Breeding, feeding and mobility among dogs in the elite in the Merovingian period – Analysis of dogs in the boat grave Nabberör, Öland, Sweden
Ola, Magnell ; Iregren, Elisabeth LU and Jennbert, Kristina LU
(2024)
In Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
56.
- Abstract
- By the Merovingian Period (6–8th century CE) a large variety of dogs and the earliest evidence of dog leashes appear in South Scandinavia. This indicates exchange, breeding and use of new types of dogs in this period. The purpose of this study is to examine the social significance and function of dogs in the Merovingian Period in South Scandinavia based on an analysis of the Nabberör boat grave on the island of Öland (Sweden) in the Baltic Sea in relation to dogs from settlements and other burials. Breeding and the care of dogs have been analysed through the integrated life stories of five individual dogs, based on age, sex and health status, together with morphology and leash finds. The dogs were mainly healthy, of young age and large in... (More)
- By the Merovingian Period (6–8th century CE) a large variety of dogs and the earliest evidence of dog leashes appear in South Scandinavia. This indicates exchange, breeding and use of new types of dogs in this period. The purpose of this study is to examine the social significance and function of dogs in the Merovingian Period in South Scandinavia based on an analysis of the Nabberör boat grave on the island of Öland (Sweden) in the Baltic Sea in relation to dogs from settlements and other burials. Breeding and the care of dogs have been analysed through the integrated life stories of five individual dogs, based on age, sex and health status, together with morphology and leash finds. The dogs were mainly healthy, of young age and large in a size that neither are found earlier nor later than the Merovingian Period in South Scandinavia. The feeding of these dogs has been studied by examining stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) showing they have been eating terrestrial food and probably mainly meat. The mobility of the dogs studied by the strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotopes indicates that one dog may originate from Öland while the other from at least two different areas of mainland Sweden. The result shows that dogs in Nabberör were kept and cared for in different ways than common farm dogs, indicating the significance and use of dogs in various social and hierarchical dimensions in the Merovingian period in South Scandinavia. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- By the Merovingian Period (6–8th century CE) a large variety of dogs and the earliest evidence of dog leashes appear in South Scandinavia. This indicates exchange, breeding and use of new types of dogs in this period. The purpose of this study is to examine the social significance and function of dogs in the Merovingian Period in South Scandinavia based on an analysis of the Nabbero ̈r boat grave on the island of O ̈land (Sweden) in the Baltic Sea in relation to dogs from settlements and other burials. Breeding and the care of dogs have been analysed through the integrated life stories of five individual dogs, based on age, sex and health status, together with morphology and leash finds. The dogs were mainly healthy, of young age and large... (More)
- By the Merovingian Period (6–8th century CE) a large variety of dogs and the earliest evidence of dog leashes appear in South Scandinavia. This indicates exchange, breeding and use of new types of dogs in this period. The purpose of this study is to examine the social significance and function of dogs in the Merovingian Period in South Scandinavia based on an analysis of the Nabbero ̈r boat grave on the island of O ̈land (Sweden) in the Baltic Sea in relation to dogs from settlements and other burials. Breeding and the care of dogs have been analysed through the integrated life stories of five individual dogs, based on age, sex and health status, together with morphology and leash finds. The dogs were mainly healthy, of young age and large in a size that neither are found earlier nor later than the Merovingian Period in South Scandinavia. The feeding of these dogs has been studied by examining stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) showing they have been eating terrestrial food and probably mainly meat. The mobility of the dogs studied by the strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotopes indicates that one dog may originate from O ̈land while the other from at least two different areas of mainland Sweden. The result shows that dogs in Nabbero ̈r were kept and cared for in different ways than common farm dogs, indicating the significance and use of dogs in various social and hierarchical dimensions in the Merovingian period in South Scandinavia. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/6ac0f766-e2eb-4c42-9623-60dd92f84e76
- author
- Ola, Magnell
; Iregren, Elisabeth
LU
and Jennbert, Kristina
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-05-08
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Dogs, Zooarchaeology, archaeology, osteology, Merovingian period, Late Iron Age, South Scandinavia, dog leashes, stable isotopes, strontium isotopes, Dogs, Merovingian period, Osteometry, Dog leashes, Stable isotopes, Strontium isotopes
- in
- Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
- volume
- 56
- article number
- 104558
- pages
- 17 pages
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85192452319
- ISSN
- 2352-409X
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104558
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 6ac0f766-e2eb-4c42-9623-60dd92f84e76
- date added to LUP
- 2024-05-14 17:17:32
- date last changed
- 2024-05-29 05:50:30
@article{6ac0f766-e2eb-4c42-9623-60dd92f84e76,
abstract = {{By the Merovingian Period (6–8th century CE) a large variety of dogs and the earliest evidence of dog leashes appear in South Scandinavia. This indicates exchange, breeding and use of new types of dogs in this period. The purpose of this study is to examine the social significance and function of dogs in the Merovingian Period in South Scandinavia based on an analysis of the Nabberör boat grave on the island of Öland (Sweden) in the Baltic Sea in relation to dogs from settlements and other burials. Breeding and the care of dogs have been analysed through the integrated life stories of five individual dogs, based on age, sex and health status, together with morphology and leash finds. The dogs were mainly healthy, of young age and large in a size that neither are found earlier nor later than the Merovingian Period in South Scandinavia. The feeding of these dogs has been studied by examining stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) showing they have been eating terrestrial food and probably mainly meat. The mobility of the dogs studied by the strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotopes indicates that one dog may originate from Öland while the other from at least two different areas of mainland Sweden. The result shows that dogs in Nabberör were kept and cared for in different ways than common farm dogs, indicating the significance and use of dogs in various social and hierarchical dimensions in the Merovingian period in South Scandinavia.}},
author = {{Ola, Magnell and Iregren, Elisabeth and Jennbert, Kristina}},
issn = {{2352-409X}},
keywords = {{Dogs, Zooarchaeology, archaeology, osteology, Merovingian period, Late Iron Age, South Scandinavia, dog leashes, stable isotopes, strontium isotopes; Dogs; Merovingian period; Osteometry; Dog leashes; Stable isotopes; Strontium isotopes}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{05}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports}},
title = {{Breeding, feeding and mobility among dogs in the elite in the Merovingian period – Analysis of dogs in the boat grave Nabberör, Öland, Sweden}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104558}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104558}},
volume = {{56}},
year = {{2024}},
}