Cave funeral practices during the Roman and Migration Periods in the Cracow Upland, southern Poland

Although caves have been used for funerary purposes almost since the dawn of time, there is very little evidence of such use in Central European Barbaricum. This paper presents newly obtained results from the Cracow Upland (southern Poland) concerning multiple skeletal remains that apparently share a similar third-fifth centuries AD chronology, corresponding to the Late Roman and Early Migration Periods. Multiple analyses have been per-formed to supplement archaeological data, including radiocarbon dating, osteoarchaeological analysis, ancient DNA research and isotopic analysis. The complex picture points towards unusual burial practices, which generally spanned from the third to the fifth centuries AD and involved a broad demographic, with no indication of selection based on an individual's biological profile. Isotopic analysis has also indicated the individuals' heterogeneity with regard to diet and local versus nonlocal origin. The results point towards the previously unrecognized unique role of caves in the Przeworsk culture, then present in southern Poland.

Automated summary

This study analyzes skeletal remains from the Cracow Upland in southern Poland using various methods and discovers a series of burial practices that date back to the third-fifth centuries AD, corresponding to the Late Roman and Early Migration Periods. These burial practices involve a broad demographic, and isotopic analysis shows heterogeneity in diet and origin. The results reveal the previously unrecognized unique role of caves in the Przeworsk culture.