Reconstructing the Gerdrup Grave –

Abstract

In 1981, a double burial from the 9th century was excavated at Gerdrup north of Roskilde. In the grave was a woman and a man. The woman was buried with a spear, while the man had apparently been killed before the burial. The tomb has been perceived as a ‘Master and Slave burial’, which was placed on a desolate site, perhaps because the buried were seen as pariahs. However, hitherto unpublished excavation data combined with new 14C analyzes show that the burial was part of a small multi-period burial site placed near a group of older burial mounds. Topographic analyses indicate that the burial was also located at a central ford, and thus had a prominent location. Not least, new DNA analyzes surprisingly show that the two buried have a parent-offspring relation; they are mother and son. The previous perception of the Gerdrup grave is thus challenged. This article intends to present the relevant excavation data and to discuss it in the light of the new analyzes.

Violence as a Lens to Viking Societies: A Comparison of Norway and Denmark

“…One further male individual shows trauma consistent with hanging. Interestingly, this individual was found in a double-grave together with his mother (Kastholm & Margaryan 2021). Based on Bennike's results, only 7-10% of the Danish skeletons showed trauma resulting from violence, compared to 58% of the Norwegian ones; further it can be pointed out that only two of the 82 Danish individuals have been identified with antemortem trauma, while the Norwegian material showed such trauma on 10 of 30 individuals.…”