DOCSLIB.ORG

The Social Landscape, and the Interdependency of Landscape and Social Understanding (David and Thomas 2008:33)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Social Landscape, and the Interdependency of Landscape and Social Understanding (David and Thomas 2008:33) UNIVERSITY OF OSLO The Gendered Landscape A discussion on gender, status and power expressed in the Viking Age mortuary landscape Marianne Moen Masters dissertation in Archaeology Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History (IAKH) Faculty of Humanities University of Oslo Spring 2010 2 Table of Contents LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT – AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................ 5 1.2 MORTUARY EVIDENCE .............................................................................................................................. 6 1.3 GENDER AND MORTUARY EVIDENCE – A PAST POPULATED BY MEN? ........................................................... 8 1.4 GENDER EXPRESSED IN THE LANDSCAPE .................................................................................................. 12 1.5 AN OUTLINE OF WHAT IS TO FOLLOW ....................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2. PREVIOUS RESEARCH ....................................................................................................... 16 2.1 THE HISTORY OF VIKING STUDIES IN NORWAY......................................................................................... 16 2.2 GENDER STUDIES .................................................................................................................................... 18 2.3 LANDSCAPE – FINALLY LOOKING PAST THINGS ........................................................................................ 22 2.4 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER 3. THE VIKING AGE – A WIDER CONTEXT ...................................................................... 25 3.1 ‘RELIGION’, BELIEF SYSTEMS AND THE RITUAL LANDSCAPE ..................................................................... 25 3.2 GENDER IDENTITIES AND ROLES .............................................................................................................. 28 3.3 THE LANDSCAPE OF POWER – CAN WE READ SOCIAL STATUS FROM LANDSCAPE? ...................................... 32 3.4 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 4. THE OSEBERG BURIAL ...................................................................................................... 35 4.1. THE OSEBERG FIND ................................................................................................................................ 35 4.2. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIND ...................................................................................................................... 35 4.3 THE BARROW’S POSITIONING IN THE LANDSCAPE ..................................................................................... 38 4.3 THE OSEBERG WOMEN ............................................................................................................................ 44 4.4 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 5. THE CEMETERIES AT KAUPANG ................................................................................... 48 5.1 THE KAUPANG CASE ............................................................................................................................... 48 5.2 THE KAUPANG LANDSCAPE .................................................................................................................... 49 5.3 NORDRE KAUPANG AND HAGEJORDET .................................................................................................... 52 5.4 LAMØYA ................................................................................................................................................. 57 5.5 BIKJHOLBERGET ..................................................................................................................................... 60 5.6 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 63 CHAPTER 6. DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................... 65 6.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS .......................................................................................................................... 65 6.2 WOMEN ON THE MARGINS: OF VIKING AGE SOCIAL ORDER OR ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION?........ 66 6.3 POWER AND INFLUENCE, THE DIFFERENCE FACES OF STATUS.................................................................... 68 6.4 FEMALE POWER: WITCHES, SHIELD MAIDENS AND MATRONS? .................................................................. 69 6.5 KAUPANG AND OSEBERG – EXCEPTIONS OR THE RULE? ............................................................................ 73 6.6 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 77 CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 78 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................................... 81 APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................................................... 95 3 List of illustrations Figure 1. Map showing the local area around the Oseberg mound 38 Figure 2. Raet, and it’s relation to some relevant sites in Vestfold 40 Figure 3. The Oseberg mound seen from a distance 41 Figure 4. View from the Oseberg mound 42 Figure 5. View from the Gokstad mound. 43 Figure 6. Two staffs from the Oseberg find 46 Figure 7. The Kaupang area as it would have appeared in the Viking Age 50 Figure 8. Map of the Kaupang cemeteries 51 Figure 9. Map of the graves of Nordre Kaupang in relation to road 54 Figure 10. Male to female ratio of gendered graves at Nordre Kaupang 55 Figure 11. Male to female ratio of gendered graves at Lamøya 58 Figure 12. Male to female ratio at Bikjholberget 62 Figure 13. Possible Volve staff? 