Burials and funerary rituals among Celti-berian people

Abstract

Archaeological studies of Celtiberian burials endeavor to elucidate funerary practices with regard to the criteria used for selection of the artifacts found in tombs such as swords, dag-gers, and spindles, and similarly for the methods of incineration and disposal of the bodies. There were simple tombs where mortal remains were placed in holes dug directly in the earth and marked with funerary stele as well as others where bones were selectedprior to disposal in urns. In this context, are particularly important the necropoles of La Mercadera(in which 40% of the tombs contain weapons), Carratiermes (with tombs dating from the 6thcentury BC to the 1st cen-tury AD that hold vast documentary material), and Numancia (where some urns containing pre-selected bones and tombs containing fibulae showing horsemen displaying severed heads sus-pended from de horse’s neck suggest the existence of rites with complex symbolism).