Investigations on two late Iron Age burial sites in south-eastern Estonia: Ringiste and Aheru

Abstract

This article presents the results of archaeological investigations at two burial sites in south‑eastern Estonia – Ringiste Kuningamägi and Aheru Kullamägi – undertaken to clarify Late Iron Age mortuary practices in a region where evidence has been notably scarce. Excavations at Ringiste failed to reveal human remains, despite earlier reports of richly furnished burials. Metal‑detector survey, however, yielded a few Late Iron Age artefacts from mixed contexts. The site appears to have been a short‑time cemetery used by a small community in the 11th–13th centuries.
In contrast, fieldwork at Aheru Kullamägi revealed a rather well‑preserved burial site. Finds indicate three distinct phases: Roman Iron Age and Late Viking Age / Final Iron Age cremations, and inhumations from the historical times. The presumed Roman Iron Age flat cremation cemetery seems to constitute the first archaeologically verified example of such a burial type in Estonia, and the later cremations similarly represent a rare burial tradition previously attested only by a small number of sites. The Aheru Kullamägi site demonstrates long‑term population continuity in the area and provides the first archaeologically confirmed Iron Age burial ground in Hargla parish.