70 4 Chapter 1. Introduction This chapter will outline the aims and objectives for my dissertation. In order to give a theoretical background for the evidence which will be presented in following chapters, I will start with a discussion of the main categories of evidence used: mortuary evidence, gendered evidence and the landscape. An outline of the structure and contents of the dissertation is will also be included. 1.1 Introductory statement – aims and objectives This dissertation is the result of a long standing interest in the expression of social identities of the past, perhaps more specifically, social identities as translated through gender, and their resulting cultural expressions and material remains. The overarching subject I wish to explore is the gender structures prevalent in the Late Iron Age in the county of Vestfold, Norway. The Scandinavian Late Iron Age, popularly known as the Viking Age, is often represented as deeply and inherently male, with male aggressiveness as the ideal presented to the public, leaving little room for alternative gender roles in the popular imagination (Jesch 1994:1). Gender is one of the basic structuring principles of most societies (Skogstrand 2002:121), and as a social category it must be understood in order to grasp the cultural complexity of a society. I will attempt to show that the gender roles of the Viking Age are perhaps often interpreted and represented too simplistically, and that popular stereotypes fail to take into account the complex multitude of categories, variations and negotiations which one ought to expect from the interpretation of gender. My basic proposition is that if the gender roles of the Viking Age were more complex than what is often believed, this may be reflected in the mortuary landscape and choice of location for burials: if there was sharp gender segregation in terms of social importance, this ought arguably to be reflected in burial customs. If it is not, this may lead towards a re-examination of the traditional gender roles assigned to the Late Iron Age. In order to approach this subject, I will look at the relative positioning of female graves in the mortuary landscape of the Viking Age, and I have chosen to focus on two different sites in the county now known as Vestfold: Oseberg and Kaupang. The choice of these two sites in particular was dominated by concerns including that they are both well documented, and have received a lot of attention in archaeological research. These considerations make the sites approachable for a student lacking the option of carrying out independent field research, and also amenable for a dissertation which relies on earlier research in order to re-examine established views of the past, as I aim to do here. The sites 5 represent different burial traditions, Oseberg being of a monumental nature in rural surroundings,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Oseberg Ship
    V 46 B78o A 1 1 6 8 5 4 1 1^6 OSEBERG SHIP by ANTON WILHELM BROGGER Professor of Archeeology in the University of Christiania Price Fifty Cents Reprinted from The American-Scandinavian Revi. July 1921 The Oseberg Ship By Anton Wilhelm Broggek 4^ The ships of the Viking Age discovered in Norway count among the few national productions of antiquity that have attained world wide celebrity. And justly so, for they not only give remarkable evidence of a unique heathen burial custom, but they also bear witness to a very high culture which cannot fail to be of interest to the world outside. The Oseberg discoveries, the most remarkable and abundant anti- quarian find in Norway, contain a profusion of art, a wealth of objects and phenomena, coming from a people who just at that time, ,"^ of Europe. ^ the ninth century, began to come into contact with one-half ^ It was a great period and it has given us great monuments. We have long been acquainted with its literature. Such a superb production as Egil Skallagrimson's Sonartorrek, which is one hundred years later than the Oseberg material, is a worthy companion to it. / The Oseberg ship was dug out of the earth and caused the great- est astonishment even among Norwegians. Who could know that on that spot, an out of the way barrow on the farm of Oseberg in the parish of Slagen, a little to the north of Tcinsberg, there would be excavated the finest and most abundant antiquarian discoveries of Norway? Xtj^^s in the summer of the year 1903 that a farmer at Oseberg began to dig the })arrow.
    [Show full text]
  • Of the Viking Age the Ornate Burials of Two Women Within the Oseberg Ship Reveals the Prominent Status That Women Could Achieve in the Viking Age
    T The Oseberg ship on display in The Viking Ship Museum. Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo Queen(s) of the Viking Age The ornate burials of two women within the Oseberg ship reveals the prominent status that women could achieve in the Viking Age. Katrina Burge University of Melbourne Imagine a Viking ship burial and you probably think homesteads and burials that tell the stories of the real of a fearsome warrior killed in battle and sent on his women of the Viking Age. The Oseberg burial, which journey to Valhöll. However, the grandest ship burial richly documents the lives of two unnamed but storied ever discovered—the Oseberg burial near Oslo—is not a women, lets us glimpse the real world of these women, monument to a man but rather to two women who were not the imaginings of medieval chroniclers or modern buried with more wealth and honour than any known film-makers. warrior burial. Since the burial was uncovered more than a century ago, historians and archaeologists have The Ship Burial tried to answer key questions: who were these women, Dotted around Scandinavia are hundreds of earth mounds, how did they achieve such prominence, and what do they mostly unexcavated and mainly presumed to be burials. tell us about women’s lives in this time? This article will The Oseberg mound was excavated in 1904, revealing that explore current understandings of the lives and deaths the site’s unusual blue clay had perfectly preserved wood, of the Oseberg women, and the privileged position they textiles, metal and bone.
