Anglo-Saxon England viewed horse-meat as “pagan” food
People living inwards Anglo-Saxon England were turned off the thought of eating horses in 1 lawsuit they became Christian every bit they believed it was “pagan” food, a novel query newspaper argues.
The finding appears inwards the latest number of the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, produced past times Oxford University’s Institute of Archaeology.
The query is based on creature os information from short town sites inwards Anglo-Saxon England that shows that although horses were largely available to all, Equus caballus total was rarely eaten.
“This is an of import newspaper that shows how far dorsum inwards history the aversion to eating horses seems to larn with the English,” said Professor Helena Hamerow, from Oxford University’s Institute of Archaeology who is a leading proficient on early on Anglo-Saxon England communities.
“Although the custom of eating horseflesh appears to accept been widespread inwards early on medieval Northern Europe in addition to early on Anglo-Saxons on occasion consumed horse, it disappeared from the diet after the conversion, every bit church building government tried to undermine the habit.”
Christianity was reintroduced to England at the terminate of the sixth century in addition to for to a greater extent than or less 200 years infidel in addition to Christian practices co-existed.
However, at the terminate of the eighth century, a taboo to a greater extent than or less horsemeat developed due to attempts to standardise Christian beliefs in addition to practices, suggests the paper.
It argues that the Romans had viewed the eating of Equus caballus flesh every bit “pagan” in addition to this persuasion was incorporated into the early on teachings of the Catholic Church.
Author of the query paper, Kristopher Poole, who completed his PhD at the University of Nottingham, suggests that horses had religious significance every bit they featured inwards pre-Christian religions in addition to were linked with diverse gods inwards north-west Europe throughout this time, including Odin in addition to Freyr.
In Anglo-Saxon belief systems, horses were mythical warrior figures, legendary leaders of the invasion of southern England. These half-man, half-horse figures were believed to last descended from Odin/Woden in addition to claimed to last the ancestors of Anglo-Saxon violet dynasties.
“Eating horsemeat was rare in addition to this could accept made the slaughter in addition to consumption of horses a highly pregnant act,” Poole says. “Whilst many ‘pagan’ beliefs became integrated into Christian practices inwards England, the possible veneration in addition to eating of Equus caballus seems to accept been also much of a challenge to Christian perspectives.”
Of nine sites of Early Saxon appointment where ageing information of Equus caballus remains are available, Poole finds that nearly all of the horses were mature at the fourth dimension of death, suggesting that total was non the top dog ground for raising these animals.
Even so, testify of butchered Equus caballus remains were works life inwards thirty per cent of Early Saxon sites only past times the after business office of the Anglo-Saxon period, the charge per unit of measurement of slaughter-house had dropped considerably, suggesting says Poole that the Church had “at to the lowest degree some effect” on attitudes to Equus caballus meat.
Horse total was evidently rarely consumed, says the query paper, only happened inwards times of famine; the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports a number of years where famines occurred in addition to taboos could accept been ignored.
Conversely, Equus caballus flesh could also accept been considered a feast food, due to the infrequency with which it was consumed. Feasting may last indicated past times the presence of Equus caballus caput bones in addition to absence of the top dog meat-bearing bones on a number of settlements, indicating that total was shared out in addition to thus consumed elsewhere.
There are also some instances where solely a horse’s caput was interred inwards a grave, which perhaps represents horse-feasting, maybe at the graveside.
By the mid-Saxon period, almost of the sites containing butchered Equus caballus bones look to accept been inhabited past times those lower downward the social hierarchy.
Poole suggests this could accept been because the less well-off had no pick only to eat Equus caballus inwards times of famine; or it may also accept been because this department of social club continued to follow infidel practices for longer than other sections of society.
The paper, Horses for Courses? Religious Change in addition to Dietary Shifts inwards Anglo-Saxon England, volition last published inwards the August 2013 book of the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, produced for Oxford University’s Institute of Archaeology past times Wiley-Blackwell.
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