Vegetal grave goods in a female burial on Bornholm (Denmark) from the Late Roman Iron Age period interpreted in a comparative European perspective

Abstract

Knowledge about the healing properties of plant substances is probably as old as humankind, and this can be demonstrated by botanical finds in archaeological contexts. Southern Scandinavia has a long tradition of supplying deceased persons with vegetal material for use in their afterlife, as shown by single seeds or processed plants in the form of foods, drinks or medicines. A well-known example is the small container made of birch bark most probably filled with a kind of mead produced from honey, in the Egtved girl’s coffin a find which has been dated to the Early Bronze Age. Another fascinating plant discovery derives from the grave of the Fyrkat woman dated to the Viking Age: a handful seeds of the poisonous plant henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) was found in a small pocket fixed to the woman’s belt. Plant materials enclosed in small amulet boxes are quite common and are frequently attached to necklaces that the deceased had certainly worn during their lives. In this article, we discuss the organic finds fro...