Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe
Horse sacrifice and deposition are enigmatic features of funerary rituals identified across prehistoric Europe that persisted in the eastern Baltic. Genetic and isotopic analysis of horses in Balt cemeteries [1st to 13th centuries CE (Common Era)] dismantle prevailing narratives that locally procure...
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craaas:10.1126/sciadv.ado3529 2024-06-23T07:52:44+00:00 Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe French, Katherine M. Musiał, Adrianna D. Karczewski, Maciej Daugnora, Linas Shiroukhov, Roman Ropka-Molik, Katarzyna Baranowski, Tadeusz Bertašius, Mindaugas Skvortsov, Konstantin Szymański, Paweł Mellin-Wyczółkowska, Izabela Gręzak, Anna Wyczółkowski, Dariusz Pluskowski, Aleksander Andersen, Morten Millet, Marc-Alban Inglis, Edward Madgwick, Richard 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ado3529 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/sciadv.ado3529 en eng American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science Advances volume 10, issue 20 ISSN 2375-2548 journal-article 2024 craaas https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ado3529 2024-05-24T12:53:48Z Horse sacrifice and deposition are enigmatic features of funerary rituals identified across prehistoric Europe that persisted in the eastern Baltic. Genetic and isotopic analysis of horses in Balt cemeteries [1st to 13th centuries CE (Common Era)] dismantle prevailing narratives that locally procured stallions were exclusively selected. Strontium isotope analysis provides direct evidence for long-distance (~300 to 1500 kilometers) maritime transport of Fennoscandian horses to the eastern Baltic in the Late Viking Age (11th to 13th centuries CE). Genetic analysis proves that horses of both sexes were sacrificed with 34% identified as mares. Results transform the understanding of selection criteria, disprove sex-based selection, and elevate prestige value as a more crucial factor. These findings also provide evidence that the continued interaction between pagans and their newly Christianized neighbors sustained the performance of funerary horse sacrifice until the medieval transition. We also present a reference 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isoscape for the southeastern Baltic, releasing the potential of future mobility studies in the region. Article in Journal/Newspaper Fennoscandian AAAS Resource Center (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Science Advances 10 20 |
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AAAS Resource Center (American Association for the Advancement of Science) |
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English |
description |
Horse sacrifice and deposition are enigmatic features of funerary rituals identified across prehistoric Europe that persisted in the eastern Baltic. Genetic and isotopic analysis of horses in Balt cemeteries [1st to 13th centuries CE (Common Era)] dismantle prevailing narratives that locally procured stallions were exclusively selected. Strontium isotope analysis provides direct evidence for long-distance (~300 to 1500 kilometers) maritime transport of Fennoscandian horses to the eastern Baltic in the Late Viking Age (11th to 13th centuries CE). Genetic analysis proves that horses of both sexes were sacrificed with 34% identified as mares. Results transform the understanding of selection criteria, disprove sex-based selection, and elevate prestige value as a more crucial factor. These findings also provide evidence that the continued interaction between pagans and their newly Christianized neighbors sustained the performance of funerary horse sacrifice until the medieval transition. We also present a reference 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isoscape for the southeastern Baltic, releasing the potential of future mobility studies in the region. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
French, Katherine M. Musiał, Adrianna D. Karczewski, Maciej Daugnora, Linas Shiroukhov, Roman Ropka-Molik, Katarzyna Baranowski, Tadeusz Bertašius, Mindaugas Skvortsov, Konstantin Szymański, Paweł Mellin-Wyczółkowska, Izabela Gręzak, Anna Wyczółkowski, Dariusz Pluskowski, Aleksander Andersen, Morten Millet, Marc-Alban Inglis, Edward Madgwick, Richard |
spellingShingle |
French, Katherine M. Musiał, Adrianna D. Karczewski, Maciej Daugnora, Linas Shiroukhov, Roman Ropka-Molik, Katarzyna Baranowski, Tadeusz Bertašius, Mindaugas Skvortsov, Konstantin Szymański, Paweł Mellin-Wyczółkowska, Izabela Gręzak, Anna Wyczółkowski, Dariusz Pluskowski, Aleksander Andersen, Morten Millet, Marc-Alban Inglis, Edward Madgwick, Richard Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe |
author_facet |
French, Katherine M. Musiał, Adrianna D. Karczewski, Maciej Daugnora, Linas Shiroukhov, Roman Ropka-Molik, Katarzyna Baranowski, Tadeusz Bertašius, Mindaugas Skvortsov, Konstantin Szymański, Paweł Mellin-Wyczółkowska, Izabela Gręzak, Anna Wyczółkowski, Dariusz Pluskowski, Aleksander Andersen, Morten Millet, Marc-Alban Inglis, Edward Madgwick, Richard |
author_sort |
French, Katherine M. |
title |
Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe |
title_short |
Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe |
title_full |
Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe |
title_fullStr |
Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe |
title_full_unstemmed |
Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe |
title_sort |
biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate europe |
publisher |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ado3529 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/sciadv.ado3529 |
genre |
Fennoscandian |
genre_facet |
Fennoscandian |
op_source |
Science Advances volume 10, issue 20 ISSN 2375-2548 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ado3529 |
container_title |
Science Advances |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
20 |
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1802644114655674368 |