Flat Burial Ground on the Vynohradnyi Island: Current State of Research

Abstract

The author publishes materials of the flat burial ground excavated in 1929—1930 by A.V. Dobrovolskyi at the Vynohradnyi Island in the rapids part of the Dnipro River. The main attention is paid to two groups of burials. The first group includes supine sceletons. The sceletons of second group lied supine with flexed legs usually preserving their initial position with knees upwards or parted in the shape of rhombus. The main problem studying these groups of burials is the establishment of the relative chronology, since most of them had no grave goods. As for the first group the author attempts to classify the graves as the Neolithic, Eneolithic (obviously, of the middle stage), as well as some graves of the Middle Bronze Age Catacomb culture. The bone decorations in several Eneolithic graves play the important role for their dating. It is important to distinguish the burials dated to the Early Bronze Age (Yamna culture) among the second group. As a whole the publication of materials from the burial ground is of essential significance for the understanding and comparative description of the development of funeral customs by the example of flat burial grounds.