Prime considerazioni sulla riapertura delle sepolture di cultura longobarda in Italia: la necropoli di Povegliano Veronese

In Italy, if we exclude some phenomena in the ecclesiastical sphere such as the translation of holy bodies and the dissemination of relics, or the repeated use of tombs with structure and the exhumation of individuals buried in church, so far the reflections on the reopening of early medieval burials have been sporadic and incidental. Here, we would like to initiate a reflection on the contexts of Lombard culture (late 6th-7th centuries). After a quantitative evaluation about the reopening of graves in the open field, the case study of the necropolis of Povegliano Veronese (Verona) is presented. It includes various phenomena: reopened graves with partial or total removal of bones and artifacts, redepositions in some particular sectors of the cemetery, even isolated tombs reused several times, and gold foil crosses not taken. Some evidence of analogous phenomena at other similar sites will allow to broaden the overview on the themes identified so far.