mouvement : une relecture des réouvertures de tombes dans l’Europe du haut Moyen Âge (Hongrie et Autriche)
Eliza Orellana-González, Regina V. Csordás, Jasmin A. Özyurt, Astrid A. Noterman et Edeltraud Aspöck

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1Across Europe, the reopening of graves between the 5th and 8th centuries CE has long been recognised as a widespread phenomenon of early medieval cemeteries. Once primarily interpreted as looting motivated by greed, these interventions are now increasingly understood as diverse and socially embedded practices. This shift has been supported by methodological advances that highlight the importance of detailed documentation of post-burial activity and the critical reassessment of earlier excavations, particularly through the application of archaeothanatological principles.

2Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe provides a particularly valuable perspective. Cemeteries of this region frequently display patterns of skeletal displacement, taphonomic alterations, and the selective retrieval of objects, which together point to deliberate and structured re-entries rather than random disturbance. Within this framework, the ERC PresentDead project is developing adapted research protocols for the analysis of reopened graves, including taphonomic analysis, assessment of bone surface modifications, systematic documentation of artefact alterations and preservation states. This integrated approach enables more precise evaluations of how human remains and grave goods were affected by re-entries, while also contributing to the reconstruction of the cultural intentions underlying these practices.

3This presentation applies these protocols to a selected sample of individuals from two case studies: the sixth-century Gyirmót-Homokdomb cemetery in Pannonian Plain (Hungary), and the seventh- to eighth-century Avar-period burial ground at Achau in Lower Austria (Austria). By integrating taphonomic evidence with detailed analysis of artefact modifications, the study highlights how these examples contribute to a broader understanding of early medieval grave reopenings and shed light on the complex dynamics of post-burial interactions with the dead.

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Eliza Orellana-González, Regina V. Csordás, Jasmin A. Özyurt, Astrid A. Noterman et Edeltraud Aspöck, « Bones in motion: Rethinking grave reopenings in Early Medieval Europe (Hungary and Austria) »Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris [En ligne], 38(S) | 2026, mis en ligne le 16 décembre 2025, consulté le 08 mars 2026. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/17481 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/15hin

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Auteurs

Eliza Orellana-González

Institut für Antike, University of Graz, Graz, Austria ; eliza.orellanag[at]gmail.com

Articles du même auteur

Regina V. Csordás

Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

Jasmin A. Özyurt

Institut für Antike, University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Astrid A. Noterman

Department of Archaeology, Ancient History and Conservation, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Edeltraud Aspöck

Institut für Antike, University of Graz, Graz, Austria

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