F. C. W. J. Theuws Knihy

13 papers by 16 leading archaeologists and historians of late antiquity and the early middle ages break new ground in their discussion, analysis and criticism of present interpretations of early medieval rituals and their material correlates. Some deal with rituals relating to death, life cycles and the circulation in other contexts of objects otherwise used in the burial ritual. Others are concerned with the symbolism and ideology of royal power, the formation of a political ideology east of the Rhine from the mid-5th century onwards, and penance rituals in relation to Carolingian episcopal discourse on ecclesiastical power and morale. All deal with the creation of new identities, cultures, norms and values, and their expression in new rituals and ideas from the period of the Great Migrations through the Later Roman Empire down to the society of Beowulf and the later Carolingians.

From the contents:00The archaeology and history of the Saint-Servatiius complex in Maastricht (up to c. 1050).0Archaeological observations and excavations in and around the Vrijthof square in Maastricht: a review.0The vrijthof excavations 1969-1970: perceptions, politics, practices and problems.0The documentation and methods of analyses of the Vrijthof archaeological data.0The stratigraphic sequence and history of depositions on the Vrijthof square.0The Vrijthof cemeteries: their limits, state of preservation an estimated size.0Grave structures and theis analysis: theorethical and methodological considerations.0Inhumations: burial pits, grave constructions and disarticulate human remains.0The typo-chronological analysis of grave goods: methodology.0Finds.0The topo-chronological development of Merovingian cemetery 4 on the Vrijthof square.0The Carolingian cemetery 5.0Burial practices: overview of general and specific practices on the Vrijthof cemetery.0The Vrijthof square area and the early development of Maastricht as a town.0A catalogue of contexts and finds.0.