In the Darkest of Days: Exploring Human Sacrifice and Value in Southern Scandinavian Prehistory

This book explores sacrificial offerings, ritualized violence, and relative values in Scandinavian prehistory from the Neolithic to the Viking era. It uses forensic and material culture analytical techniques to examine questions of sacrifice, execution, and ritual behavior. The volume re-opens investigations into notions of value related to diverse evidence and suggested evidence for human sacrifice and related ritualized violence. It covers a broad spectrum of issues, focusing on the study of value and value dynamics in these ritual contexts, engaging in questions of identity, cosmology, economics, and social relations. The contributors untangle the myriad forms of value at play in different incarnations of human offerings and provide insights into how those values were expressed. The volume builds on a workshop hosted at the National Museum of Denmark in 2018 and was supported by the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 15 December 2023
Publisher: Oxbow Books

This comprehensive book delves into the fascinating realms of sacrificial offerings, ritualized violence, and their relative values within the contexts of Scandinavian prehistory, spanning from the Neolithic to the Viking era. It offers a detailed re-examination of key aspects of prehistoric bog bodies through the latest forensic and material culture analytical techniques, shedding light on questions of sacrifice, execution, and ritual behavior. By re-opening investigations into notions of value related to diverse evidence and suggested evidence for human sacrifice and related ritualized violence, the volume explores a broad spectrum of issues, focusing on the study of value and value dynamics in these diverse ritual contexts. Engaging in critical inquiries into identity, cosmology, economics, and social relations, the cases presented span from the Scandinavian Late Neolithic and Nordic Bronze Age to the well-known wetland deposits and bog bodies of the Iron Age, as well as Viking era executions, 'deviant burials,' and contemporaneous double/multiple graves. Through the contributions of each author, the book untangles the myriad forms of value at play in different incarnations of human offerings, providing insights into how those values were expressed, such as in the selection and treatment of victims in relation to their status, personhood, identity, and life-history. This volume builds upon a workshop hosted at the National Museum of Denmark in 2018, which marked the inception of the research project "Human Sacrifice and Value: The Limits of Sacred Violence," supported by the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo. It brings together cutting-edge research and innovative perspectives, contributing to our understanding of the complex and multifaceted aspects of sacrificial practices across Scandinavian prehistory.

Weight: 650g
Dimension: 215 x 280 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789258592