Gravefields are prehistoric burial sites that provide insight into cultures. They come in various styles and sizes, with some having markers and others not. Early gravefields were small and maintained by families, while later ones were for the community. Burial customs changed over time, and gravefields can be difficult to locate. They are of historical interest and objects are displayed in museums.
A gravefield is a prehistoric grave site, although some people use the term “gravefield” to refer to burial sites as recent as the 6th century AD. Gravefields come in a wide variety of styles, shapes, and size, although most lack external markers, either because the graves were left without preference marks or because the markers have been removed or worn away over time. Archaeologists like to look at grave fields because they can provide a wealth of information about the cultures they are associated with, since how people handle their dead is often a very important part of their culture.
Early grave fields were burials of only a handful of people, suggesting that people maintained small burial areas on their farms or around their homes for family members. Individual graves of high-ranking members of society have also been discovered, suggesting that meticulous burial was considered especially important for people of value in many early human societies. Over time, the grave field began to evolve and grave fields began to be located away from populated areas and dedicated to the use of the community as a whole.
The simplest type of burial ground is simply a row field, where people are buried side by side. Grave fields may also contain buried urns of ashes, burial mounds, and shaft graves. With centuries of time, a grave field can become difficult to find; excavations need to be very careful, and a variety of archaeological technologies can be used to identify and explore the grave fields.
The character of graves has changed dramatically over the centuries, and sometimes sudden changes in the way the dead are handled can be used to track cultural changes. For example, it was once common to bury people with an assortment of grave goods for use in the afterlife, but this custom faded away in many cultures, often around the time of Christianization. The dead were also buried in a variety of wrappings and containers, from shrouds to sarcophagi, which can sometimes provide clues as to when someone was buried and what their social standing was.
A typical grave field is indistinguishable to the untrained eye, as it lacks tokens. Some grave fields have become famous sites of historical interest, attracting tourists wanting to explore the area, while others are left largely undisturbed except by curious archaeologists. Objects removed from grave fields are often on display in museums, for people who want a glimpse into the past.
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