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Introduction
This document provides the reader / course attendee with an overview of research sources and methods for approaching Viking Age Gotland finds, with a focus on researching and recreating prlgarnityr (Gotlander womans brooch beads). Research guidelines include sources, methods, Swedish terms, and step-by-step instructions for using online resources. Replica description includes an overview of the iterative design development, lessons learned between versions of the project, expected outcome from current iteration, and resources for materials used.
Summary of Topics
Topics include the following: Comparison of Gotland and mainland Norse material culture. Detailed description of online sources author for researching jewelry, accessories, and beads. Survey of process and materials used to iteratively develop a set of Gotland womans beads.
Document Contents
Gotland vs. Mainland Material Culture ....................................................................................... 2 Researching Gotlands Small Finds ........................................................................................... 6 Prlgarnityr Research and Development (My Beads!)...............................................................10 Necessary Items for Making Prlgarnityr ...................................................................................14 Annotated Sources ...................................................................................................................16
Figure 1. Google Maps image of modern Visby, Gotland, Sweden. Google 2007.
Figure 2. Drawing of Grave 7, Slite Harbor; female inhumation site excavated in 1916 (Carlsson Jewellry 1).
Figure 3. Some of the approx. 165 pound Spillings silver hoard; over 14,200 Arabic coins. (Carlsson)
VIKING AGE GOTLAND RESEARCH & REPLICA WOMEN'S BEADS Womens Clothing and Accessories: Gotland vs. Mainland
While Gotlander female inhumation finds provide a palette of distinct accessories, information about Gotlands clothing styles is sparse. While Ewing and others suggest that Gotlander women wore mainland styles with their unique brooches and beads, Carlsson states a greater similarity to Eastern Baltic styles: It can clearly be seen that in the Viking Age, as well as long before that, Gotland is more closely connected to the Eastern Baltic area then with the rest of Sweden and the western part of the Viking world. Many items of jewellery and other objects on Gotland have no connections to mainland Sweden, something that is clearly demonstrated in most forms of artefacts. (Jewellry 16) Carlsson also reproduces an image from the Council of Europes From Viking to Crusader catalog that suggests Gotland dresses were distinct compared to mainland styles (see Figure 5, an excerpt from the larger diagram discussing distribution of the brooch styles across Viking sites). Looking at the Gotland woman on the left in Figure 5, the dress appears to have a closed shoulder, rather than over-the-shoulder straps terminating in the brooches as typical for the style of the Scandinavian woman (understood to be mainland Swedish styles; see Ewing, Ward, and Orton). Note also the placement of a separate tool brooch on the Gotland woman: at the bottom of the rib cage, with tools suspended to mid-thigh, rather than from a brooch. In all three examples, the dress brooches and beads appear different from what the author has seen in most reenactors wardrobes; in practice, the brooch placement may affect the wearers ability to breastfeed, cook, use tools, etc. and the scholars guess is off. The wardrobe information provided in Figure 5 is incomplete, likely intentionally as the diagrams focus was brooch finds, not clothing. The womens outer layers, head coverings, etc. are not clearly defined. Figure 5. Image comparing Gotland, Scandinavian, and
NOTE: To date, there is no published information specific to Gotlands textiles; while correspondence with Carlsson has yielded a couple of names, J-STOR and other scholarly sources have not yielded any articles. Laura E. Storey 2006-7 LEStorey@gmail.com
Finnish womens dress and brooch styles, reproduced from the From Viking to Crusader catalog (Carlsson Jewellry 7).
