Horses crossed the Baltic Sea in ships during the Late Viking Age and were sacrificed for funeral rituals, according to research from Cardiff University.
Published in the journal Science Advances, the study examined horse remains from ancient burial sites in Russia and Lithuania, revealing that these animals were transported overseas from Scandinavia. This movement was facilitated by extensive trade networks that connected the Viking world with the Byzantine and Arab Empires.
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Previously, researchers believed that sacrificial horses were always locally-sourced stallions. However, the new findings show that horses from modern Sweden or Finland traveled up to 1,500 km across the Baltic Sea. Additionally, genetic analysis indicates that one in three of these sacrificial horses were mares, demonstrating that the sex of the horse was not a crucial factor in their selection for sacrifice.
Reconstruction of the ritual sacrifice of a horse at Paprotki Kolonia, modern Poland. Image by Mirosław Kuzma.
The researchers utilized a scientific technique called strontium isotope analysis on the teeth of 74 horses to determine their origins. This method takes advantage of the fact that the chemical composition of soil, water, and plants reflects their underlying geology. When animals consume these elements, the chemical signature is absorbed and preserved in their teeth enamel, allowing archaeologists to trace their movements over centuries.
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“This research dismantles previous theories that locally-procured stallions were exclusively selected for sacrifice,” explains lead author Katherine French, formerly of Cardiff University’s School of History, Archaeology and Religion, now based at Washington State University. “Given the unexpected prevalence of mares, we believe the prestige of the animal, coming from afar, was a more important factor in why they were chosen for this rite.
“Viking Age trade routes stretched from modern Iceland, Britain, and Ireland in the West all the way to the Byzantine and Arab Empires in the East. The presence of a trader’s weight in one horse grave points to the key role of horses in these vibrant trade networks.”
Dr Katherine French investigates a horse mandible to select a dental sample at the University of Białystok. Photo courtesy Cardiff University
Horse sacrifices were prominent and symbolic public rituals in pagan prehistoric Europe, lasting the longest among the Baltic tribes until the 14th century AD. These rituals often included multiple horses, single complete horses, or partial animal remains. In many Baltic cemeteries, horses were buried separately from humans, though there are numerous instances of horses with overlain human cremations.
“Pagan Baltic tribes were clearly sourcing horses overseas from their Christian neighbours while simultaneously resisting converting to their religion,” adds co-author Richard Madgwick, also based at Cardiff University. “This revised understanding of horse sacrifice highlights the dynamic, complex relationship between Pagan and Christian communities at that time.”
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The article, “Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe,” by Katherine M. French, Adrianna D. Musiał, Maciej Karczewski, Linas Daugnora, Roman Shiroukhov, Katarzyna Ropka-Molik, Tadeusz Baranowski, Mindaugas Bertašius, Konstantin Skvortsov, Paweł Szymański, Izabela Mellin-Wyczółkowska, Anna Gręzak, Dariusz Wyczółkowski, Aleksander Pluskowski, Morten Andersen, Marc-Alban Millet, Edward Inglis and Richard Madgwick, appears in Scientific Advances. Click here to read it.
Horses crossed the Baltic Sea in ships during the Late Viking Age and were sacrificed for funeral rituals, according to research from Cardiff University.
Published in the journal Science Advances, the study examined horse remains from ancient burial sites in Russia and Lithuania, revealing that these animals were transported overseas from Scandinavia. This movement was facilitated by extensive trade networks that connected the Viking world with the Byzantine and Arab Empires.
Previously, researchers believed that sacrificial horses were always locally-sourced stallions. However, the new findings show that horses from modern Sweden or Finland traveled up to 1,500 km across the Baltic Sea. Additionally, genetic analysis indicates that one in three of these sacrificial horses were mares, demonstrating that the sex of the horse was not a crucial factor in their selection for sacrifice.
The researchers utilized a scientific technique called strontium isotope analysis on the teeth of 74 horses to determine their origins. This method takes advantage of the fact that the chemical composition of soil, water, and plants reflects their underlying geology. When animals consume these elements, the chemical signature is absorbed and preserved in their teeth enamel, allowing archaeologists to trace their movements over centuries.
“This research dismantles previous theories that locally-procured stallions were exclusively selected for sacrifice,” explains lead author Katherine French, formerly of Cardiff University’s School of History, Archaeology and Religion, now based at Washington State University. “Given the unexpected prevalence of mares, we believe the prestige of the animal, coming from afar, was a more important factor in why they were chosen for this rite.
“Viking Age trade routes stretched from modern Iceland, Britain, and Ireland in the West all the way to the Byzantine and Arab Empires in the East. The presence of a trader’s weight in one horse grave points to the key role of horses in these vibrant trade networks.”
Horse sacrifices were prominent and symbolic public rituals in pagan prehistoric Europe, lasting the longest among the Baltic tribes until the 14th century AD. These rituals often included multiple horses, single complete horses, or partial animal remains. In many Baltic cemeteries, horses were buried separately from humans, though there are numerous instances of horses with overlain human cremations.
“Pagan Baltic tribes were clearly sourcing horses overseas from their Christian neighbours while simultaneously resisting converting to their religion,” adds co-author Richard Madgwick, also based at Cardiff University. “This revised understanding of horse sacrifice highlights the dynamic, complex relationship between Pagan and Christian communities at that time.”
The article, “Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe,” by Katherine M. French, Adrianna D. Musiał, Maciej Karczewski, Linas Daugnora, Roman Shiroukhov, Katarzyna Ropka-Molik, Tadeusz Baranowski, Mindaugas Bertašius, Konstantin Skvortsov, Paweł Szymański, Izabela Mellin-Wyczółkowska, Anna Gręzak, Dariusz Wyczółkowski, Aleksander Pluskowski, Morten Andersen, Marc-Alban Millet, Edward Inglis and Richard Madgwick, appears in Scientific Advances. Click here to read it.
Top Image: Reconstruction of a sacrificial horse deposit at Paprotki Kolonia, modern Poland. Image by Mirosław Kuzma.
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