    [Show full text]
  • Print This Article
    242 Salvage Stories, Preserving Narratives, and Museum Ships Andrew Sawyer* Abstract Preserved ships and other vessels are associated with a historiography, in Europe at least, which is still marked by parochialism, antiquarianism, and celebratory narrative. Many evidence difficult histories, and they are also extremely expensive to preserve. Yet, they are clearly valued, as nations in Europe invest heavily in them. This survey examines a range of European examples as sites of cultural, political and national identity. An analytical framework foregrounding the role of narrative and story reveals three aspects to these exhibits: explicit stories connected with specific nations, often reinforcing broader, sometimes implicit, national narratives; and a teleological sequence of loss, recovery and preservation, influenced by nationality, but very similar in form across Europe. Key words: European; maritime; ships; narrative; nationalism; identity; museums. Introduction European nations value their maritime and fluvial heritage, especially as manifested in ships and boats. What may be the world’s oldest watercraft, from around 8,000 BC, is preserved at the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands (Verhart 2008: 165), whilst Greece has a replica of a classical Athenian trireme, and Oslo has ships similar to those used by the Norse to reach America. Yet, such vessels are implicated in a problematic historiography (Smith 2011) tending to parochialism and antiquarianism (Harlaftis 2010: 214; Leffler 2008: 57-8; Hicks 2001), and which often (for whatever reason) avoids new historiographical approaches in favour of conventional celebratory narratives (Witcomb 2003: 74). They are also linked to well-known problematic histories of imperialism and colonialism. They are sites of gender bias: ‘Vasa has from its construction to its excavation been the prerogative and the playground of men’ (Maarleveld 2007: 426), and they are still popularly seen as providing access to ‘toys for boys’ (Gardiner 2009: 70).
    [Show full text]
  • The Archaeology of the Smith House (Orya3), Dayton, Oregon
    AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Helen Delight Stone for the degree of Masters of Arts in AppliedAnthropology presented on June 11, 1997. Title: The Archaeology of the Smith House(ORYA3), Dayton, Oregon. Redacted for privacy David Brauner Site ORYA3, the Smith House, is located in Dayton, Oregon. Thearchaeological project originated because owners of this structure, listed on the National Registerof Historic Places, applied for a demolition permit. The 1859 home, firstoccupied by two early Oregon pioneers, Andrew and Sarah Smith, was considered architecturally significant, an unique example of a territorial period home. In the years since 1859,the original building construction has not been significantly modified, nor have thegrounds been looted or substantially altered. Dr. David Brauner and the Oregon StateUniversity Anthropology Department began an archaeological project at this location inanticipation of the destruction, the first time in Oregon that archaeologists have excavatedthe interior of a standing house. The longevity of occupation, site taphonomy, and episodes of floor repair overthe years created a mixed context. The research directionfor this thesis matches a statistical and descriptive analysis of a sample of the material culture with informationgathered from published and unpublished archival data from the Smith house. The thesisexamines cultural material found on this site and provides a basis for comparison withother similar archaeological sites. Dayton history is discussed, to provide a broad contextwithin which to interpret the archaeological data. Occupancy background onthe various residents is provided. This thesis provides a general analysis of the 10,609 artifacts andtheir associated provenience. This thesis is a cautionary tale for historic archaeologistsworking on domestic sites.
