Creating identity in Viking-Age England: archaeological perspectives on funerary practices

This paper explores the messages conveyed by funerary rites in the wake of the Scandinavian settlements in England in the 9th and 10th centuries. he burials of Scandinavian raiders and settlers have been identified at around only 30 sites in England on the basis of evidence for inhumation accompanied by grave goods and cremation, both practices that had been long since abandoned in England (ig. 1) 1. he presence of so few apparently Scandinavian burials has long been regarded as perplexing, given the considerable linguistic changes effected by the settlers, which suggest extensive Scandinavian settlement 2. Analysis of the limited funerary record has typically been largely restricted to mapping areas of Scandinavian settlement, and it has been difficult to overcome the impression that we have somehow failed to detect the bulk of the Scandinavian burials in England. In this paper I shall argue that even the few overtly Scandinavian burials that have been identified did not simply reflect a pre-existing Scandinavian identity implanted into England. Rather, these burials were selectively constructed as an important element of the process by which the Scandinavians established their position in England, made claims to land and status and constructed group and individual identities.