| Abstrakt: |
This article explores a specific funeral rite—the so-called enchytrismos burials, better known as amphora burials-which, despite being an older tradition, has been insufficiently examined for the period spanning the fifth to the seventh century. There are two recurring elements related to this type of burial: the prevalence of newborn infants among the dead interred in this fashion and the adoption of this rite among coastal conununities in Italy, and throughout the whole western Mediterranean area. By building on the concepts of childhood on the one hand and maritime culture on the other, this article argues that different ethnic, religious, and political conununities shared similar attitudes toward children-at least in funerary contexts-and that the circulation of these practices and beliefs took place in a broader geographical context, well beyond the traditional periodization imposed by historiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