    [Show full text]
  • From Olaus Magnus to Carl Reinhold Berch: on the Background of Swedish Marine Archaeology and Ship Archaeology in the History of Ideas Cederlund, Carl Olof
    www.ssoar.info From Olaus Magnus to Carl Reinhold Berch: on the background of Swedish marine archaeology and ship archaeology in the history of ideas Cederlund, Carl Olof Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Cederlund, C. O. (2002). From Olaus Magnus to Carl Reinhold Berch: on the background of Swedish marine archaeology and ship archaeology in the history of ideas. Deutsches Schiffahrtsarchiv, 25, 63-85. https://nbn- resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-59728-6 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine This document is made available under Deposit Licence (No Weiterverbreitung - keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Redistribution - no modifications). We grant a non-exclusive, non- Gewährt wird ein nicht exklusives, nicht übertragbares, transferable, individual and limited right to using this document. persönliches und beschränktes Recht auf Nutzung dieses This document is solely intended for your personal, non- Dokuments. Dieses Dokument ist ausschließlich für commercial use. All of the copies of this documents must retain den persönlichen, nicht-kommerziellen Gebrauch bestimmt. all copyright information and other information regarding legal Auf sämtlichen Kopien dieses Dokuments müssen alle protection. You are not allowed to alter this document in any Urheberrechtshinweise und sonstigen Hinweise auf gesetzlichen way, to copy it for public or commercial purposes, to exhibit the Schutz beibehalten werden. Sie dürfen dieses Dokument document in public, to perform, distribute or otherwise use the nicht in irgendeiner Weise abändern, noch dürfen Sie document in public. dieses Dokument für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke By using this particular document, you accept the above-stated vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, aufführen, vertreiben oder conditions of use.
    [Show full text]
  • A Typological Assessment of Anchors Used in Northern Europe During the Early and High Middle Ages, CE 750 - 1300
    A Typological Assessment of Anchors used in Northern Europe During the Early and High Middle Ages, CE 750 - 1300 Daniel Claggett A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Maritime Archaeology. College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Flinders University of South Australia 2017 Contents List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 3 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 9 Declaration of Candidate ...................................................................................................................... 10 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 11 1.1 Aims............................................................................................................................................. 12 1.2 Project Rationale and Significance .............................................................................................. 13 1.3 Study
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Lights: Even Hammer and the Norwegian Enlightenment
    Northern Lights: Even Hammer and the Norwegian Enlightenment Sophus A. Reinert Working Paper 17-054 Northern Lights: Even Hammer and the Norwegian Enlightenment Sophus A. Reinert Harvard Business School Working Paper 17-054 Copyright © 2016 by Sophus A. Reinert Working papers are in draft form. This working paper is distributed for purposes of comment and discussion only. It may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder. Copies of working papers are available from the author. Northern Lights: Even Hammer and the Norwegian Enlightenment Sophus A. Reinert1 Harvard Business School On 27 May 1776, the Scottish immigrant John Robertson Brand, sometimes known as John Brandt, was awarded a silver medal by the Royal Norwegian Scientific Society in the church of the fishing village of Hustad, south of the Trondheim Fjord in central Norway. Though below the Arctic Circle, Hustad lays slightly off the 63rd parallel north, which otherwise runs through Canada’s Nunavut and Yukon Territories, the Davis Strait, and the deep Russian tundra, far, far north of the traditional latitudes of Enlightenment. And yet, stepping into the small wooden church’s aisle on that spring day to deliver a speech marking the occasion, District Governor Even Hammer of Romsdal (1732-1800) summoned a language of reform, improvement, industriousness, civic virtue, public happiness, jealousy of trade, and political economy, that would have resonated deeply and widely across the European world, a language indebted to wider international currents but resolutely inflected by local conditions in what he appropriately called ‘our cold North’.2 Few cases better justify the great Turinese historian Franco Venturi’s admonition, a few 1 Rolv Petter Amdam first introduced me to Even Hammer, and I would like to express my gratitude to him, to Mads Langnes at Romsdalsmuseet in Molde for going well beyond the call of duty in facilitating my work on this intriguing figure, and, particularly, to Marit Sjelmo for jovial research assistance and Robert Fredona for invaluable suggestions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Edkits and Inquiry-Based Learning: What, Why and How? What: Effective Inquiry Involves More Than Just Asking Questions
    The EdKits and Inquiry-based Learning: What, Why and How? What: Effective inquiry involves more than just asking questions. When students work to convert information and data into useful knowledge, it involves a complex process. The successful application of inquiry learning involves several factors: - a context for questions - a framework for questions - a focus for questions - different levels of questions Well-designed inquiry learning results in the formation of knowledge that can be widely applied and appreciated by the student. Why: Memorizing facts and information is no longer as important a skill as it once was in our world. Facts change, and information is readily available through a wide variety of media; what today’s student must do is learn how to retrieve, organize and identify patterns in the mass of data. Students must extend themselves beyond mass data and information accumulation and move toward creating useful and applicable knowledge. This process is aided and supported by inquiry learning. Through the process of inquiry, students construct much of their understanding of the world, both natural and human-designed, past and present. Inquiry implies a "need or want to know" premise. The content of particular disciplines is very important, but as a means to an end, rather than as an end in itself. The knowledge base for disciplines is constantly expanding and changing. History as a discipline is no exception. Inquiry is not so much seeking the correct answer, because often there is none. Instead, inquiry seeks appropriate resolutions to questions and issues. How: Although questioning and searching for answers are extremely important parts of inquiry, there must be a conceptual context for learning.
