1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910822552503321

Autore

Arcini Caroline Ahlstrom

Titolo

The Viking Age : a time with many faces / / by Caroline Ahlstrom Arcini ; with T. Douglas Price, Bengt Jacobsson, Maria Cinthio, Leena Drenzel, Bibiana Agusti Farjas and Jonny Karlsson ; illustrated by Staffan Hyll

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Oxford ; ; Philadelphia : , : Oxbow books, , 2018

©2018

ISBN

1-78570-939-9

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (viii, 120 pages) : illustrations

Disciplina

929.78508931

Soggetti

Human remains (Archaeology) - Sweden

Physical anthropology - Sweden - History

Sweden History To 1397

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 109-120).

Nota di contenuto

1. The bare bones -- 2. Eight Viking Age burial grounds in south-east Sweden -- Trinitatis: an early Christian graveyard in Lund -- Vannhög: a burial place near an old Viking fortress -- Fjālkinge: a remarkable burial ground on the fertile plain -- Kopparsvik: a cemetery south of Visby -- Slite Square: with a view of sailing routes to the east -- Fröjel: a burial ground beside a Viking Age harbour -- Birka: a well-known trading place in the realm of the Svear -- Skämsta: a farm cemetery -- A wide range of burial practices -- Everyone was buried -- 3. Immigrants or locals? -- A geological signature can be detected in dental enamel -- Different patterns emerge -- Someone knew how the deceased wanted to be buried -- Did everyone come here voluntarily? -- 4. Health and care for the frail -- "Tall as palm trees" -- Toothless or shining white? -- Joint problems -- Everyday accidents and battle traumas -- The dwarf -- Leprosy: noseless and numb -- Health in Viking Age society -- 5. Markers of identity? -- Filed grooves on the teeth -- Young, old, short, and tall -- Buried like other people? -- Was Gotland the gathering point? -- A Nordic custom or inspiration from elsewhere? -- Why file grooves in teeth? -- 6. Burial grounds designated for particular purposes? -- The influence of Christianity or division into special areas? -- Market places and harbours? -- 7. A time



of many faces -- Appendix: Strontium values.

Sommario/riassunto

The majority of literature about the Viking period, based on artifacts or written sources, covers battles, kings, chiefs and mercenaries, long distance travel and colonization, trade, and settlement. Less is said about the life of those that stayed at home or those that immigrated into Scandinavia, whether voluntarily or by force. This book uses results from the examination of a substantial corpus of Swedish osteological material to discuss aspects of demography and health in the Viking period -- those which would have been visible and recognizable in the faces or physical appearances of the individuals concerned. It explores the effects of migration, from the spread of new diseases such as leprosy to patterns of movement and integration of immigrants into society. The skeletal material also allows the study of levels of violence, attitudes towards disablement, and the care provided by Viking communities. An overview of the worldwide phenomenon of modified teeth also gives insight into the practice of deliberate physical embellishment and body modification. The interdisciplinary approach to questions regarding ordinary life presented here will broaden the knowledge about society during the Viking Age. The synthesis of the Swedish unburnt human skeletal remains dated to the Viking Age will be a valuable resource for future research and provides an in-depth view on Viking Age society.