BURIALS WITH BUCKETS AT THE OSTRIV THE 11th CENTURY CEMETERY IN THE MIDDLE DNIPRO REGION

Abstract

The article focuses on the analysis of the wooden buckets used in human burials of the Ostriv cemetery studied in 2017–2020. The discovery of dominant culture-defining artefacts, such as penannular and ring brooches, zoomorphic bracelets, and spiral neck-rings, suggest that this ancient population may be originated from the coastal part of the East Baltic region, including Sambian Peninsula, historical Curonia and Semigallia and the results of anthropological and paleogenetic studies reinforce this theory. One of the characteristic features of the burial rite of the Ostriv cemetery was the presence of sacrificial food stored in vessels (buckets). Remnants of buckets – in the form of bandings hoops, handle mounts, and forged handles – were found placed at the feet of the deceased. Taking into account the fact that buckets were not generally incorporated into the burial practices of the Baltic tribes of that time, the authors of the article suggest that this rite infiltrated into their society after migration to the Porossya region of Ukraine and was associated with the complex processes of the Christianization of the Baltic settlers. Keywords: Old Rus’, Western Balts, burial rites, buckets, Christianization, migration, Ukraine