What were dogs here like 1,000 years ago? Were they pets or working dogs... or wild?
Viking Dublin Dogs is a grassroots research project, initiated by Dr Ruth Carden, involving more than 30 leading specialists and scientists from both commercial archaeology and academic sectors from six different countries
We are a grassroots research project involving more than 30 leading specialists and scientists from both commercial archaeology and academic sectors from six different countries, voluntarily forming a researcher pack coming together over their mutual love of dogs, horses and archaeology. [Dr Ruth Carden initiated this research project and is the principal investigator of the Researcher Pack, based in the School of Archaeology, UCD, Dublin]
We firmly believe in outreach and engagement with our communities but also hope to inspire the future generation of scientists and archaeologists who are currently in secondary schools around Ireland, with our dedicated outreach and engagement programme, the Kennel Packs. We wish to explore the relationships and roles between dogs, horses alongside humans in their Viking-Age and Medieval societies in Ireland and Britain. We get to 'time travel' and see what these animal lives were all about and how important they were to their humans 1,000-plus years ago.
Back in the Early Medieval/Viking-Age/Medieval periods (c.700-1400AD), we did not have ‘breeds’ of dogs as we now see in the modern world. There were small-, medium- and large-type dogs that had certain assumed functions or roles in human societies. The small-type dogs were associated with being lap dogs, literally sitting in the laps of ladies of stature. The medium- and large-type dogs had more functional roles from being vermin control (ratters) to guard or herd dogs. We know from the early written old text books, there were four basic types of dogs in the Viking-Age period — small pets, herding dogs, hunting dogs, and guard dogs.
We don’t know how these Viking-Age/Medieval dogs relate to modern dogs, part of what we hope to gain from our project and potentially help fill a knowledge gap(s). For example, what we call the Irish wolfhound today, is completely different to what the wolfhound of the Medieval period was — a medium-sized, smooth-haired sight-hound of some sort — maybe more like a greyhound/Borzoi perhaps would be closest description from today’s viewpoint.
We don’t know the answer to this question right now... if true, this will show up in our ancient DNA results along with the stable isotopes, dating, and bone measurements analyses. We might be able to see changes in the above results at certain times, say when the Vikings arrive to Ireland and throughout their time here. Similarly for horses, Vikings did travel to England with their dogs and horses, so we may find similar patterns in our Irish results.
They have wolves in Scandinavia so might the Vikings have trained those too?
It’s certainly a possibility and they may also have interbred wolves with dogs, to produce very large wolf-dog hybrids. Our ancient DNA results will show us if there is any wolf DNA hiding amongst the dogs. Now that would be very interesting indeed!
We don’t know much about dogs before our study period, apart from the size-types.
In my IRC Funded project — Irish Cave Bones — we are investigating Neolithic to early Medieval dogs from Irish cave systems, so will have more results to share on these dogs at a later stage.
The small dogs, less than 30cm estimated shoulder heights, were lapdogs with their bowed bones, from their small bodies and abnormal growth. These dogs were also associated with being bred and imported by the Romans and were associated with high-status members of society, in particular ladies of wealth where the lapdog, as the name suggests, would sit in their laps getting spoilt no doubt with morsels of food and lots of petting!
Larger guard and battle-type dogs, would have been associated with the Vikings and the Clans/Tribes of Ireland at that time, accompanying them into battles and across on ships or indeed Viking warriors being buried with them, and also their horses. Horses and dogs were seen to accompany the person into the next world, and these animals were slaughtered and either wholly or partially buried with the Viking warrior. Powerful and ritualistic relationships existed between the Vikings and their dogs and horses.
Given our natural human behaviour and our close bonds with our dog companions, no matter their roles, we would assume the Viking dogs would have known a repertoire of commands given by their owners. The dogs may not have been as friendly as a golden retriever dog who goes up to everyone wagging its tail (including the robber coming into your house!) but the dogs during Viking-Age and Medieval Ireland that lived within the city walls, would likely have performed their roles and been fed and cared by their owners.
