Brown bears in burials and entertainment in later prehistoric to modern Britain (c. 2400 BC – AD 1900s)

O'Regan, Hannah

Abstract

The brown bear, Ursus arctos, was a native British mammal, but is now extinct. This chapter briefly explores the history of the native brown bear before turning to the anthropogenic evidence for bears in prehistoric and later Britain. There are two main foci – bears in burials and bears in entertainment. Bear remains are very rare in Britain, but their phalanges are found in human cremations in the Bronze Age, late Iron Age and early medieval periods. The role of the bear in each period is discussed, concluding that there is unlikely to be a single association between bears and cremations that endured. Rather, bear remains are likely evidence of long-distance trade in high status Bronze Age and Iron Age cremations, and an indication of ancestral identity in the early medieval period. Roman and Viking bear iconography is also considered. As discussed by Crummy (2010), in the Roman period jet bear figurines are associated with the graves of infants, while in the Viking Age bears are carved on stone ‘hogback’ grave covers. Both may indicate some sort of protection in the afterlife. In contrast bear iconography in the medieval and post-medieval period is often associated with bear-baiting, where dogs were induced to attack tethered bears as a form of public (and royally sanctioned) entertainment. Some of the extensive documentary evidence for this ‘sport’ is discussed, as is the practice of dancing bears, which continued in Britain into the early 20th century.

• Acceptance Date: Feb 25, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Sep 4, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 12, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 24, 2023
• Publisher: Brepols
• Pages: 187-208
• Series Title: The Archaeology of Northern Europe
• Series Number: 3
• Book Title: Bear and Human Facets of a Multi-Layered Relationship from Past to Recent Times, with Emphasis on Northern Europe. Volume 1
• Chapter Number: 5
• ISBN: 978-2-503-60611-8
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1484/M.TANE-EB.5.134334
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5365593
• Publisher URL: https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/10.1484/M.TANE-EB.5.134334