Meistaraprófsfyrirlestur í fornleifafræði

Þriðjudaginn 30. nóvember flytur Adriana Zugaiar meistaranemi í fornleifafræði fyrirlestur um verkefni sitt sem hún nefnir The orientation of pagan graves in Viking Age Iceland – is there a reason why graves do not follow a fixed rule?

Fyrirlesturinn verður haldinn í aðalbyggingu Háskóla Íslands, stofu 222, og hefst kl. 15.

Abstract:
The orientation of graves is a subject that has not been widely explored. While burial orientation is usually recorded in archaeological excavations, little has actually been said about the reason behind the choice of a pagan orientation. By contrast, it is commonly understood that Christian burials traditionally have a west-east orientation, with the head placed at the western end of the grave. This is similar to the layout of churches and in both instances the aim is to view the coming of Christ on the Judgment Day. Although pagan burials are usually associated with a north-south orientation, in Iceland they do not follow a fixed rule as burials could be facing any direction, north, south, east, west etc. This diversity in grave orientation brings to mind questions such as why some graves are orientated differently than the others? Is there a connection with the landscape? E.g.: are they near water, or situated on hills or other landscape features? And if so, what these features meant to the people buried in them or to the people burying their dead? Is it the same in other Nordic countries? How about gender: are male and female buried with the same orientation? Does it have to do with their age? Are there regional similarities or differences? Do animals buried with humans also follow an orientation? Is orientation related to religion or mythology? Or is it just random?