Namen knjige je prikazati pomen orientacije grobov za srednjeveško arheologijo smrti in pokopov. Pri tem sta poudarjeni dve ključni točki. Prvič, orientacija grobov je bila v srednjem veku pomemben in v nekaterih primerih najpomembnejši način izražanja simbolnega pomena pokopov. Drugič, da bi arheologi razvozlali ta pomen, mora biti analiza izvedena z metodološko strogostjo, pri interpretaciji pa je potrebno upoštevati širši kontekst. Blejski otok je otoček na Blejskem jezeru, ki ima za sodobne Slovence poseben pomen, za lokalno prebivalstvo pa je imel poseben pomen že od prazgodovine dalje. Zato ni presenetljivo, da sta srednjeveški pokopališči in cerkev na otočku prežeti s simboliko. In veliko te simbolike je bilo izražene z usmeritvijo posameznih grobov, skupin grobov in cerkvene stavbe. V knjigi je zbranih deset besedil – sedem antropoloških hodopisnih esejev, pospremljenih z dvema daljšima uvodnima tekstoma ter epilogom o hoji in pisanju kot dveh utečenih, a na tem mestu sveže premišljenih metodah antropološkega in etnološkega razisko­vanja. Sedem esejev se sprehodi po obmejnih pokrajinah Istre, Goričkega, Porabja, Koroške in Julijskih Alp, predhodi jim dialoška faza brušenja misli med različno formi­ranimi raziskovalci, končno pa vseh sedem izriše svojo sled v vmesnem prostoru med znanstvenim tekstom in esejistiko. Z osredotočanjem na korake, besede in poti, bodisi prehojene ali zapisane, poskuša knjiga osvetliti vmesni prostor, hojo in pisanje pa pri tem razume kot spoznavni proces, terensko izkušnjo, kot del dolgega pogovora, ki me­andrira med okljuki življenja. Gre za hibridno, robno, tudi mejno in drzno meditativno hodopisje, ki bralcu ponudi nedokonč(a)ne eksperimentalne antropološke tekste.

Lavishly illustrated second volume of the Urban graveyard proceedings, on old and new archaeological research of medieval urban graveyards in the Low Countries and Denmark.

The Croatian medieval archaeological heritage from the 8th to the 15th century consists mostly of jewelry (earrings) findings from cemeteries. This book uses vertical and horizontal stratigraphy, on the basis of around 20,000 burial assemblages from 16 cemeteries (out of several hundred so far excavated in Croatia), to establish relative and absolute chronology of jewelry and burial architecture divided into three horizons and four phases in comparison with materials from neighboring regions of Europe.

The traditional picture is that there is little information about Tongeren, the capital of the civitas Tungrorum in Roman times, from Late Antiquity onwards. In the last twenty years or so, very cautiously, voices have been raised to nuance the story of the general decline of Tongeren from the beginning of the fifth century. A recurring question is whether Tongeren remained inhabited and what its function might have been. A key site is the Roman basilica, the predecessor of an early medieval church. A key figure is the bishop, whose seat was moved to neighbouring Maastricht in the sixth century. Based on an extensive database, a picture of late Roman Tongeren is drawn, with its public and private buildings, cemeteries and material finds. While the number of finds is decreasing, more historical sources are becoming available for the early Middle Ages. For this period, not only the re-Christianisation is discussed, but also the political, religious and economic role that the former capital of the civitas could have played. Due to its location, one could state that in the civitas Tungrorum the Middle Ages started earlier than elsewhere because of the emergence of a Franko-Roman society.

This book is a contribution to efforts to understand the transformation that took place across the European continent, and in particular East Central Europe, during the second half of the first millennium. Its goal is to draw conclusions primarily on the basis of the archaeological evidence from important early medieval centres. A special emphasis is given to Pohansko near Břeclav (Czech Republic), perhaps the best studied centre of its kind in the entire region. In terms of methodology the book marks a new attempt to interlink a number of proven methodological tools used in western archaeology from the 1970’s, to new questions related to a cognitive approach to archaeology and the positivist tradition of Central European archaeology.

Bringing together knowledge accumulated from historical, archaeological and literary sources, Daniell paints a vivid picture of the entire phenomenon of medieval death and burial. A big contribution to medieval and early modern studies.

Drawing on archaeological and narrative sources, this collection of studies offers a fresh look at some of the most interesting aspects of the current research on the medieval nomads of Eastern Europe.