New Thoughts on Gender Differences in Elite Viking Burials

OSLO, NORWAY—According to a Science Nordic report, Marianne Moen of the University of Oslo examined the contents of more than 200 Viking graves in southeastern Norway, and found that elite Viking men and women may not have had clearly differentiated gender roles, since they were often buried with the same types of artifacts, including cooking equipment, jewelry, and keys. “The key is a good example. It is often considered to be the symbol of a housewife,” Moen said, though keys were discovered in almost as many men's graves as women's graves. Moen suggests cooking equipment, which is often interpreted as a sign of housekeeping, was included in the graves as a symbol of hospitality. Critics of this idea counter that men would have probably cooked for themselves while on long sea voyages, but may not have done so while at home. To read about a burial now believed to contain the remains of a female Viking warrior, go to “Viking Warrioress.”