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European Journal of Archaeology
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Bloody Slaughter: Ritual Decapitation and Display At the Viking Settlement of Hofstaðir, Iceland

Gavin Lucas

University of Iceland

Thomas McGovern

City University of New York, USA, nabo{at}voicenet.com

This article attempts an interpretation of an unusual assemblage of cattle skulls recovered from recent excavations at the Viking Age monumental hall of Hofstaðir in Iceland. Osteological analysis of the skulls indicates ritual decapitation and display of cattle heads, and this article seeks to explore the meanings of this practice in relation to the context of the site and the wider historical and ethnographic literature. It is argued that the beheading of cattle and display of their heads was a part of sacrificial acts conducted on a seasonal basis at the site, and primarily in the context of feasting and socio-political gatherings. The gatherings acted simultaneously as a means of both dissipating social tension and enhancing political status.

Key Words: Iceland • ritual • sacrifice • Vikings

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European Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 10, No. 1, 7-30 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1461957108091480
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