Separated by gender? A contribution to the debate on Roman Imperial Period burial grounds in northern Germany

Abstract: This study concerns 28 Roman Iron Age Germanic burial grounds located in proximity to the river Elbe (dt. "Elbegermanen"). Situated in the northern German states Brandenburg, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and dated 0-300 AD (Earlier Roman Imperial Period); the sites primarily consist of urn burials and have been interpreted as separated by gender. Although a debated issue in German archaeology, critical questions derived from theoretical problematization have usually been omitted from the discourse. This study aims to discuss gender theory to address this research gap. Geographical patterns have been explored through a spatial analysis and reconstruction of the Roman Imperial landscape. Two sites are compared in case studies and the end results connect the theoretical discussions and GIS-analysis. The results show that the combination of a large-scale regional analysis and small-scale analysis of specific sites is beneficial in order to acknowledge the varieties and move beyond the interpretations that dominate the prevalent discourse.