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The social weight of silver in the Íslendingasögur and the Viking Age hoards

På svenska

Author

Editor

  • Lars Larsson
  • Fredrik Ekengren
  • Bertil Helgesson
  • Bengt Söderberg

Summary, in English

This study suggests a predominantly socially-strategic function of the silver found in Viking Age hoards, more specifically, connected to the realm of customary law and the blood feud as a social institution. This suggestion is based on a quantitative and contextual analysis of the Íslendingasögur, and a comparison between the function of silver in the sagas and the composition and context of the hoards.

Publishing year

2015

Language

English

Pages

20-26

Publication/Series

Small Things – Wide Horizons : Studies in Honour of Birgitta Hårdh

Document type

Book chapter

Publisher

Archaeopress

Topic

  • History and Archaeology

Keywords

  • Spillings
  • Hoards
  • Silver
  • Customary law
  • Viking Age
  • Íslendingasögur
  • Early Medieval Archaeology
  • Family Sagas
  • Old Norse
  • Viking Studies

Status

Published

Project

  • The social weight of silver in Viking Age Scandinavia

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISBN: 9781784911317