The Dead Warriors: A comparative analysis of human bone material in Iron Age ritual contexts

(De Døde Krigere: En komparativ analyse af humant knoglemateriale fra jernalderens rituelle kontekster)

Af Pernille Mosholm Boye Thulstrup
Speciale – Maj 2013
Cand.Mag. i Religionsvidenskab,
Aarhus Universitet 2013.

Abstract

The title of this paper: The Dead Warriors: A comparative analysis of human bone material in Iron Age ritual contexts, concerns human remains from presumed fallen Iron Age warriors found at cult sites in the Germanic and Celtic areas. My reason for researching this subject is, that our knowledge about the religion and rituals in these areas in the Iron Age is very sparse compared to the later periods, but is at least as important, as it forms our conception and use of prehistory. The results of this paper contributes to our understanding of the treatment and cult surrounding the dead outside normative funerary contexts, as well as our understanding of the Iron Age and its religion and rituals in general. The papers main focus is human bone material, and the reason for that, besides narrowing the scope of the paper, is a wish to get as close to the human beings from the Iron Age as possible.

The paper takes its starting point at the ongoing excavation of the bog Alken Enge near Skanderborg, Eastern Jutland, Denmark, where a large amount of human
skeletal remains, animal bones, ceramics, adapted wood and weapons has been found. This site is unique in its composition of findings and therefore I have drawn
on other cult sites in Europe, where elements comparative to, and relevant for the interpretation of, Alken Enge can be found. I consider it important not to detach the site but also include the geographical surroundings, especially because two other cult sites can be found in the same area. The first, Forlev Nymølle, consists of fertilityofferings such as ceramics, wood and animals and the other is the well known site of the war booty offering named Illerup Ådal.

After looking at this specific area in Denmark I move on to other European cult sites where human remains have been found under non-normative circumstances.
The first site is Danebury in Great Britain, where I also take a closer look at the pit burial tradition and the practice of excarnation. Subsequently I look at the sites Gournay-sur-Aronde and Ribemont-sur-Ancre in France and Kalkriese and Tollense in Germany. I also deem it relevant to take a closer look at the available sources we have to interpretate the Iron Age in the Germanic and Celtic societies. These are, besides the archaeological material, written sources from classical writers such as Posidonius, Caesar, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Tacitus and Paulus Orosius. I then move on to introduce and define central themes concerning religion and rituals, such as offerings, rituals, “the other world” versus “this world”, how the dead accessed these other worlds, and the meaning of the equipment that was placed with them.

Hereafter I discuss the possibility of viewing the Germanic bogs, where a huge amount of offerings were deposited in the Iron Age, as a form of sanctuaries, parallel to the constructed Celtic cult enclosures or viereckschanzen. I then take a look at the phenomenon of Celtic headcult and attempt to decide
whether a similar practice can be traced in the Germanic areas.