Horses in the Early Medieval (10th-13th c.) Religious Rituals of Slavs in Polish Areas-An Archaeozoological, Archaeological and Historical Overview.

This research paper delves deep into the role of horses in early Medieval religious rituals of Slavs in Polish areas. Utilizing archaeozoological, archaeological, and historical data, the study sheds light on their function as sacrifices, protective charms, omens, and cosmological representations.

Research Objective and Methodology

• The aim was to offer a detailed understanding of the role of horses in Slavic religious rituals during the early Middle Ages (Specifically, the 10th to the 13th century) in Polish areas. The study was based on multiple sources of data: archaeozoological findings from horse bones, historical records, and archeological information.
• One of the key methods used in the study involved taphonomic analysis. This kind of examination enabled researchers to investigate how the horse skulls, believed to have had apotropaic (evil-warding) significance, were displayed and deposited.

Major Findings

• The paper confirms that in early medieval Poland, horses held a sacred or spiritual position. More interestingly, it provided specific examples of horses subjected to magical treatments.
• It was discovered that locations with horse skeletons and skulls were relatively rare, especially compared to the frequent occurrence of horse remains found amongst kitchen waste. This was an unexpected finding given that neighboring regions like Germany, Scandinavia, and Prussia had a more widespread practice of burying horses.
• Taphonomical examinations revealed that horse skulls with apotropaic significance were not solely put on public display but were buried under defensive earthworks, or ramparts, of strongholds as well.
• In addition, horses that were affected by infectious diseases were also interred under these strongholds’ ramparts, a detail that proved crucial to understanding the complex religious functions of these animals.

Conclusions

• The study reaches several vital conclusions about horses during this period. They were utilized in religious ceremonies as sacrificial animals, apotropaic deposits (protection against evil spirits), oracles (for fortune-telling), and as symbols of cosmological figures.
• Through a blend of archaeozoology, history, and archaeology, the research broadens our understanding of the diverse ways in which horses were viewed and utilized in early medieval Slavic society, specifically in Polish regions.