Pages: 375-382

The peculiar feature of the construction of Romanian coffins consists of the bottom made of some rarely nailed transversal laths; the reed is spread out the laths. According to the respondents, this construction is considered by the people as a “coffin without bottom”. The right analogy is known among Bulgarians and Gagauzz. Gagauzz evidently can’t be thought as the source of the tradition for Romanians. The origin and interrelations between the Bulgarian and Romanian traditions of “coffins without bottom” is more complicated question. In this context we should take into consideration the so called lattice coffins (as well as the frame coffins) which is well known for some medieval and early nomads of Eurasian Steppe, including the Early Sarmathian culture. Not pretending to point here to the source of the tradition of “coffins without bottom” for Romanians and Bulgarians, it is important to emphasize that this tradition was extremely popular namely in the Early Sarmathian culture of the Volga-Ural region. Besides, the “eastern hypothesis” of the Volokhs’ origin, as well as some features of Romanian funeral rites, analyzed by the author earlier, motivate us to consider the Early Sarmathian culture in the context of the issue with a special attention.

Keywords: Eastern Europe, Carpathian-Dniester region, Volokhs, ethnogenesis, lattice coffins, Sarmathians, Bulgarians, Avars, Hungarians

Information about author:

Aleksey Romanchuk (Kishinev, Moldova). Master of Anthropology. Institute of Cultural Heritage of Academy of Sciences of Moldova. Stefan cel Mare Bd., 1, Kishinev, MD-2001, Moldova
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]