This article seeks to approach the famous tenth-century account of the burial of a chieftain of the Rus, narrated by the Arab traveller Ibn Fadlan, in a new light. Placing focus on how gendered expectations have coloured the interpretation and subsequent archaeological use of this source, we argue that a new focus on the social agency of some of the central actors can open up alternative interpretations. Viewing the source in light of theories of human sacrifice in the Viking Age, we examine the promotion of culturally appropriate gendered roles, where women are often depicted as victims of male violence. In light of recent trends in theoretical approaches where gender is foregrounded, we perceive that a new focus on agency in such narratives can renew and rejuvenate important debates.

中文翻译：

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死亡代理人：重新评估维京时代人类牺牲的社会能动性和性别叙事

本文试图以一种新的视角来探讨著名的 10 世纪俄罗斯酋长埋葬的记载，该记载由阿拉伯旅行家伊本·法德兰 (Ibn Fadlan) 讲述。我们将重点放在性别期望如何影响对这一来源的解释和随后的考古使用上，我们认为，对一些中心行为者的社会能动性的新关注可以开辟替代解释。根据维京时代的人类牺牲理论，我们审视了对文化上适当的性别角色的促进，其中女性经常被描述为男性暴力的受害者。鉴于最近以性别为重点的理论方法的趋势，我们认为在此类叙述中对代理的新关注可以更新和振兴重要的辩论。