[gothic-l] archaeology and the gothic question

[Fernando Jimenez]

Hello Alfonso,
Bienvenido a la lista.
Welcome to the list.
I just returned home from a short trip and was surprised to find your 
submission regarding the burials at Gozquez. Interestingly, your name 
sounds familiar, I think I might have read something of yours or met you 
at some point but cannot recall (when) at the moment.
Nonetheless, I have had several years experience working in the 
Visigothic necropoli of the meseta and in Poland and can perhaps be of 
help. I will be visiting Spain in late autumn and would be glad to visit 
the site at that time, but for now - some questions to which you can 
reply (in your choice of language) using my private email address (see 
header). Off the record, I think they may be earlier than stated, 
perhaps you have not dated using absolute dating techniques. Off the 
cuff, they appear to be "Alanic", (a group against whom the Visigoths 
waged war).

As concerns the (approx. 6) niche tombs:
1).   What gender/s are the remains?
2).   Have craniological studies been made - please briefly state the 
indications? 
3).   Have you found a thin layer of differently colored material 
immediately below the remains, ( a charcoal or chalk layer) perhaps?
4).   Describe the position of the remains (supine) (flexed) etc.?
5).   Describe the position of the [arms - hands -  skull]?
6).   State the relative cardinal compass direction/s that the feet of 
the remains are pointing to?
7).   Are the skulls detached from the cervical spine, or turned or 
placed  in any position other than "up" (facing the sky)?
8).   Are all the remains positioned in the same way?
9).   Describe the orientation of the remains (compasswise)? Are they 
all oriented in the same direction?
10)  How did you determine the date? (Sounds like you cross dated, has 
any attempt been made at absolute dating?)


I would be very interested to receive any pertinent publication or even 
journal entries (especially concerning cultural features 'types of 
manuports' and artifact recovery). Photos of the site and graves would 
be most excellent.

Will give you a bibliography and some contact info (privately).

Also please keep abreast of postings in the very near future; I will be 
making some mention of the many "Visigothic necropoli" on the meseta- 
perhaps you will have something to add.

Cheers,
F. X.


area1963 wrote:

> Hi to everyone in the list,
> I'm sorry for my poor english and i pity in advance the listers that
> should suffer my literature. I'm not directly interested in the
> gothic language, (I see is the most common subject in the list), but
> in fact I work as professional archaeologist, and i wish to ask to
> any eventual colleague about one rare kind of thomb we've found out
> recently in a site near Madrid. Some people consider it a gothic
> settlement, but it's a tough question to solve only from an
> archaeological point of view.
> The site is called Gozquez (toponimic questions apart) and show a
> disperse-like village extended more than 10 hectars and formed of
> houses and sunken-featured buildings with its complete cemetery in
> the middle. The occupation is dated from the first quarter of the 6th
> century to the middle of 8th. The half-dozen graves that i want to
> elucidate form a minimal part of the whole site (the excavation
> involved more than 350) and are described in the french bibliography
> as "tombes à niches". They look like a normal grave at the begining
> (the rectangular pit) but display lateral cameras (one or two) where
> the skeletons are buried, normally protected by a wall of stones.
> I found out parallels for this type of grave in the Black Sea region,
> where they are adscribed to the Sarmatian culture, but i don't know
> other examples in Europe. Some people told me that they sporadically
> compare in the invasions period along middle-Europe.
> May anyone in the list lead me to the apropiate bibliography (if 
> it's available in English or French) or tell me something more about
> this phenomenon?
> Thank you very much,
> Alfonso Vigil-Escalera
>
>
>
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