Knoglerne fra Kassø

Resumé

The excavations in Kassø in 2017 – 2018
covered 51.4 ha land. Among the excavations
were the remains of two barely visible
Bronze Age burial mounds as well as an early
Roman Iron Age cremation burial site with
an adjoining, contemporary settlement.
Several of the individuals buried at the
cremation cemetery site seem to be young
to middle aged men; there are no clearly
identified women and only few children, including
one infant. The individuals carried
a few pathological markers, some of them
showing signs of arthritis, some possible
genetic dental pathology, one individual
showed signs of malnutrition in childhood,
and another showed possible signs of a rich
carbohydrate diet. Many of the graves also
contained animal bones, almost exclusively
of sheep/goat and mostly just a single lower
leg. Furthermore, most of the represented
grave goods are knives and parts of the belt,
whereas four to five graves contained parts
of weapons and shields.
The six graves from the Bronze Age
mounds have not yielded as much information
as the Early Roman Iron Age cremation
burial site. Most individuals were merely
identified as adults, and none could be sexed.
Nor did they show signs of pathology. However,
two of the graves contained more than
one person. Grave goods were only found in
graves dating to the Early Bronze Age and
comprised mostly adornments such as arm
and neck rings and tutuli.