The Bog Offerings of the Balts: ‘I Give in Order to Get Back’
Volume 14 (2010): Underwater Archaeology in the Baltic Region, pp. 136–165
Pub. online: 20 December 2010
Type: Article
Open Access
Received
22 September 2010
22 September 2010
Revised
19 November 2010
19 November 2010
Accepted
20 December 2010
20 December 2010
Published
20 December 2010
20 December 2010
Abstract
The bog offerings of the Balts dating back to the period from the first century to the first half of the eighth century, and found in the Nemunas-Daugava interfluvia, are studied as part of the panhuman experience, and as a result of the influence of the Germanic culture of a period covering the Roman Iron Age and the Migration Period. In the lands of the Balts, however, offerings in water turned into a self-contained phenomenon known until historic times. This article discusses the links between bog offering sites and sacred waters. It discusses the position of bog offerings in the archaeological complex, the composition of offerings and changes in them, and the main intentions of the offerings, which can be characterised as offerings of war booty (to the god of war, as proof of a warrior’s honour), the transfer of valuables into the transcendental space (give to get back), and communication with the gods and with ancestors (requests and tokens of gratitude).