NOTE: The limited availability of From Viking to Crusader and Carlssons incomplete citation (i.e., no page or figure number) has hampered attempts to locate the adjacent / descriptive text accompanying this image in the source. Page 3 of 18 version 1a (Nov 2007) Lady Iohanna filia Iacobi Kingdom of Atlantia
VIKING AGE GOTLAND RESEARCH & REPLICA WOMEN'S BEADS Uniquely Gotland: Brooches, Bead Spreaders, Pendants, and Pins
The following provides a brief summary of the uniquely Gotlandic accessories found in womens graves, as described extensively in Carlssons materials, bear head brooches and bead spreaders are commonly found in Viking Age female Gotlander grave sites; fish head beads, rock crystal pendants, and dress pins are other distinct element of female grave finds. NOTE: Images of extants are provided for each item. Citations for images from the Historiska Museets online artifact database include inventory ID numbers. Animal Head Brooches (djurhuvudformat spnnen) Pairs of animal head brooches worn nose up are found in Gotlander womens graves in positions similar to the oval brooches on mainland Sweden. Carlsson, Ewing, and others suggest that these brooches were used in the same manner as mainland brooches: to secure the womans dress. See Figure 7. Box Brooch (dosformat spnne) Carlssons female grave site reports often contain a single box brooch; some finds include coins or similar valuables wrapped in cloth and held in the concave interior of the brooch. See Figure 8. Bead Spreaders (prlspridaren) Many female graves yield a pair of bead spreaders and a large quantity of beads, sometimes over 100 individual beads (Carlsson, Rundkvist). The bead spreaders are T shaped metal with a series of holes piercing the leg of the T, allowing strands of beads to be suspended in a series of spaced strands, and often decoration on the top plane of the T. See Figure 9. Fish Heads (fiskhuvudformade hngen) Some of the Gotland bead finds include a row of metal fish bead, typically bronze and often gilded / silvered; the hole is the fish eye (see Figure 6). Later period finds yield one or two fish head beads reworked into brooches or pendants (see Figure 10).
Figure 7. Extant animal head brooch: bronze with gold and silver detail. (Historiska Museet inv. 4645)
Figure 9. Extant nine-hole bronze bead spreaders. (Historiska Museet inv. 4185)
Figure 6. "Fish head" bronze pendants with scored bands. (Historiska Museet inv. 2593)
Figure 10. Extant pin made of fish-head pendants. (Historiska Museet inv 10462)
Figure 13. Extant rock crystal lens set in silver. (Historiska Museet inv. 8315)
Figure 14. Extant bronze dress pins. (Historiska Museet inv. 15752)
Figure 11. Suggested use / wearing of dress pins with strand of beads, based on Thunmark. (Carlsson Jewellry 12).
Tool Brooch (redskapsspnne) Tool brooches some with fragments or lengths of chain attached are typically found below the ribcage and above the knee. Adjacent items (e.g., small knife and/or key) may have been attached by chain or organic cording. See Figure 15. Oddities and Exceptions
A few animal head brooches have chain attached; see Figure 16. Some graves have a third animal head brooch placed similarly to box brooch in other sites. Laura E. Storey 2006-7 LEStorey@gmail.com Page 5 of 18 version 1a (Nov 2007)
Figure 15. Extant bronze tool brooch. (Historiska Museet inv. 453711)
Figure 16. Extant bronze animal head brooch with chain (Historiska Museet inv. 1892)
Despite Gotlands unique material culture, all too often Viking books gloss over and/or lump Gotland in with generalizations about Norse culture and dress. While textile finds in Birka and material finds in Oseberg and Jorvik are informative about Norse culture at large and those regions particularly, it may be stretching to apply common clothing styles across distinct subcultures and confluence points.
Online Sources
Several online resources provide extensive text and image sources for Gotland research: ArkeoDok providing the archaeological record, Frjel providing the personal support, and the Historiska Museet providing the museum-grade images and provenance for extant pieces.
Table 1. Online Sources
DESCRIPTION AND URL Professor Dan Carlssons site providing ready access to archaeological reports for Gotland sites, particularly near Visby. Many materials are available for free download; a selection is offered in English. Online store provides objects based on extant Gotland finds; e.g., bear head and box brooches. Extensive but poorly documented photo galleries of extant objects, as well as some reenactment events. Site owner Sandy Sempel is very responsive via email and was vital to the research and recreation of the prlgarnityr (brooch beads) project. Limited content in English. Best content in Swedish for Viking Age permanent exhibitions; click links as follows to access: Utstllningar > Fasta utstllningar > Vikingar
Historiska Museet database Swedish language only. Database query interface providing http://www.historiska.se/data/ ready access to museums artifact archives. Many entries include images, provenance, and find location details. NOTE: Two elusive sources may offer additional scholarly content: Callmers Trade Beads in Scandinavia and The Council of Europes From Viking to Crusader.