    [Show full text]
  • ROMANSKE KONSOLLFRISER Og En Tolkning Av Konsollfrisen På Nidarosdomens Oktogon
    ROMANSKE KONSOLLFRISER og en tolkning av konsollfrisen på Nidarosdomens oktogon Kjartan Magnus Prøven Hauglid Hovedoppgave i kunsthistorie våren 2007 Institutt for fi losofi , idé- og kunsthistorie og klassiske språk. Universitetet i Oslo Innledning 1 Teori og metode 2 Konsollfriser i internasjonal forskning 5 Del 1 Nidarosdomens skulpturutsmykning 1.1 Forskningshistorie 8 1.2 Branner, reparasjoner og ombygginger 14 1.3 De første antikvarene 20 1.4 Restaureringsarbeider 23 1.5 Gipsavstøpninger som dokumentasjon 27 1.6 Kleberstein og grønnskifer (grønnstein) 28 1.7 Romansk og gotisk murverk 30 1.8 Bolter og boltehull 31 1.9 Steinhuggermerker 33 1.10 Datering og bygningskronologi 35 1.11 Polykromi 38 1.12 Steinhoder og kongeportretter 41 1.13 Bjelkehoder i tre 50 Del 2 Synd, bot og straff 2.1 Synd 55 2.2 Botsbestemmelser 56 2.3 Straff til skrekk og advarsel 58 2.4 Visjoner om synd, straff og helvete 61 Del 3 Konsollfrisenes ikonografi 3.1 Konsollfriser – dekor eller program? 65 3.2 Tidligere tolkninger 66 3.3 Oktogongesimsens hoder 68 3.4 Tønnedrikkere og fråtsere 70 3.5 Skjeggtrekkere 71 3.6 Omfavningspar og elskovspar 73 3.7 Gjøglere og akrobater 74 3.8 Musikanter og hornblåsere 75 3.9 Ekshibisjonister 77 3.10 Tornuttrekkere 79 3.11 Mennesker med ormer, slanger, padder og skorpioner 83 3.12 Løver, demoner, monstre og mennesker i dyrekjeft 84 3.13 Skrik, gråt og jammer 87 3.14 Tungerekkere 89 Del 4 Oktogongesimsen 4.1 Plassering i gesimsen 92 4.2 Konge og kirke 93 4.3 Den rettferdige kongen 95 4.4 Oktogongesimsens kronte hoder 96 4.5 Oppsummering 99 Konklusjon 99 Litteratur 101 Katalog over oktogonens konsollfrise 115 Illustrasjoner 164 Forord Ideen til denne oppgaven kom under en mellomfagsekskursjon til Trondheim i 1994.
