A social analysis of Viking Jewellery from Iceland.pdf

(51594 KB) Pobierz
A Social Analysis of Viking Jewellery from
Iceland.
M[ch&le Mariette Hayeur Smith
vo�½. :1.
.
Submitted for the degree of PhD in the Qepartmentof Archaeology,
University of Glasgow, January, 2003
k7ha-yeur'Srnith 2003
@ Mich6le
ABSTRACT
Viking Studies has, until recently, dedicated a significant portion of the study
jewellery to typological scrutiny and the analyses of style and design.
of
While important and necessary components of archaeology,the social
has frequently been overlooked. Jewellery as an element of
aspect
is part of a greater symbolic system used to convey subtle
adornment
of social and c6ltural identity.
messages
This thesis is original in attempting to decipher the social messages
in jewellery. Using former research on jewellery typology and
conveyed
design, I have also incorporated adornment theory, the study of the body, as
the saga literature. Furthermore, I have focused on Viking material
well as
from Iceland in hope to reach a better understandingof the social dynamics
in early Icelandic society of the landn6m. As jewellery is part of
at work
I have chosen a broad definition of jewellery and included under
adornment,
this heading traditional forms as well as less typical items of jewellery such
as elements of weaponry.
Stemming mostly from burial data-sets, it was demonstrated that jewellery
during the landnim played a significant role in three realms of society: in
as gender identifiers, in social status and social rank
gender roles and
distinction, and in the magico-religious dimension of society.
The technological aspects of jewellery production were also considered
that the technological attributes of jewellery, such as metals used,
revealing
further enhanced these same social concerns
and quality of craftsmanship
discussed above. As part of the technological analysis, the
and messages
local Icelandic jewellery production was explored reviewing older
question of
data -sets and conducting experimental trials on mould-making and casting
2
techniques of the Viking period, in order to verify if these methods could be
easily applied to the new colony.
In this thesis Icelandicjewellery from the landnim was reviewed under as
different angles as possible demonstratingthat jewellery and material
many
culture carry social messageswhich can contribute to a better understanding
of past societies.
3
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
CONTENTS
2
................................................................................................
4
................................................................................................
LIST OF TABLES
......................................................................................
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
12
......................................................................
LIST OF PLATES
15
...............................................................................
. ...............
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
17
.........................................................................
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
21
................................................................
22
THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH
............................................
THE IIISTORICAL, POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND GEOGRAPIRCAL SET"ITNGOF
27
EARLYICELAND ..........................................................................................
The geography and landscape of1celand
27
......................................................
The environmental changes ofIceland's landscape
28
...................................
TFIE SETrLEMENT, ITS BEGINNINGAND DATING IN ICELANDIC ARCHAEOLOGY
30
...................................................................................................................
Tephrachronology
32
...............................................................................................
THE ORIGINSOF THE PEOPLE
33
.......................................................................
Scandinavia
33
...........................................................................................................
The Celtic component of the population
34
........................................................
SETrLEMENT PATTERNS
36
AND SUBSISTENCE
................................................
43
SOCIAL ORGANISATION,AND SOCIALCATEGORIES
.....................................
Chieftains: Go6i- chieftaincy: go6or6
44
...........................................................
Freefarmers-Bcendur
49
.........................................................................................
Slaves
50
.......................................................................................................................
T'HE SOCIALANALYSIS OFJEWELLERYAND ITS RELEVANCETO
UNDERSTANDING THE EARLY SETTLEMENT OF ICELAND
.............................
53
CHAPTER 2. HISTORY OF RESEARCH
HISTORY OF RESEARCH, SCANDINAVIA
55
..........................................
55
......................................................
4
Early research
55
.......................................................................................................
Modern investigations and trade centres
57
.......................................................
More general Scandinavian works
65
..................................................................
69
NORTHATLANTICISLES
.............................................................................
Faroe IslandslGreenland
0
...................................................................................
Iceland
70
....................................................................................................................
72
UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND
................................................................
Scotland-Northern Isles
72
......................................................................................
Ireland
78
....................................................................................................................
England-Isle ofMan
79
.............................................................................................
T�½HESOCIAL ANALYSIS OF VIKING JEWELLERY IN LIGHT OF PAST RESEARCH
81
...................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 3. THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF
ADORNMENT THEORY AND BURIAL ANALYSIS ...............
85
JEWELLERY AS ADORNMENT
.......................................................................
THE BODY AND ADORNMENT THEORY
.........................................................
85
86
86
The body
..............................................................................................................
89
ADORNMENT
THEORY
.................................................................................
90.
Past theories, dressand adornment
of
.............................................................
Recenttheories ofadornment, and adornment as social expression,
DEATH
AND BURIAL
DATA
identity
93
and
group a)filiation
...........................................................................
96
Further distinctionsofdressand adornment
................................................
OQ
..........................................................................
�½' 0
BURIAL
Thesocial implicationsof death
98
0
...... o
..........
o
....................................
............. o..
100
ANALYSIS,
APPROACH AND FRAMEWORK
ADORNMENT
CONTEXT
.....................................
THEORY, AND BURIAL ANALYSIS APPLIED TO THE
- ..... - ............
oo
...........
.............................................
103
JEWELLERY,
ICELANDIC
CHAPTER 4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .............................
106
106
1. DATA COLLECTION .................................................................................
PART
106
UTEFACT ANALYSIS
.................................................................................
,
Definition ofJewellery
106
......................................................................................
NATIONALMUSEUMOFICELAND
107
DATA COLLECTION,
.............................
National Museum of1celand
119
...........................................................................
120
DATA COLLECTION, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF COPENHAGEN
.....................
5

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika:

Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin