. Social Scandinavia in the Viking age. unhe^vnstone built up with clay, in bee-hive shape, like thosenow found among the Indians of the southwesternUnited States. They were heated by a fire built in them,as in the Scandinavian brick ovens of the present time,after which the ashes were removed, the food placedinside, and the opening closed by means of a door ofstone or metal. Such ovens may still be seen in someold country houses in the Scandinavian North.^ Great extremes were displayed in the dishes uponthe tables of the very wealthy, and those which did serv-ice for the extremely poor; the f
. Social Scandinavia in the Viking age. unhe^vnstone built up with clay, in bee-hive shape, like thosenow found among the Indians of the southwesternUnited States. They were heated by a fire built in them,as in the Scandinavian brick ovens of the present time,after which the ashes were removed, the food placedinside, and the opening closed by means of a door ofstone or metal. Such ovens may still be seen in someold country houses in the Scandinavian North.^ Great extremes were displayed in the dishes uponthe tables of the very wealthy, and those which did serv-ice for the extremely poor; the former some-times ate from vessels of silver and gold,beautifully chased, while the latter had trenchers or littletubs of wood (Figs. 18-19). Vessels for the table werealso made in a rather poor quality of pottery; and there 7 Lj6svetninga Saga, 198. 8 Montelius, Civilization of Sweden in Heathen Times, 153; Gustafson,Norges Oldtid, 114-117; Rygh, 0., Norske Oldsager, ordnede og forklarede,23, 37. 9Visted, Vor Gamle Bondekultur, HOUSE-FURNISHINGS AND FOOD 153 were individual dishes of the baser metals as well. Butin those days, even among the most refined, severalpeople sometimes ate from the same dish. Because oftheir fondness for drinking, the Northmen appear tohave given particular attention, to the construction andornamentation of the vessels in which their beverageswere served. Ox horns, variously decorated, were quitecommon. Sometimes they were caivedwith designs in low relief, or withrunic words of magic import; usuallythe edge was bound with metal, andoccasionally the vessel was suppliedwith metal feet, enabling it to standalone on the table. Gold and silverwere frequently employed for finish-ing the horns, and such mountingswere often further decorated withenamel, or settings of precious shaped like horns were madefrom metals also, and if from gold orsilver, they were often richly chased;but in addition to these there werecups, goblets, and beaker
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