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Prehistoric Soul Beliefs in Northern Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

Bo Gräslund*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Uppsala University, Gustavianum, S–753 10 Uppsala, Sweden

Abstract

Prehistoric burial rites and burial finds ought to be studied also in the light of primitive soul beliefs. It is argued that the customs of submitting prestige grave goods in northern Europe during the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age consistently reflect a pluralistic soul idea with a free soul aimed for the next existence.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 1994

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