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Constructing and deconstructing the Gokstad mound

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2020

Rebecca J.S. Cannell*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, Norway
Jan Bill
Affiliation:
Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, Norway
Richard Macphail
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, UK
*
*Author for correspondence: ✉ rebecca.cannell@iakh.uio.no
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Abstract

Viking Age burial mounds are usually interpreted with reference to their exterior dimensions, the funerary treatment of the deceased and the artefacts placed within them. The process of constructing these mounds, however, may also have played an important role in funerary traditions. Investigations at the Gokstad mound in Norway demonstrate that the building of this mound—in terms of its phases and material expressions—formed an integral part of the overall burial rite. The complex construction sequence contained references to both the physical and mythical landscapes, revealing the potential of the study of burial mound construction at other sites in Viking Age Scandinavia and beyond.

Information

Type
Research Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd
Figure 0

Figure 1. The Gokstad Mound as it stands today (photograph by R.J.S. Cannell).

Figure 1

Figure 2. The locations of the cores and profiles discussed in the text; the shaded area is that with preserved topsoil (illustration by R.J.S. Cannell).

Figure 2

Figure 3. Core SP1 detailing the local soil conditions in the immediate vicinity of the Gokstad mound (illustration by R.J.S. Cannell).

Figure 3

Figure 4. Profile one through the mound; the position of the ship is illustrative and approximate (illustration by the authors & L. Gustavsen).

Figure 4

Figure 5. Profile two through the mound, showing the position of the robber trench and mound layers (illustration by the authors & L. Gustavsen).

Figure 5

Figure 6. Profile three through the mound, showing the selective removal of layers on the northern flank, and the preserved area of topsoil (illustration by the authors & L. Gustavsen).

Figure 6

Figure 7. Profile four through the mound, showing a highly simplified stratigraphy. The position of the ship is illustrative and approximate (illustration by the authors & L. Gustavsen).

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