From Obligation and Oblation to Sublimated Violence? Transformation of Human Sacrifice in the Prehistory of Northern Europe

This chapter investigates evidence for human sacrifice in Northern Europe from the Neolithic period through to the Early Iron Age, with a special focus on cases involving wetland depositions. It takes a tripartite approach to furthering knowledge in this field: firstly, it provides a review of heterogeneous forensic cases of possibly sacrificial executions of varying degrees of violence (concerning bog bodies). Secondly, it attempts to compare and contrast known cases through time, in preparation for new quantitative approaches — presenting an original database which synthesizes comparative characteristics for many known sites. This makes it possible to understand possible historical relationships between the hitherto isolated cases. Thirdly and finally, one new avenue this quantitative approach makes possible is explored: a pilot study employing analytical methods in the form of network analysis is brought to bear on this data, to determine whether it is possible to apprehend new emerging patterns of cultural transmission involving these seemingly one-off events across time in this region. These findings suggest that not only is it possible to trace new networks of cultural contact in prehistoric Northern Europe, but they can also inform new hypotheses for explaining a long temporal gap in the continuity of human sacrificial practices, suggesting major shifts in human values along the way. To date there has been a great emphasis on the qualitative/forensic analysis of these finds. Based on this pilot project, the chapter concludes with more work suggested in the field of evolutionary archaeology and applied cultural phylogenetics.