Owners, Breeders, Riders, Drivers?: Women’s Horsemanship in Viking Age Scandinavia

Horses in the viking world have long been considered a male affair. However, there are numerous connections between horses and women, expressed in the written sources, the art, and the archaeological material. This study examines the horsemanship of three burial contexts with horses and women: chamber grave 2 of Kosel-East, Schleswig (Viking Age Denmark), chamber grave Bj.581 of Birka, Uppland, Sweden, and the ship burial of Oseberg, Vestfold, Norway. In these graves, women had been laid to rest together with horses and horse tack. The combination of artefacts signalizes different roles in the viking equestrian world, indicating that women might have taken active parts in the Viking Age ‘horse industry’.