oa The bear in Late Iron Age and Viking Period Scandinavian art - a survey

Preview this chapter:

The bear in Late Iron Age and Viking Period Scandinavian art - a survey, Page 1 of 1

< Previous page | Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1484/M.TANE-EB.5.133678/M.TANE-EB.5.134374-1.gif

The paper constitutes a survey of bear depictions in the 1st millennium AD from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark as well as Scandinavian-influenced parts of England, including certain, almost certain, and possible images of bears. Chronologically, the relevant material ranges from the Roman Iron Age to the Late Viking Age, most of it dating to the Merovingian/Vendel Period and the Early Viking Age. The images occur in quite different contexts, on different objects and bearing different possible meanings (military and heroic contexts, commemoration and sepulchral contexts, female jewellery, figurines and more). Some recent finds are also considered. The main conclusion is that there are many more depictions to be considered, and that the bear is not as rare in Late Iron Age and Viking art as many scholars have so far supposed.