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Urnfield culture

Like their jewellery and pottery, the burial customs of the Urnfield culture were also subject to change over time. This may have been due to changing belief systems.

At the beginning of the Urnfield culture period, not only the deceased, but also their grave goods were cremated on the funeral pyre. These included adornments worn on the body, as well as pots and tools. Weapons, on the other hand, were left unburned. Often, only some of the grave goods were cremated together with the body, while the remaining part entered the tomb intact. Perhaps this custom was based on a belief that the deceased and their grave goods would be transported 'to the beyond' through cremation.

As the Urnfield culture period wears on, fewer pots are found in graves. In the latter part of the Urnfield culture period, jewellery, tools, and weapons are almost entirely absent. However, bronze objects were more frequently deposited in hoards or waterways at this time. This may suggest that, during their lifetime, people deposited weapons or jewellery to fall back on after death. Or, perhaps we are dealing with a 'burial hoard' deposited by surviving relatives.