Symbolic expression and handling of weapons as a de-escalating strategy.

Beskrivelse

The discovery and investigation of weapon graves, magnate residences, and defence systems, along with historical accounts of Viking plundering, have fostered a general idea of a militarised society and martial social organisation in Scandinavia during the Late Iron Age (A.D 550-1050). However, studies of weapons from a cumulative body of detector material from Denmark reveal a complex composition. A majority of parade weapons characterises it, a dispersed distribution including rural and ritual sites and depositions, typology transformation and transgression, and deviating warrior symbolism. Furthermore, we see a symbolic destruction of weapons and few defence weapons. The reasons and arguments for this development are multiple. Here, I will propose that transforming the notion of weaponry as a means of aggression, violence, or threat of violence into a symbolic and ritualised expression served as a decentralising and de-escalating strategy. This paper will present the development in weapon distribution and symbolism in the first millennium, with a special focus on metal detector material from Denmark, and discuss the expression and handling of weapons in the late Iron Age as a potential indicator of conflict resolution. The theoretical argument is based on an anarchistic perspective, where decentralisation in various forms is central.

Periode	28 aug. 2024 → 31 aug. 2024
Begivenhedstitel	European Archaeological Association
Begivenhedstype	Konference
Placering	Rom, ItalienVis på kort
Grad af anerkendelse	International