    [Show full text]
  • Visitors Guide
    ENGLISH VISITORS GUIDE VISIT HELSINKI.FI INCLUDES MAP Welcome to Helsinki! Helsinki is a modern and cosmopolitan city, the most international travel des- tination in Finland and home to around 600,000 residents. Helsinki offers a wide range of experiences throughout the year in the form of over 3000 events, a majestic maritime setting, classic and contemporary Finnish design, a vibrant food culture, fascinating neighbourhoods, legendary architecture, a full palette of museums and culture, great shopping opportunities and a lively nightlife. Helsinki City Tourism Brochure “Helsinki – Visitors Guide 2015” Published and produced by Helsinki Marketing Ltd | Translated into English by Crockford Communications | Design and layout by Helsinki Marketing Ltd | Main text by Helsinki Marketing Ltd | Text for theme spreads and HEL YEAH sections by Heidi Kalmari/Matkailulehti Mondo | Printed in Finland by Forssa Print | Printed on Multiart Silk 130g and Novapress Silk 60g | Photos by Jussi Hellsten ”HELSINKI365.COM”, Visit Finland Material Bank | ISBN 978-952-272-756-5 (print), 978-952-272-757-2 (web) This brochure includes commercial advertising. The infor- mation within this brochure was updated in autumn 2014. The publisher is not responsible for possible changes or for the accuracy of contact information, opening times, prices or other related information mentioned in this brochure. CONTENTS Sights & tours 4 Design & architecture 24 Maritime attractions 30 Culture 40 Events 46 Helsinki for kids 52 Food culture & nightlife 60 Shopping 70 Wellness & exercise 76 Outside Helsinki 83 Useful information 89 Public transport 94 Map 96 SEE NEW WALKING ROUTES ON MAP 96-97 FOLLow US! TWITTER - TWITTER.COM/VISITHELSINKI 3 HELSINKI MOMENTS The steps leading up to Helsinki Cathedral are one of the best places to get a sense of this city’s unique atmosphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Scholarships Awarded
    Bridging Goals & Accomplishments Sons of Norway Foundation 2009 Annual Report Building on Our History The Sons of Norway Foundation was formed in 1966 primarily for Norwegian literary and scientific research. From its humble beginnings we have continually added opportunities for our Sons of Norway members, lodges and their communities. Beginning in 1984 with the Astrid Cates scholarship, and expanding into today’s five separate scholarship categories, we are allowing the next generation the ability to reach for their educational dreams. Norwegian-Americans have always had a high regard for education as a means for success. Since 1990 we have added four grant categories designed to promote our unique Nor- wegian heritage and culture to wider audiences. Lodges and communities across the country are showcasing Norwegian arts in the form of theatre offerings, musical perfor- mances, rosemaling, genealogy and folk dancing workshops and participation in com- munity heritage festivals because of these grants. The third focus of our Foundation is our Humanitarian Fund. It was formed in 1997 with monies donated from the Norwegian government to assist victims of the Red River Flood. It has grown since then and stands ready to provide assistance to our members during times of natural disaster. We have provided grants for Sons of Norway families who have been victims of hurricanes, floods and tornadoes, as well as for 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Indonesian Tsunami and the 35W Bridge Collapse. What began in 1966 with small stipends has grown into awarding over $100,000 in 2009 alone. Since 1984 we have awarded over $1,000,000 in scholarships and grants.
    [Show full text]
  • Handbook for the Deceased: Re-Evaluating Literature and Folklore
    HANDBOOK FOR THE DECEASED: RE-EVALUATING LITERATURE AND FOLKLORE IN ICELANDIC ARCHAEOLOGY by BRENDA PREHAL A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York. 2021 © 2020 BRENDA PREHAL All rights reserved. ii Handbook for the Deceased: Re-evaluating Literature and Folklore in Icelandic Archaeology by Brenda Prehal This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Date Thomas McGovern Chair of Examining Committee Date Jeff Maskovsky Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Timothy Pugh Astrid Ogilvie Adolf Frðriksson THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Handbook for the Deceased: Re-Evaluating Literature and Folklore in Icelandic Archaeology by Brenda Prehal Advisor: Thomas McGovern The rich medieval Icelandic literary record, comprised of mythology, sagas, poetry, law codes and post-medieval folklore, has provided invaluable source material for previous generations of scholars attempting to reconstruct a pagan Scandinavian Viking Age worldview. In modern Icelandic archaeology, however, the Icelandic literary record, apart from official documents such as censuses, has not been considered a viable source for interpretation since the early 20th century. Although the Icelandic corpus is problematic in several ways, it is a source that should be used in Icelandic archaeological interpretation, if used properly with source criticism. This dissertation aims to advance Icelandic archaeological theory by reintegrating the medieval and post-medieval Icelandic literary corpus back into archaeological interpretation. The literature can help archaeologists working in Iceland to find pagan religious themes that span time and place.
    [Show full text]