@inbook{
author = "Mrdjić, Nemanja and Raičković, Angelina",
year = "2013",
abstract = "Viminacium, a city which later became the capital of
Moesia Superior, and the legionary camp of legio VII
Claudia near the city existed for over 400 years in con tinuity. Systematic research into Viminacium’s ceme teries has revealed more than 14,000 graves and facili tated comprehensive analysis of burial customs during
Roman period (Fig. 1). Until now not a single part of
the entire cemetery could be identified and interpreted
as legionary in character, although large areas around
the urban zone have been excavated. There was a long standing burial tradition which included weapons as
grave goods. The pre-Roman population consisted of
the Celtic Scordisci tribe, whose weapons-related cu stoms were confirmed in a number of graves discove red at the Pećine site. During the Migration Period,
Germanic tribes brought rites which included placing
weapons in graves.
Archaeologists generally agree that placing weapons
in graves was not a common practice although some
exceptions exist throughout the imperial period (Bis hop-Coulston 2006, 33-34). These examples are found
both in Roman and Romanized contexts, and can also
be found in regions under Roman influence Legionary soldiers (predominantly members of legio
VII Claudia and legio IV Flavia) left numerous traces
in all segments of life as a part of the active populati on. The practice of burials without weapons was gene rally respected, except in several cases which could be
interpreted as soldiers’ graves with weapons as burial
inventory. Among the thousands of excavated graves
this small number is almost insignificant.
Generally, most of the graves interpreted as being tho se of soldiers have belts as their inventory.
Some are interpreted as soldiers based on fibulae or certain ot her finds. Therefore, we can accept that weapons were not placed in graves as a common burial custom.",
publisher = "Zagreb : Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb : Arheološki muzej u Zaagrebu",
journal = "XVII ROMEC Zagreb 2010 : XVII Roman Military Equipment Conference, Zagreb 2010, 24th - 27th May, 2010 ; proceedings of the XVIIth Roman Military Equipment Conference: Weapons and military equipment in funerary context = Radovi Sedamnaesti ROMEC-a: Rimska vojna oprema u pogrebnom kontekstu = Akten der 17. Roman Military Equipment Conference: Militaria als Grabbeilage",
booktitle = "Soldier burials with weapons at Viminacium cemetery",
pages = "133-117",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_632"
}
