Bloody Slaughter

This article attempts an interpretation of an unusual assemblage of cattle skulls recovered from recent excavations at the Viking Age monumental hall of Hofstaðir in Iceland. Osteological analysis of the skulls indicates ritual decapitation and display of cattle heads, and this article seeks to expl...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: McGovern, Thomas (NABO and CUNY)
Format: Dataset
Language:unknown
Published: the Digital Archaeological Record
Subjects:
Slaughter
Hofstaðir
Iceland
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.6067:XCV8G161R4_meta$v=1394239012520
id dataone:doi:10.6067:XCV8G161R4_meta$v-1394239012520
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spelling dataone:doi:10.6067:XCV8G161R4_meta$v-1394239012520 2024-06-03T18:46:57+00:00 Bloody Slaughter McGovern, Thomas (NABO and CUNY) 2014-03-08T00:36:52.52Z https://doi.org/10.6067:XCV8G161R4_meta$v=1394239012520 unknown the Digital Archaeological Record Dataset dataone:urn:node:TDAR https://doi.org/10.6067:XCV8G161R4_meta$v=1394239012520 2024-06-03T18:06:39Z This article attempts an interpretation of an unusual assemblage of cattle skulls recovered from recent excavations at the Viking Age monumental hall of Hofstaðir in Iceland. Osteological analysis of the skulls indicates ritual decapitation and display of cattle heads, and this article seeks to explore the meanings of this practice in relation to the context of the site and the wider historical and ethnographic literature. It is argued that the beheading of cattle and display of their heads was a part of sacrificial acts conducted on a seasonal basis at the site, and primarily in the context of feasting and socio-political gatherings. The gatherings acted simultaneously as a means of both dissipating social tension and enhancing political status Dataset Iceland the Digital Archaeological Record (via DataONE) Slaughter ENVELOPE(-85.633,-85.633,-78.617,-78.617) Hofstaðir ENVELOPE(-21.917,-21.917,64.083,64.083)
institution Open Polar
collection the Digital Archaeological Record (via DataONE)
op_collection_id dataone:urn:node:TDAR
language unknown
description This article attempts an interpretation of an unusual assemblage of cattle skulls recovered from recent excavations at the Viking Age monumental hall of Hofstaðir in Iceland. Osteological analysis of the skulls indicates ritual decapitation and display of cattle heads, and this article seeks to explore the meanings of this practice in relation to the context of the site and the wider historical and ethnographic literature. It is argued that the beheading of cattle and display of their heads was a part of sacrificial acts conducted on a seasonal basis at the site, and primarily in the context of feasting and socio-political gatherings. The gatherings acted simultaneously as a means of both dissipating social tension and enhancing political status
format Dataset
author McGovern, Thomas (NABO and CUNY)
spellingShingle McGovern, Thomas (NABO and CUNY)
Bloody Slaughter
author_facet McGovern, Thomas (NABO and CUNY)
author_sort McGovern, Thomas (NABO and CUNY)
title Bloody Slaughter
title_short Bloody Slaughter
title_full Bloody Slaughter
title_fullStr Bloody Slaughter
title_full_unstemmed Bloody Slaughter
title_sort bloody slaughter
publisher the Digital Archaeological Record
publishDate
url https://doi.org/10.6067:XCV8G161R4_meta$v=1394239012520
long_lat ENVELOPE(-85.633,-85.633,-78.617,-78.617)
ENVELOPE(-21.917,-21.917,64.083,64.083)
geographic Slaughter
Hofstaðir
geographic_facet Slaughter
Hofstaðir
genre Iceland
genre_facet Iceland
op_doi https://doi.org/10.6067:XCV8G161R4_meta$v=1394239012520
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