Search results for "Viking Age"
showing 3 items of 3 documents
Ancient DNA reveals the Arctic origin of Viking Age cod from Haithabu, Germany
2017
Knowledge of the range and chronology of historic trade and long-distance transport of natural resources is essential for determining the impacts of past human activities on marine environments. However, the specific biological sources of imported fauna are often difficult to identify, in particular if species have a wide spatial distribution and lack clear osteological or isotopic differentiation between populations. Here, we report that ancient fish-bone remains, despite being porous, brittle, and light, provide an excellent source of endogenous DNA (15-46%) of sufficient quality for whole-genome reconstruction. By comparing ancient sequence data to that of modern specimens, we determine …
Old Frisian skalk: A ‘Servant’ or a ‘Rogue’?
2017
The Old Frisian wordscalc, scalch, schalcis usually used in the sense of ‘servant, slave’. However, the word evidences a pejoration in meaning, being also attested in the Frisian written tradition in the sense of ‘ill-mannered person, villain, a bad guy’. The investigation of the occurrences ofskalk–along with a comparison of its Germanic cognates–will allow us to draw a picture of the semantic development of this word from medieval times to the Modern stage of the Frisian language. In the author’s opinion, the negative connotation ofskalkas an offensive epithet is the final result of a range of different causes, whose origin should be searched both in Frisian-Scandinavian contacts during t…
Kidnapping the Frisian
2017
The several sources documenting the events of the Viking Age in Frisia Magna emphasise the dramatic aspects of the Northern invasions. However, seen from a wider perspective, the Frisian-Scandinavian relations appear to be multifaceted and at times ambiguous. A number of Old Frisian law texts refer to the Viking practice of capturing and enslaving Frisian men, forcing them to fight on their side, and even sharing spoils with them. A Frisian who undergoes such an experience is called skalk, ‘servant, slave’, a sort of high-ranking servant. He enjoys special rights and even privileges. Such ambiguous status seems the result of the peculiar and not always straightforward interactions between F…