«Бездонные» гробы волохов и решетчатые гробовища Великой Степи: к вопросу происхождения волохов
“Coffins without Bottom” of the Vlachs and Lattice Coffins of the Great Eurasian Steppe: to the Issue of the Vlachs’ Origin

Summary/Abstract: A peculiar constructive feature of Romanian coffins is the bottom made of some rarely nailed transversal laths, which were covered by reed. The respondents understand this construction as “bottomless coffin”. Similar analogy is known among the Bulgarians and the Gagauz. The Gagauz, obviously, cannot be thought to have offered this tradition for Moldovans and Romanians. The origin and correlations between the Bulgarian and Eastern Roman traditions of “bottomless coffins” is a more complicated question. In this context, we should take into consideration the so-called lattice coffins (as well as frame coffins), which are well known among some medieval and early nomads of Eurasian Steppe, including the Early Sarmatian culture. Without attempting to address here the question of which of the Eurasian nomadic peoples started the tradition of “bottomless coffins” for Romanians and Bulgarians, it seems important for us to emphasize that this tradition was especially popular in the Early Sarmatian culture of the Volga-Ural region. Besides, the “eastern hypothesis” of the Vlachs’ origin, as well as some features of the Eastern Roman funerary rites, analyzed by the author earlier, motivate us to consider the Early Sarmatian culture in the context of this issue with a special attention.

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