Medieval Masculinities and Bodies: Studies of gender relations based on the analysis of human skeletal remains from the monastic burial grounds at Skriðuklaustur, Iceland, and Västerås, Sweden

• Main Author: Ahlin Sundman, Elin
• Other Authors: Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Sagnfræði- og heimspekideild (HÍ), Faculty of History and Philosophy (UI), Hugvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Humanities (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Iceland, School of Humanities, Faculty of History and Philosophy 2022
• Subjects: Doktorsritgerðir; Fornleifafræði; Beinafræði; Karlmennska; Miðaldir; Kynjafræði; Fenton; Hodgson; Skriðuklaustur; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/3085

This compilation thesis is situated at the intersection of the scholarly fields of medieval masculinities and the bioarchaeology of identities. The aim is to explore bodily aspects of medieval masculinities through the analysis of human skeletal remains from two medieval monastic sites, the Augustinian monastery Skriðuklaustur in Iceland (1493-1554), and the Dominican priory in Västerås, Sweden (1244-1528). A total of 461 individuals were analysed, using standard osteological methods (Buikstra and Ubelaker, 1994). Theories of masculinities have been developed with reference to modern gender relations, but scholars have found them relevant to medieval contexts (e.g. Beattie and Fenton, 2011; Hadley, 1999; Hodgson et al., 2019; Karras, 2003; Kiefer, 2009; Lees et al., 1994; Murray, 1999; Thibodeaux, 2010). They have to be applied with caution, however, as medieval society and gender relations differ in many ways from their contemporary equivalents (Fletcher, 2011; Karras, 2003:9-10). Connell’s (2005) definition of masculinity as a configuration of gender practices has been used in the thesis. Defining masculinity as a form of practice enables a bioarchaeological approach. The skeleton is plastic, and so enactments of masculinity can leave identifiable marks (Sofaer, 2006), such as specific patterns of entheseal changes, joint disease or trauma. The four case studies in the thesis address the topics of diet, physical violence, performance in battle, and ability and appearance. The results indicate similarities and mutual influence between different masculinities, but also differences that could be detected through osteological analysis. The carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of a sample of sixteen males and six females buried in Västerås revealed no significant differences in diet between the sexes, between adults and children (represented by dentin samples from the second molar), or between males of higher and lower status. The results suggest that fresh water fish were an important part of the diet, and ...