6. The “Dark Ages”: 7th And 8th Century In Post-Roman Dalmatia I (Cemeteries)
This chapter focuses on the material evidence from the 'Dark Ages', in particular the 'Pagan' horizon of the row-grave cemeteries of the 'Old-Croat' culture. It use material evidence which derives mostly from the numerous row-grave cemeteries in Dalmatia, attributed to the 'Old-Croat' archaeological culture. Cremation in Dalmatia is a highly controversial topic. The indigenous population used cremation in the late Iron Age and early Roman times. As stated earlier, an important shift occurs in the material record, and scholars are oft en in agreement with dating the beginning of the change to the late 8th century. The 'Old-Croat' cemeteries from the earliest phase of the 'Pagan' horizon showed a society of the post-Roman Dalmatia in transition, which rebuilt their social structures from the roots.Keywords: Dark Ages; Old-Croat; Post-Roman Dalmatia