VIKING AGE GOTLAND RESEARCH & REPLICA WOMEN'S BEADS Historiska Museet Database: How to Use and Key Terms
The following sections provide step-by-step instructions for using the Historiska Museets online database query page and select terms used on the interface.
NOTE: One of the database developers Ny Bjrn Gustafsson is a member of the Norsefolk_2 Yahoo! Group and posted basic instructions to the group in March 2007.
Query for Viking Age Artifacts from Gotland Follow these steps to view the Historiska Museets database query page and return Gotland artifacts dating to the Viking Age: 1. Launch the web browser of your choice. 2. Open the following URL: http://mis.historiska.se/mis/sok/sok.asp The Sk i Historiska museets samlingar (Search the Historiska Museets Collection) page is displayed. 3. Click on / select a Fremlsbilder (Object Images) link to return image results (link on left in navigation, pick list at top of content area, or link at bottom of list in content area). The Sk i samlingarna fremlsbild (Search the Collection Images) page is displayed. 4. From the Landskap (Province) pick list, select Gotland to narrow search results to artifacts from Gotland (fourth item on left side of content area). The page will refresh. 5. From both Datering (Date Range) pick lists, under Jrnlder > Yngre jrnlder, select vikingatid to narrow search results to the Viking Age (last fields on right side of content area). The selections should match those shown in Figure 17 (see next page). 6. Click the Sk (Search) button to initiate the database query. The Skresultat bilder (Image Search Results) page displays the query results. 7. To filter the displayed results, select a term from the Vlj sakord (Choose an item) pick list and click the Filtrera (Filter) button. See below for artifact terms.) The search results will be filtered (typically reduced in quantity) based on your selection.
Figure 17. Historiska Museets database query web page, showing Gotland Viking Age selection criteria.
Swedish Terms: Selected Terms on Historiska Museet Database Query Pages The following table outlines the terms (i.e., fields and values) used to narrow the search results to Gotland artifacts dating to the Viking Age.
Table 2. Swedish Terms: Historiska Museet Database Pages
SWEDISH TERM #-talet Datering Filtrera Freml Fremlsbilder Frn Landskap Sk Till Vlj sakord vikingatid Typ Laura E. Storey 2006-7 LEStorey@gmail.com
ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION / DEFINITION date range where # is the century: the # hundreds. E.g., 1000talet is the 10-hundreds or the 9th century CE date range; label for Frn and Till pick lists Filter (button) return artifact text (link on left / bottom, pick list at top) return artifact images (link on left / bottom, pick list at top) start of date range; i.e., from (Datering pick list) province of artifact site; e.g., Gotland, Lappland, etc. Search (button) end of date range; i.e., to (Datering pick list) list of descriptive terms associated with artifacts in results set Viking Age time period (Datering pick list value) list of attributes; e.g., redskap for tool, brons (see terms) Page 8 of 18 version 1a (Nov 2007) Lady Iohanna filia Iacobi Kingdom of Atlantia
SWEDISH TERM ametist armbygel brnsten ben bergkristall brons djurhuvudformat spnne dosformat spnne drktnl (drktnlar) fiskhuvudformade hnge glas guld halvdelsten hnge (hngen) jrn kalksten karneol kedja parl (parlor) prlgarnityr
ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION / DEFINITION amethyst (e.g., parl ametist is an amethyst bead) armband (e.g., armbygel brons is a bronze armband) amber (e.g., parl brnsten is an amber bead) bone (e.g., parl ben is a bone bead) rock crystal (e.g., bergkristall hnge is a rock crystal pendant) bronze (e.g., parl brons is a bronze bead) animal-head-shaped brooch box-shaped brooch dress pin (literally, needle) fish-head-shaped pendant glass (e.g., parl glas is a glass bead) gold (e.g., parl guld is a gold bead) natural stone (e.g., halvdelsten hnge is a stone pendant) pendant iron (e.g., drktnlar jrn is an iron dress pin) limestone carnelian (e.g., parl karneol is a carnelian bead) chain (e.g., kedja brons is bronze chain) bead; also pearl, treasure brooch beads with spreaders (e.g., prlgarnityr: prlspridare med 6 rader prlor is a set of womens brooch beads with a pair of spreaders and six strands of beads) bead spreader tool tool brooch shell (e.g., parl sncka is a shell bead) string, twine, thread (e.g., Parlgarnityr: Prlor p snore is a strand of beads from a bead spreader / brooch bead set) brooch (e.g., dosformat spnne is a box-shaped brooch) stone, rock (e.g., bildsten is a picture stone) Page 9 of 18 version 1a (Nov 2007) Lady Iohanna filia Iacobi Kingdom of Atlantia
prlspridare (prlspridaren) redskap (redskapen) redskapsspnne sncka (snckskal) snre spnne (spnnen) sten (stenen, stenar) Laura E. Storey 2006-7 LEStorey@gmail.com
Figure 22. Extant animal head brooches and bead spreaders. (FG)
Figure 23. Closeup of version 4.0 beads: five strands into three-hole bone spreaders pinned in-context on dress form body. (Storey)
The primary benefit to version 4.0 was learning more about working with the materials, particularly the placement of the beads and knotting to optimally support and separate the variety of materials. The bone spreaders clearly do not matching the extant bronze spreaders shown in the Frjel Gotlandica and ArkeoDok sources: the strands could not be supported vertically in wear. And while the length of the bead strands resembled other Norse brooch bead replicas worn by other reenactors, they were clearly far too long to work for a Gotlander womans beads. At a minimum, I needed to find a means of reproducing the spreaders support of the bead strands and rework the beads to shorter lengths to test the design.
Laura E. Storey 2006-7 LEStorey@gmail.com Page 11 of 18 version 1a (Nov 2007) Lady Iohanna filia Iacobi Kingdom of Atlantia
VIKING AGE GOTLAND RESEARCH & REPLICA WOMEN'S BEADS Version 4.1: Work in Progress Viking Womans Brooch Beads
Version 4.1 was initiated by the gift of a pair of replica bronze bear head brooches in December 2006 (see XX) and a pair of seven-hole bronze bead spreaders made by Chips Whitthread received in February 2006: the necessary pieces for me to wear a dress and the beads. With Leesa Ortons guidance and fitting assistance, I made a red wool dress in the Scandinavian style in for a February 2007 event; at that time, I had not see Carlssons diagram of a Gotlander womans gown (see Figure 5). I unknotted the Version 4.0 bead strands and fed one strand each through the top three holes, the fifth hole, and the seventh hole of the spreaders. Along the edge of the spreader, I built up the strands into a five-strand plait and plaited the strands to approximately four inches in length, folded the braid in half, and knotted the ends to the base of the braid (at the top corner of the bead spreaders). As seen in Figure 26, the Version 4.0 strands hang very low on the body: the top strand was too long to hold proper tension on the spreaders, so they rolled out to the side Figure 26. Version 4.1 project on (rather than showing the decoration on the top of the T). the body: bear head brooches and The beads need to be reworked to allow for proper spacing bead spreaders with Version 4.0 strands. (Zitney) and tension as seen in extant examples (see Figure 12, Figure 20, and Figure 21). Note in particular the affect of the bead spreaders on the gaps between the strands: the graduated lengths of the strands are exaggerated by the spacing of their terminal ends on the spreaders.