We know the dogs were cared for from the evidence we see in their bones — healed broken leg bones that would have prevented the dogs from walking or running for some weeks. During the time for the healed bone to mend the break, the dog was fed, watered, in shelter, and cared for to survive such a bad injury. Though it probably walked with a limp for the rest of its life, it wasn’t young when it died due to the well-worn molar teeth in its skull.
I can imagine the children of the city streets and alleyways from over 1,000 years ago, playing with the puppies (we have puppy bones from Viking-Age Dublin city) and younger dogs as they were trained by the adults or their parents.
On the other hand, some dog skulls that were guard dog types, from the city of Waterford Viking-Age, had snout injuries and healed bone fractures on their snouts. Perhaps from being hit due to their repeated barking? We aren’t sure.
Careful examination and recording of all the injuries and bone abnormalities, along with the other data, will provide insight into the dogs’ lives.
We do not know what the dogs or horses ate, but assuming some form of meat for the dogs and scraps from the meals of their owners and whatever they found in the street. And hay for the horses. Our stable isotope results will provide some answers to this question.
We have found nearly complete dog skeletons and partial dog skeletons from assumed Viking-Age and Medieval layers in various sites, but to be sure when they came from we will have to radiocarbon date them to be sure they are of Viking-Age (hence the crowdfunder and seeking commercial sponsorship from businesses).
For example, in Aungier Street and Chancery Lane archaeological sites in Dublin there are nearly complete dog skeletons found in pits or layers. They didn’t appear to get special burials, as such, but we have to examine the whole site interpretation with the site directors to drill down into the information. Those found in pits, were placed as a whole dog, curved in on itself, so some form of burial perhaps.
We are trying to find the animal bone assemblages from these cities, as they were performed quite a while ago. There is some difficulty in tracing the location of the assemblages. But we hope to include these, if found, though we have other sites. We do have one dog from a recent excavation of Medieval Cork city.
Radiocarbon dating forms the backbone or spine from which all our other results hang form and support. Without knowing the date these dogs and horses died (from their bones and teeth found during archaeological excavations), we can’t investigate trends through time, changes in their populations through time, changes in their diet through time and between and within places/countries, changes in size/shape of bones as adaptations to how the animals were used or how the dogs and horses fit into human societies. We need to know the when to sort out the rest of the results we get from ancient genetics (population relationships within and between countries and localities and where they were from — e.g. were the dogs and horses imported from outside Ireland?), stable isotope results (we are all made up of atoms and we ingest atoms from things we eat and drink, we can examine different atomic (isotope) profiles to determine any patterns in the data and what the dogs and horses ate and where they were from), size/shape analysis of bone measurements and anatomy (changes or patterns at localities, trends through time, male/female differences, role differences/changes, adaptations in the bones caused by the animal’s role in societies – e.g. pack horse vs a horse that was ridden). But without knowing when these animals occurred between 700-1400AD, we can’t examine the changes or patterns we see in the dogs' and horses' skeletal remains.
We are running a crowdfunding campaign to raise costs of at least 80 radiocarbon dates – Phase II will run until August 31, 2023, with a special new reward tier for archaeological horses with a portion donated to the My Lovely Horse Rescue.
We are currently seeking support from Irish businesses to engage and support our research. We have gratefully received some funding from Dublin City Council and the National Monuments Service, and also other sponsors too, including from the commercial archaeology sectors, e.g. IAC Archaeology and Red River Archaeology Group, and we are very thankful to all our backers thus far.
As we love modern horses just as much as archaeological ones, we will donate €10 per every ‘Backer’s naming horse rights’ to My Lovely Horse Rescue charity. Backers can name a horse (or a dog), which we will use to label the sample throughout the project.
If anyone wants to donate separately to our crowdfunder, contact ruth.carden@ucd.ie or support our crowdfunder by buying rewards to support the radiocarbon dating costs.
- Dr Ruth Carden is an MIAI Research Scientist, Zooarchaeologist at UCD School of Archaeology
- irishcavebones.ie
- @VikingDublinDog #VikingDublinDogs vikingdublindogs.ie
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