Findings at Viking archaeological site show power trumping practicality

Findings at Viking archaeological site show power trumping practicality
Dec 04, 2014

Vikings are known for raiding and trading, but those who settled in Iceland centuries ago spent more time producing and consuming booze and beef—in part to gain political clout in a place very different from their Scandinavian homeland, says a Baylor University archaeologist.

The seafaring warriors wanted to sustain the "big man" society of Scandinavia—a political economy in which chieftains hosted huge feasts of beer and beef served in great halls, says Davide Zori, Ph.D., a Denmark native and archeological field director in Iceland, who conducted National Science Foundation-funded research in archeology and medieval Viking literature.

But instead, what Zori and his team discovered is what happened when the Vikings spent too long living too high on the hog—or, in this case, the bovine.

"It was somewhat like the barbecue here. You wanted a big steak on the grill," said Zori, assistant professor in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. He co-edited the book Viking Archaeology in Iceland: Mosfell Archaelogical Project with Jesse Byock, Ph.D., professor of Old Norse and medieval Scandinavian studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"It made it really showy—if you could keep it up."

The Viking chieftains used such wealth and cultural displays to flex political muscle with equals or rivals—plus to cement good relations with local laborers, Zori said.

More:
http://phys.org/news/2014-12-viking-archaeological-site-power-trumping.html#jCp