Version 5: Prlgarnityr
Version 5 leverages lessons from earlier versions and an extensive set of additional sources: the Historiska Museets online artifact database and Carlssons publications (see Table 1). The Grtlingbo Parish beads (see Figure 12), Carlssons image depicting a Gotlander woman (see Figure 5), and sources describing the material, size, and attributes of beads have yielded a greater understanding of the bead sets, as well as basic Swedish vocabulary (see Table 2 and Table 3). Carlssons beads CD provides images of Gotland bead finds: many include measurements, and all include a description of the bead shape and/or material. Callmers rock beads data (Peterson) may be from the mainland: Carlssons data has twice as many amethyst beads. Carlssons images also provide a means of identifying the effects of burial on the beads color and surface: color shifts, opacity changes (i.e., clouding), and dulling of the surface are the most common changes. Following summarizes the 403 beads found in Frjel (Carlsson Beads 10): Glass beads: Bone / antler beads: 14 Amber beads: 9 - 87 single color Rock beads: Gold beads: 1 - 25 multicolor (most - 11 rock crystal common: triangular with - 9 amethyst and carnelian Size: 2mm to 3.5cm white dots on corners) - 9 limestone (4 fossils) diameter rock crystal - 24 transparent
Laura E. Storey 2006-7 LEStorey@gmail.com Page 12 of 18 version 1a (Nov 2007) Lady Iohanna filia Iacobi Kingdom of Atlantia
Figure 27. Six test strands on waxed linen, prior to knotting. Bronze spacers are tethered to eight inches (8) apart. (Storey)
Figure 28. Adding the second holes strand to one of the single strands, creating the second double strand in the braid. (Storey)
Figure 29. Side view of the braided strands: the left hole is the bottom empty hole; the right hole is the first hole at the top, with the braided cord continuing to the right. (Storey)
VIKING AGE GOTLAND RESEARCH & REPLICA WOMEN'S BEADS Lessons Learned: Beads, Knots, and Strands
Edges of glass beads may need filing / buffing with emery board to lessen or remove sharp points; doing so prevents / preempts the sharp edges from cutting into linen cord and/or damaging adjacent softer materials (e.g., amber beads). Double-wrap waxed linen cord while knotting next to / between large beads to create larger / longer knot for freer movement and better spacing. Knot twice as needed. Group bead with large holes between a pair of beads with smaller holes and knot on either side of the three to stabilize the set. To undo a knot, make sure the waxed linen cord is warmed up: the cord moves more freely when the wax is warm. Consider the relative weights of beads when stranding: the strand will likely point at the heaviest point, so be sure to balance and/or center the heaviest items. Consider how the strands will cascade onto each other: long / heavy items on one strand are likely to affect / touch / obscure items on the lower strand(s).
VIKING AGE GOTLAND RESEARCH & REPLICA WOMEN'S BEADS Beads, Pendants, and Waxed Linen Cord
Bead Material and Style References The best reference for Gotland bead styles and materials is Professor Carlssons CD and documentation: images of extant beads and a discussion of materials are invaluable when selecting beads. While some of the bead descriptions do not include measurements, the quality of the images is outstanding. The Historiska Museet database provides extensive information in Swedish only and the artifacts are typically photographed with a metric ruler to provide scale. Additional materials are provided for some artifacts; e.g., portions of site reports, slide shows of additional images, etc. The Gotland Artifacts gallery on Frojel.com provides extensive images of beads, bead sets, bead spreaders, and brooches. Site owner Sandy Sempel is very responsive to email and posts on Norsefolk_2 and can provide additional information about the gallery images. Buying Beads and Pendants The following is a short list of merchants used for acquiring some of the materials used in the project: Ragweed Forge Variety of pendants in bronze and/or silver, most sourced in Sweden or Denmark. Some replicas of Gotland finds, including comb pendant found in Gullrun and rock crystal pendant found in Lye Parish (see Figure 31). Time Traveling Traders Variety of silver and amber beads. Viking-U-Like European merchants with a selection of (museum quality) reproduction pieces, including rock crystal pendants and a tool brooch; at Pennsic and other major Wars in the United States. Michaels Crafts Large simple glass beads and occasionally disk dot beads in assorted colors are available. Also great source for waxed linen cord / thread.
