Hi all,
There was a discussion in the ZOOARCH mail on this a few years ago. It
must be somewhere in the archive. It could indeed be hibernating snakes
but in some cases (depending on the history of the context, especially
regarding original depth of the burial and the Original groundwater table)
hibernation can be ruled out.
Best wishes
Rob
>
> Hi Kathryn
>
>
> Just a note back to your original comment of a burial with seven snakes -
> have you considered the snakes were hibernating in the context and died
> rather than having been placed in the burial? Snakes typically hibernate
> in groups. Such events have also been found with toads.
>
>
> The Eddic/saga literature includes mentions of snake pits for executions:
> Atlakviða and Oddrúnargrátr -- Ragnar Lodbrok (Viking warlord) and
> Gunnarr, (King of Burgundy) were both traditionally killed this way.
>
> cheers
> Pam
>
>
>
>
> Pamela J Cross
> Zoo/Bioarchaeology
> Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, BD7 1DP UK
> p.j.cross (at) student.bradford.ac.uk / pajx(at) aol.com
> http://www.barc.brad.ac.uk/resstud_Cross.php
> http://bradford.academia.edu/PamCross
>
>
> Life at the Edge "liminality...enable[s] evolution and growth ...
> Boundaries and edges also characterize the dynamics of landscapes ...
> environments..[both intellectual and physical]." Andrews & Roberts 2012,
> Liminal Landscapes
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nerissa Russell <[log in to unmask]>
> To: ZOOARCH <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thu, 26 Apr 2018 19:31
> Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] Domestic snakes?
>
>
>
> There is this article on keeping royal pythons, although it is a bit far
> afield:
>
>
>
> Norman, Neil L.
> 2014 Pythons, pigs, and political process in the Hueda Kingdom, Benin,
> West Africa AD 1650-1727. InAnimals and Inequality in the Ancient World.
> B. S. Arbuckle and S. A. McCarty, eds. Pp. 295-314. Boulder: University
> Press of Colorado.
>
>
>
> And also:
>
>
>
> Stahl, Ann B.
> 2008 Dogs, pythons, pots, and beads: The dynamics of shrines and
> sacrificial practices in Banda, Ghana, 1400–1900 CE. InMemory Work:
> Archaeologies of Material Practices. B. J. Mills and W. H. Walker, eds.
> Pp. 159-186. Santa Fe: School for Advanced Research Press.
>
>
>
> Perhaps slightly more relevant, a literal snake pit as part of a
> sacrificial ritual:
>
>
>
> Ruscillo, Deborah
> 2013 Thesmophoriazousai. InBones, Behaviour and Belief: The
> Zooarchaeological Evidence as a Source for Ritual Practice in Ancient
> Greece and Beyond. G. Ekroth and J. Wallensten, eds. Pp. 181-195.
> Stockholm: Svenska Institutet i Athen.
>
>
>
> Nerissa Russell
> Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> Director of Undergraduate Studies, Archaeology
> Cornell University
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites
> <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Rob Lenders
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Rob Lenders <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 10:57 AM
> To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Domestic snakes?
>
>
>
>
> Dear Kathryn,
>
> What exactly do you mean with "domestic snakes"? Snakes cannot be
> domesticated like some mammal and bird species, but it is known that they
> were (and still are) kept in captivity and that in some cultures and
> periods they most probably also played a role in all kinds of rituals,
> including burials (as did other herpetofauna species, especially frogs and
> toads). It would also be helpful if you could mention the period(s) you
> are interested in. I know of Vipera berus remains that were found in
> Neolithic graves (in Eketorp, Sweden if I remember correctly) but do not
> have the exact references at hand. I will look into that next week. Snakes
> were also sometimes buried below the threshold of houses, probably as a
> form of initiation ritual. Remains of eggs from grass snakes are sometimes
> found in the floors of farms that consist of stamped manure. These
> remnants then most probably come from grass snakes that had laid their
> eggs in manure, which was then used to make floors. I give an overview of
> Dutch finds of grass snakes in archaeological contexts in a publication on
> the cultural history of the grass snake (Environment and History; 2014;
> Volume 20, pp 319-346). If you want, I can send you a copy of that
> article. Lewis-Williams & Pierce (2005; Inside the Neolithic Mind; Thames
> and Hudson, London, pp 189-192) report remnants of grass snakes in a pot
> that was probably used for a burial ritual. Most finds of remains of
> snakes found in archaeological contexts, however, should probably be
> considered as intrusives.
>
> By the way, I am also interested in the role of snakes in the Holocene
> history of Europe. If you could provide me with other references of
> (remnants of) snakes in archaeological contexts, I would be very grateful.
>
> Best wishes
> Rob Lenders
>
>
> On 4/26/2018 1:32 PM, Kathryn Weber wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi all,
>
>
> I'm wondering whether anyone has come across any papers or archaeological
> contexts in which domestic snakes figure prominently? I had been assuming
> (and we know what that does...) that the snakes I'm discussing were wild,
> but I've just learned of a burial in which seven snakes feature and now
> I'm curious.
>
> Grateful for any help!
>
>
> Best regards,
> Kathryn Weber
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Dr. H.J.R. (Rob) Lenders
> Department of Environmental Science
> Faculty of Science
> Radboud University Nijmegen
> P.O. Box 9010
> (internal mailbox number 89)
> 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
>
> Visiting address:
> Heyendaalseweg 135
> 6525 J Nijmegen
> Room HG 02.620
> tel: +31 (0)24 3652623 / +31(0)645253467
> tel. secr.: +31 (0)24 2653281
> fax: +31 (0)24 3553450
>
> email: [log in to unmask]http://www.ru.nl/environmentalstudies
>
>
>
>
--
Dr. H.J.R. (Rob) Lenders
Department of Environmental Science
Faculty of Science
Radboud University Nijmegen
P.O. Box 9010
(internal mailbox number 89)
6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Visiting address:
Heyendaalseweg 135
6525 J Nijmegen
Room HG 02.719
tel: +31 (0)24 3652623 / +31(0)645253467
tel. secr.: +31 (0)24 2653281
fax: +31 (0)24 3553450
email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.ru.nl/environmentalstudies
|
