The Obeliai burial ground was systematically surveyed in 1979 by archaeologist Vytautas Urbanavičius. At that time, an area of 6 174 m2 was investigated, the inhumations of 190 people, 9 graves of cremated remains, and 30 graves of horses were discovered. Inhumations were found in pits covered with stones. The graves date back to the 5th-6th centuries, although graves dating back to the 13th-14th and 15th centuries have been found. The burial monument is distinguished by the abundance of archaeological findings.
The collection contains skeletal remains of 97 individuals from 1978-1983 archaeological excavations when 190 burials were uncovered. Skeletons of 93 individuals were analyzed in previous anthropological studies and reburied after the studies. The skeletal remains from the Obeliai are not complete, i.e. the collection includes skulls and long bones only; in exceptional cases pelvic bones and pathological cases of vertebrae were added too. Therefore, the collection is to be treated as partial or fragmentary:
|
Preservation |
n |
% |
|
Complete skeleton (>50 %) |
0 |
0 |
|
Partially preserved skeleton (~50 %) |
55 |
56,7 % |
|
Fragmentary skeleton (<50 %) |
42 |
43,3 % |
Of the 97 individuals, 70.1% are adults and 29.9% are non-adults (Fig. 1). Male and probable male accounted for 33% of all individuals, while female and probable female – 22%. The age distribution of non-adults is shown in Fig. 2 and that of adults in Fig. 3.
