Viking Age garden plants from southern Scandinavia: diversity, taphonomy and cultural aspects

Plant finds recovered from archaeological sites in southern Scandinavia dated to the Viking Age reflect the diversity of useful plants that were cultivated and collected. This review presents the results of 14 investigations of deposits that are dated between AD 775 and 1050. The site types are categorized as agrarian, urban, military and burials. Garden plants are unevenly distributed, as the greatest diversity is recorded in features from urban contexts. We argue that taphonomic processes played an important role in the picture displayed. Archaeobotanical research results from neighbouring regions suggest that Viking Age horticulture has its roots in older traditions, and that the spectrum of garden plants is influenced by central and north-western European horticultural customs, which were to a great extent shaped by Roman occupation

Reishandel im Hanseraum

The rice trade in the Hanseatic AreaOn the cusp of the 14th century, rice (starting from a low base) became increasingly important in Hanseatic trade. Even though rice was considered to be a luxury good, prized as a thickener for almond-puddings and as a dish in the Lenten-fare, all Hanseatic merchants were acquainted with it. In the following article, we discuss six aspects of the medieval rice trade in Northern Europe. First, we analyze historical and archaeological sources for evidence of rice. Second, we discuss the use of rice in medieval cuisine, and trace the origins of the rice traded in the Middle Ages. As a fourth and fifth point, we describe the trading routes by which rice entered and circulated within the Hanseatic realm, and determine the quantities of rice imported. Finally, we discuss prices, analyzing specific examples of merchants trading in this product. The intention of this article is to draw attention to the archaeobotanical and historical sources which demonstrate that rice was a Hanseatic commodity

Die mitteleuropäische Subsistenzwirtschaft des 3. bis 2. Jahrtausends v.Chr. aus paläoökologischer Sicht

oai:ojs.134.245.38.100:article/2Über die Subsistenzwirtschaft der Bevölkerung des 3. und 2. Jahrtausends v. Chr. (dem Ende der Jungsteinzeit und dem Beginn der Bronzezeit) liegen bislang nur wenige bioarchäologische Daten vor. Die augenscheinliche Dominanz von Gräbern und Grabfunden und das fast vollständige Fehlen von Siedlungsnachweisen für diese Zeit führt seit mehr als 70 Jahren zu Diskussionen und verschiedenen Erklärungsmodellen. Eine dieser Hypothesen geht davon aus, dass die Menschen der Schnurkeramik- und Glockenbecherzeit Viehhirten waren und als ein reisendes Volk von Bogenschützen angesehen werden müssen. Dem stellen wir hier Resultate aus gut datierten paläoökologischen Untersuchungen entgegen, die klar beweisen, dass in Mitteleuropa (zwischen der Schweiz und Dänemark, sowie zwischen Rhein und Oder) im 3. und 2. Jahrtausend v. Chr. ein voll funktionierendes Landwirtschaftssystem existiert hat. Dies bedeutet auch, dass die Siedlungen permanent bewohnt waren und die Bewohner auf den lokalen Anbau von Kulturpflanzen (z.B. Getreide und Hülsenfrüchte) und auf Viehhaltung spezialisiert waren. Mit Hilfe der Pollenanalysen aus dem Großen Treppelsee ́ in Brandenburg (Deutschland) kann das Vorhandensein von mehreren Landwirtschaftsphasen und einer ersten Form von Grünlandwirtschaft zwischen 3200 und 800 v. Chr. gezeigt werden. Diese paläoökologischen Resultate ermöglichen ein besseres Verständnis dieser Zeitepoche, die zudem durch Neuerungen in der Tischkultur (u.a. das Auftreten von neuen Geschirrformen) und durch die Düngung von Landwirtschaftsflächen charakterisiert wird. Somit ist das augenscheinliche oder effektive Fehlen von archäologisch nachgewiesenenSiedlungen entweder durch schlechte Erhaltungsbedingungen und Forschungsstrategien begründet, oder aber auf neue Vorlieben in der Auswahl von Siedlungslagen, Bauweise und/oder Abfallentsorgung zurückzuführen

Vegetal grave goods in a female burial on Bornholm (Denmark) from the Late Roman Iron Age period interpreted in a comparative European perspective

Knowledge about the healing properties of plant substances is probably as old as humankind, and this can be demonstrated by botanical finds in archaeological contexts. Southern Scandinavia has a long tradition of supplying deceased persons with vegetal material for use in their afterlife, as shown by single seeds or processed plants in the form of foods, drinks or medicines. A wellknown example is the small container made of birch bark most probably filled with a kind of mead produced from honey, in the Egtved girl’s coffin a find which has been dated to the Early Bronze Age.Another fascinating plant discovery derives fromthe grave of the Fyrkat woman dated to the Viking Age: a handful seeds of the poisonous plant henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) was found in a small pocket fixed to the woman’s belt. Plant materials enclosed in small amulet boxes are quite common and are frequently attached to necklaces that the deceased had certainly worn during their lives. In this article, we discuss the organic finds from a newly excavated amulet box which was discovered in a woman’s grave at the Late Roman Iron Age site of Vellensby, on the island of Bornholm. The box contained two ‘chewing gum-like objects’ with dental impressions and three vegetal objects. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis was applied to one of the ‘chewing gums’ and the results show that it consists of a mixture of birch tar and plant oil. Based on their morphological characteristics, the three uncharred plant parts could be identified as cloves from a wild species of Allium, probably A. scorodoprasum (sand leek). The traditional medicinal application of sand leek is presented and the symbolic and possible principal meaning of amulet boxes is discussed within a comparative study of related discoveries from female burials throughout Europe