Description du projet
Comprendre les pratiques liées aux morts du haut Moyen Âge
Les cimetières du haut Moyen Âge (du Ve au VIIIe siècle de notre ère), ont été le théâtre de nombreuses manipulations de tombes et d’objets qu’elles contenaient peu de temps après l’enterrement. La signification de cette pratique demeure un mystère. Financé par le Conseil européen de la recherche, le projet PresentDead se penchera sur les dimensions pratiques, mentales et émotionnelles de ce lien profond entre les vivants et les morts. En explorant les cimetières et d’autres sites funéraires d’Europe centrale et orientale, et un ensemble de textes historiques, le projet se propose d’étudier divers contextes, en utilisant des méthodes scientifiques de pointe, des solutions techniques et des approches théoriques novatrices. Il s’est fixé pour objectif de mieux appréhender les relations complexes entre les vivants et les morts durant cette période.
Objectif
The project aims to investigate the practical, mental and emotional dimensions of human interactions with the materials of the dead (graves, human remains and artefacts) in early medieval central and eastern Europe (5th to 8th centuries CE). Based on archaeological and textual evidence, diverse contexts of contact will be investigated through an innovative approach combining cutting-edge scientific methods, technical solutions and new theoretical approaches. The project’s working hypothesis is that perspectives on interaction with the materials of the dead will vary with the ritual stages of funerals.
Early medieval cemeteries comprise of up to hundreds of graves where corpses were generally inhumed in individual graves, frequently together with lavish objects. Many graves were interfered with soon after burial. While disturbed graves have elsewhere been seen as an inferior source of evidence, this project argues that these interventions are important sources for early medieval practices relating to the dead. Investigating cemeteries and out-of-cemetery contexts in four central- and eastern European regions it pursues the following objectives: 1. Investigating the range of practices and contexts in the archaeological records. 2. Analysing textual perspectives in diverse genres. 3. Synthesising material and textual perspectives via an innovative technical solution for semantic integration of data. The methodological objectives for achieving the archaeological goals are: 1. Consolidation of methods and development of research protocols. 2. Development of strategies to mitigate deficiencies of archaeological data. The development of digital tools, moving from high- to low resolution evidence, will be novel and key to the approach.
The project will significantly contribute to our understanding of the relationship between the living and the dead in early medieval Europe.
Champ scientifique
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régime de financement
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsInstitution d’accueil
1010 Wien
Autriche