Death Ritual and Germanic Social Structure (c.AD 200-600) (British Archaeological Reports (BAR) International, 1164)

Ravn, Mads

ISBN 10: 1841715328 / ISBN 13: 9781841715322

Published by Oxford, England : Archaeopress, Publishers of British Archaeological Reports, 2003

About this Item

iv, 151 pages : illustrations, maps ; 30 cm. The aim of this book is to understand the development of the social structure of Germanic society in selected parts of 'Germania Libera' in Europe from around c. 200 AD to 600 AD. Social structure here is primarily defined as the way the Germanic tribes perceived and expressed themselves and their worldview through their texts, their person, gender, family, lineage, tribe, and internal social and religious relations in the material culture. This book incorporates a relatively large time span which highlights aspects of Germanic social structure not identified in traditional shorter studies dictated by arbitrarily defined periods and areas. The focus is especially on the way Migration period cemeteries are differently or similarly structured within Germanic society. The Migration period is defined widely as the time from c. AD 200-600. In England, the equivalent time period is called late Roman and Early Saxon. When the cemeteries are analysed, other find categories are discussed in broader terms, together with analogies from social anthropology and from written sources, in this case, contemporary and later sources. One of the aims of the work is to look more closely at the singularity of the archaeological material in south-eastern Europe as a means of assessing the relevance of the written sources in the same area about social structure in both Southern and Northern Europe, especially in Scandinavia. (It also involves exploring the controversial source of Beowulf). The nine chapters focus on Germanic social structure; theoretical and methodological approaches to burials; south Scandinavian and Central European archaeology; social analysis of South Scandinavian cemeteries; a survey of the Sintana de Mures/Chernyakhovo culture; social analysis of Gothic cemeteries; survey of Anglo-Saxon scholarship; analysis of Anglo-Saxon graves, with special reference to Spong Hill; and conclusion.

Seller Inventory # BAR1164

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Death Ritual and Germanic Social Structure (c.AD 200-600) (British Archaeological Reports (BAR) International, 1164)
• Publisher: Oxford, England : Archaeopress, Publishers of British Archaeological Reports
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1841715328
• ISBN 13: 9781841715322
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New
• Seller catalogs:
  • Archaeology
  • Anthropology

About this title

Synopsis

By comparing similarities and differences among burial data from Scandinavia, South-East Europe and Anglo-Saxon England, Mads Ravn provides insights into the social structure of Germanic society. His methodological approach to the funerary data involves both a traditional statistical evaluation and the application of Exploratory Multivariate Analysis, as well as evidence from anthropological and written sources. The structure of this volume also includes much discussion of past approaches and theories on the subject and how the techniques adopted here can open up new possibilities for improving our knowledge of how Germanic societies perceived and expressed themselves. Gender and familial relations, community size and identity, socio-political inequalities, symbolism and ritual are just some of the issues discussed.

About the Author

Mads Ravn