Narrating Ethnic Identity and Competition in Lombard Southern Italy through Burial Practices (6th–7th Centuries)

Since the analysis of funerary practices in early medieval Italy has long been influenced by the debate surrounding Lombard ethnic identity in the central and northern regions of the peninsula, the cemeteries unearthed so far in the southern Italian Duchy of Benevento have usually been interpreted within this same framework. However, archaeological research has revealed some major differences between these burial grounds and the ‘Lombard cemeteries’ excavated in other parts of Italy, including the limited presence of valuable grave goods in the former. This has led to the assumption of an only minor Lombard presence in southern Italy. This chapter aims to reconsider the case studies of Benevento and Campochiaro, that is, the places where the most lavish tombs, traditionally linked to the presence of ‘barbarian peoples’, have been found. It puts forward an interpretation of early medieval burial practices which is less concerned with the ethnic identity of the deceased, and focuses instead upon strategies of distinction and competition within a changing society.