| Patterns in the distribution of graves in the central medieval cemetery of Reusel , the Netherlands |
Figure 2 . The phases of the churches and the graves , starting with a timber church , and followed by a Romanesque church and a gothic church . Graves that could not be dated are not displayed
watch this sight ( Augenti and Gilchrist 2011 , 504 ; Binski 1996 , 56 ; Daniell 1997 , 148 ; Kok 2005 , 67 ; Parker Pearson 1999 , 6 ). Priests had to watch their followers , and were therefore buried the other way around ( Arts 2013a , 30 ; Arts 2013b , 123 ; Arts and Nollen 2006 , 88 ).
It is obvious that the location and morphology of burials was important , not only for religious reasons but also for social ones . However , parishes and cemeteries gave their own interpretation to general practices and religious rules , which has resulted in local differences in burial practices . Such local differences complicate interpretation of the meaning of such practices .
Methods : spatial analyses Several analyses related to location were performed . In order to be able to analyse certain parts of the cemetery separately , the cemetery was divided into eleven areas . Each part was chosen according to the boundaries of the foundations of the churches , which had already divided the cemetery into separate parts ( fig . 3 ).
To see which locations were most favourable for burial , the grave density is useful . Therefore , the amount of graves per square metre was determined for all parts of the cemetery . Secondly , the graves were filtered on grave morphology , orientation , and sex and plotted on the map .
Four types of morphologies were distinguished ( fig . 4 ): anthropomorphic , log coffin , timber coffin , and ladder ( coffin with open floor or coffin with a bier underneath it ). Every grave was assigned to one of these categories , or to the category unknown . The ori-
2016 | INTER-SECTION | VOL II | p . 7