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The
Chieftain's grave project - osteological analyses of
bone-rich graves of the Early Iron Age
- English
summary
By Sabine Sten &
Maria Vretemark.
Originally published
in Fornvännen, vol. 83, pp. 145-156
During the years 1981-1985 the authors processed not previously analysed burnt bone material from 14 chieftains' graves from the Late Iron Age, mainly located in Uppland and Södermanland. The majority of the graves are monumental and prominently placed in the countryside. Moreover all contain very large quantities of burnt bone; from 10 l up to almost 100 l.
Most of the deceased are men. In the cases where the osteological material indicated the presence of women it is a matter of multiple burials which include at least one man. All the deceased are fully grown with the exception of one infant who was buried together with an adult.
The grave goods are invariably very rich, which shows the high rank of the deceased. The substantial animal sacrifices too indicate wealth. The animals which came to light belong to two categories: Those which are eaten and those which work. The former include cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, hens and geese. In many cases these, usually young creatures, are represented only by certain choice pieces of meat which provided the viaticum of the deceased. The fishes which were found may also be regarded as supplies for the journey. They are fresh- and brackish-water species which indicate local fishing.
The working animals are horse, dog, cat and trained raptors. These creatures were fully grown and whole carcasses were placed on the pyre. The only wild animal present are several species of bird, chiefly the trained raptors, usually goshawks, which constituted a very costly item of the grave goods. In addition there are several other birds which symbolise the raptors' prey. The only other remains of game in the graves are claws of bear and lynx which still adhere to the fur.
The number of animals in the graves is very large: a maximum of 43 individuals (excluding humans) have been demonstrated in one and the same grave. In some graves there are possible traces of human sacrifice.
The content of the bone materials from the chiefs' graves differs in several significant respects from those of "ordinary people". Apart from a far higher number of sacrificed animals more species are represented. Hunting raptors are to be found, for instance, only in important graves with large quantities of bones. The same applies to the majority of the other species of wild bird. The proportion of sacrificed horses, cattle and pigs is obviously higher in the chiefs' graves. In average graves, on the other hand, dogs and sheep are the predominant species.
The fantastic animal sacrifices reveal considerable wealth. The chieftains' graves belong to the élite of the contemporary society. Not least the trained falcons and hawks show the rank of the deceased. The raptors also provide an important link with the feudal upper class on the Continent. The Nordic chiefs took their models from there.
