Arm and Neck Rings

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Completion Rating
This article's completion rating is 1 out of 5. Article planned for future work. No real progress to date.

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, Rabylille, Sjaelland. Tree of life [ROESDHAL 1992:cat. 145]
  • Denmark, Illebolle, Langeland.[ROESDHAL 1992:cat. 147]

Discussion
The Illebolle example was found in Denmark with a solid neck ring and two coiled arm rings[ROESDHAL 1992:cat. 147]


Danish - Coiled arm-ring

Date: C9th Archaeology

  • Denmark, Illebolle, Langeland. Tree of life [ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992:cat. 147]

Discussion
Made from cut up solid neck rings [ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992:cat. 147].


Deep Transverse Grooves

The most typical group of Scandinavian arm rings in use from the late Vendel period to the Viking Age [GRAHAM-CAMPBELL 1980:cat.227].
Archaeology

  • Denmark, Brahesminde, Fyn, Denmark. Silver [GRAHAM-CAMPBELL 1980:cat.227]
  • Sweden, Birka. Bronze [GRAHAM-CAMPBELL 1980:cat.228]


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

OLSEN, Kasper & BOHR, Jakob (2010) Hidden Beauty in Twisted Neck Tings
GRAHAM-CAMPBELL and SHEEHAN 1995 <nocite> GRAHAM-CAMPBELL1995 GRAHAM-CAMPBELL1998 OLSEN2010 OWEN-CROCKER2004 ROESDAHL1992 SHEEHAN1992 </nocite> <biblio force=false>#Template:Bib</biblio>