Masłomęcz group

From the 3^rd to the 5^th century CE, the Hrubieszów Basin was inhabited by Gothic tribes whose remains of rich material and spiritual culture are referred to as the Masłomęcz group (Fig. 1). It is known from numerous archaeological sites, among which the eponymous cemetery at Masłomęcz stands out, as well as those at Gródek nad Bugiem, Hrubieszów-Podgórze, Moroczyn, and Ślipcze.

Fig. 1. The Gothic world and its neighbours in the 3^rd century (a: Wielbark culture; b: Masłomęcz group; c: Chernyakhov culture; d: Sîntana de Mureş culture).

Particular attention is drawn to the burial rites practiced by the Masłomęcz community, manifested in the multiplicity of practices and customs employed. Both inhumation and cremation graves occur, but above all partial burials—without heads, without upper parts of the torso, consisting only of limbs, or collective burials. Particularly noteworthy is that the practice of dismembering the dead mainly concerned women. The deceased were buried in burial chambers, in log coffins and box coffins, in ritual boats, or without any containers. Grave goods were routinely deposited with the dead, including vessels, ornaments, elements of garment, and combs. Their richness and visual attractiveness undoubtedly emphasized the beauty of the Gothic women of the Hrubieszów Basin (Fig. 2), who were also familiar with cosmetic and beautifying practices (tweezers, miniature knives, containers for “cosmetics”), as well as sensitivity to olfactory experiences, exemplified by their use of “perfumes”. Evidence for this comes from miniature bucket-shaped pendants which, as research has shown, contained aromatic compositions (Kokowski 2014).

Fig. 2. Anthropological and cultural reconstruction of a woman from Grave No. 300.