In this episode of the Amplify Archaeology Podcast, Neil was joined by Dr Ruth Carden and Dr Rebecca Boyd, who discussed their fascinating new project Viking Dublin Dogs. This collaborative, grass-roots project seeks to discover more about the life and death of Viking and Medieval Dogs in Dublin and beyond. It involves exploring the historical records for references to dogs and wolves, and the examination of the skeletal remains of dogs, radiocarbon dating, isotopic analysis and a study of their DNA. The team hope that this work will help to answer questions about the origins of dogs and their relationship with wolves, whether dogs can tell us anything about status and society, the different type of roles that dogs performed, and whether the Vikings who settled in Dublin brought their own dogs with them from their Scandinavian homelands.
This is a really exciting project, so listen in to discover how you can help to discover the story of Dublin’s viking dogs. I hope you enjoy the episode!
(all pictures below are of our barkaeologist Peig)