Arm and Neck Rings |
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A great number of rings – for the neck, the arm and the finger have been found in areas of Viking occupation. Owen-Crocker states that she thinks that these rings were a more popular form of adornment for Viking women than the wearing of beads [OWEN-CROCKER 2004: p.165]
It does not appear that the wearing of Neck- and arm-rings continued into the 11th century in Scotland. [GRAHAM-CAMPBELL and BATEY 1998: p.237]
Gold was mainly found as finger rings due to cost
Neck rings [V]
Literature
Solid
9th Century southern Scandinavian.
Archaeology
A classic example is from Illebolle, Langeland, Denmark. V2C 147.
Discussion
The spiral ring found along side the neck ring found at Il-lebolle, Langeland, Denmark proves that these rings could be cut up and then worn on the arm. [ROESDHAL 1992:cat. 147].
Intertwined
Thin intertwined metal strands fabricated from (usually two or three) wires of constant thickness. A number of such metal strands are then laid next to each other to form the major motif of the ring.
Twisted
The motif is formed from a single twist of wires. In this case the wires are relatively thick and typically constructed with slowly varying thickness.
Embellished
The motif of thick twisted wires is embellished by a thin wire or a thin twisted wire
Arm rings [V]
All of the styles used as neck rings are also found in a smaller form as arm rings. These are described above under neck rings
Solid
Intertwined
Twisted
Embellished
Danish Plate
Date: C9th
Archaeology
- Denmark, Illebolle, Langeland. Tree of life [ROESDHAL 1992:cat. 147]
Discussion
Found in Denmark with solid neck rings[ROESDHAL 1992:cat. 147]
Danish - Coiled arm-ring
Date: C9th
Archaeology
- Denmark, Illebolle, Langeland. Tree of life [ROESDHAL 1992:cat. 147]
Discussion
Made from cut up solid neck rings [ROESDHAL 1992:cat. 147].
Gotlandic ?
Hiberno-Norse – Broad-band arm-ring
Hiberno-Viking – 850 to 940AD
Also found in Denmark and Norway [GRAHAM-CAMPBELL and SHEEHAN 1995]
Hiberno-Norse (Scots-Norse) - Ring Money
950AD to 1065AD
possibly originating in Ireland [GRAHAM-CAMPBELL and BATEY 1998]
[SHEEHAN and Ó Corráin 2010, p.25]
Hiberno-Norse – Coiled arm-ring
880-930AD [SHEEHAN 1992: p.47]
Archaeology
- Ireland, 26 finds [SHEEHAN 1992]
Hiberno-Norse – Lozenge arm-ring
900-950AD [SHEEHAN 1992: p.47]
Archaeology
- Ireland, 12 finds [SHEEHAN 1992: p.47]
Wire arm-ring
Gold armlet from Virginia, Co. Cavan. British Museum. (BØE 1940, p.104)
Swedish – Rod arm-ring
[SHEEHAN 1992]
Swedish - Coiled arm-ring
Jet
References
SHEEHAN, Coiled Armrings - An Hiberno-Viking Silver Armring Type 1992
OLSEN, Kasper & BOHR, Jakob (2010) Hidden Beauty in Twisted Neck Tings
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