Sammendrag
The current article differentiates between an object-oriented and an event-oriented approach to funerary customs. Whereas an object-oriented approach focuses on objects and their attributes (predominantly the burials themselves), an event-oriented approach stresses funerary customs as a set of ritual events that generate a range of archaeological remains. The finds from Lø illustrate the complexity of these remains. Different types of burials were found within and outside the mound. In addition, remains of a possible funeral pyre site were found, as well as remnants of sacrificial roasting pits, all spatially and chronologically related to the mound itself. The earliest burials at the site are from the Roman period, and were followed by a range of funerary practices that extended well into the Viking period. A comparative assessment of available observations regarding early iron age funerary customs in Trondelag strengthens the impression of ritual complexity, and serve to underline some problems and limitations of object-oriented approaches. It is argued that a broad empirical and event-oriented perspective is necessary in order to understand the complex funerary customs of the Early Iron Age in Norway. Appendix: Catalogue of early iron age burials in Trøndelag (500 BC - AD 575).
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