NOTE: Contact La Compagnia dei Maestri del Vetro (Kingdom of Atlantias Glassworkers Guild) for assistance in making and/or commissioning handmade beads. Laura E. Storey 2006-7 LEStorey@gmail.com Page 15 of 18 version 1a (Nov 2007)
Figure 30. Common Viking Age bead shapes (Carlsson Beads 5).
Figure 31. Rock crystal and silver necklace (halsband) found in Lye Parish, Gotland. (Historiska Museet inv.8315)
Annotated Sources
Annotated sources: text / visual sources and personal correspondence. ArkeoDok. http://www.arkeodok.com/ (first accessed Sept 2006). Publications, images, replica jewelry, and other resources associated with Gotlands Viking Age. Maintained by Professor Dan Carlsson. Callmer, Johan. Trade Beads and Bead Trade in Scandinavia circa 800-1000 A.D. Acta Archaeologica Lundensia 4th Series, No. 11. Lund: Munksgaard (1977). ISBN 3-77491-375-7. Rare / hard-to-find source cited by Ward, Peterson, and others. Carlsson, Dan. Viking History. http://www.arkeodok.com/ (accessed 12 Sept 2006). Viking artifact gallery (beads). Carlsson, Dan. Viking Age Jewellery on Gotland. Sweden: ArkeoDok (2004). Survey of clothing and accessories styles on Gotland during the Viking Age, based largely on extants recovered from grave sites near Visby, Gotland. Document cites additional sources, including the From Viking to Crusader catalog published by The Council of Europe. Castell, Roy. Jeweler. Australia. Professional finishing work on replica bear head brooches ordered from www.arkeodok.com. Council of Europe, The. Roesdahl, Else and David M. Wilson, eds. Helen Clarke, Ingmar Jansson, Joan F. Davidson, Gillian Fellows-Jensen, et al., trans. From Viking to Crusader: The Scandinavians and Europe, 800-1200. New York: Rizzoli (1992). ISBN 0-84781-625-7. Extensively cited rare (expensive) exhibition catalog accompanying a touring collection of Viking Age artifacts. Cited by Carlsson for brooch styles and distributions and Gotlander clothing. Crowfoot, Elisabeth, Frances Pritchard, and Kay Staniland. Textiles and Clothing: c1150 c1450. London: Boydell Press (1992). ISBN 0-85115-840-4. Pp. 140-141. Images and text on extant 13th and 14th century CE braids; includes flat three-element wool braid. Dahlstrom, Carina. The Viking Age harbour and trading place at Frjel, Gotland: A summery [sic] of the excavation during the summer of 2001. http://frojel.hgo.se/Reports01/engrep1_01.html (accessed 12 Sept 2006). Excavation report for sites near Frjel, Gotland during 2001. Dahlstrom, Carina and Tove Ericksson. Rapport fran utgravningen av den vikingatida hamn och handelsplatsen I Frjel, Gotland 1999. http://www.frojel.hgo.se/ (accessed 12 Sept 2006). Excavation site report from 1999 digs in Frjel parish, Gotland, Sweden. Dubin, Lois Sherr. The History of Beads from 30,000 to the Present. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Publishers (1987). ISBN 0-8109-4161-9. Pp. 72, 74-77. Images and text on extant Viking Age beads. Elandris, Ragnar of (SKA). Conversations during middle weekend of Pennsic XXV (Aug 2006). Discussions regarding silver charms (warrior and Seat of the Norns) and carnelian Thors hammer amulet. Ewing, Thor. Viking Clothing. UK: Tempus Publishing Ltd. (2006). ISBN 0-7524-3587-6. Survey of Norse clothing styles, including brief discussions of material culture unique to Gotland. Frjel Discovery Programme. http://www.hgo.se/frojel/ (accessed 12 Sept 2006). Excavation reports, grave site photographs, and Object Gallery (includes bead images). Maintained by Professor Dan Carlsson. Laura E. Storey 2006-7 LEStorey@gmail.com Page 16 of 18 version 1a (Nov 2007) Lady Iohanna filia Iacobi Kingdom of Atlantia