Brooches - Viking Paired Styles

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Completion Rating
This article's completion rating is 2 out of 5. Article structure and content is subject to change as data is still being collected.


Oval brooches [V/F]

Oval Brooches

Usually worn in pairs, their purpose is to hold up the Hangerock.

Art
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Literature

  • "Each woman wears on either breast a box of iron, silver, copper or gold; the value of the box indicates the wealth of the husband. Each box has a ring from which depends a knife". Ibn Fadlan's Account of the Rus.

Archaeology
An estimated 4000 are known from all over the Viking world (OWEN and DALLAND 1999, p.68).
Discussion
Disappear in Denmark during the C10th (ROESDAHL 1982)

P25/26


P27/28


P37 - Gripping Beast Style [V/F]

Date: C9th
Includes Petersen types P35, P36, P38, P39
Archaeology

  • All Viking Area’s: 500 copies (Paulsen 1933)
  • Norway: 235 copies from 217 finds (PETERSEN 1928)??

Discussion
P37 is the most common type found at Birka. (OWEN and DALLAND 1999, p.68). Accounts for 3 out of every 5 brooches from Norway and half of those found from the east. (EWING 2007, p.60)

Images: V2C 101a, 101b, 101c, 101d


P42/43/44


P45


P48/49


P51 - Late Oseberg Style - Double Shelled [V/F]

Date: Early C10th Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

  • All Viking Area’s: 1000 copies
  • Norway: 469 copies from 310 finds

Discussion
Most common form of brooch.

Images: VAC 118


P52/55 - Baroque Style [V/F]

Date: C10th. An eastern style that is rarely found in the west.
P52 are open work with a double shell. P55 are cheaper copies cast in one piece.
Art
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Literature
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Archaeology
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Discussion
Very common in the east, 25% of finds. Not usually found in the west. (EWING 2007, p.60)

Images

P52 Open – VAC 119, VAC 120, VAC 121
P55 Solid -


P57 - Jellinge Style [V/F]

Equal armed brooches [V/F]

Not found after the C9th in Denmark (ROESDAHL 1982, p.129)

P58, P59, P60, P61

R658

P64/R659 Troms Type

(P63, P65, P66)
Date: 9th century
Archaeology

  • Scar, Scotland (OWEN and DALLAND 1999, p.68) – Northern Norway?

Discussion
4 have been found with oval brooch type P37 (OWEN and DALLAND 1999, p.68).

R660

P68, P68, P69, P70

P71, P72, P73, P74

P75, P76, P77, P78

P79, P80, P81, P82, P83

Gotland brooches [V/F]

Animal-head

Gotland only. Sometimes found in 3’s (EWING 2007, p.60) (ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992, p.192, 300 cat.274)

Drum Shaped

(ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992, p.254 cat.104)

Trefoil brooches [V/F]

Date:Pre 930AD, Roesdhal?

Archaeology
Discussion
Usually decorated in leaf decoration, they are based on the trefoil harness mounts from Germany. The design became so popular that they were locally produced throughout Scandinavia. They were produced in gold, silver and copper alloy. (MARGESEN 1997, p.16-18)
Could be worn either pointing upwards or downwards (EWING 2007, p.62)
Trefoil brooches seem to have taken over from Oval brooches in the Viking colonies in England. (MARGESEN 1997, p.16)

Small lozenge-shaped brooch [V]

(MARGESEN 1997, p.20 Fig.21)

Small convex round brooches [V/F]

Brooch back Viking.jpg

900-954AD dated by coins in Birka
Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

  • Norfolk, England, 7 finds (MARGESEN 1997, p.21)
  • Birka, Sweden, 56 finds (ARWIDSSON 1984, p.58-74)

Discussion
Is widespread in the Viking homelands with an especially large concentration in Birka. (MARGESEN 1997, p.21)
Between 2.4 to 3.4cm (1” - 1½”) become common in Birka in the C10th. About half of them are positioned above the level of the twin oval brooches. Probably fastened the neck of the linen under shift. (EWING 2007, p.61)
At Birka - between 2.4 to 3.4cm (1” - 1½”), 900-954AD.
Scandinavian brooches have an extra lug on the reverse that in some cases were found with an iron ring through it. The ring could of been used to suspend the brooch as a pendant or alternately to suspend other objects.
Scandinavian fastening style with a pair of lugs to hold the needle, Needles are usually made of iron but a few copper-alloy examples were found 6 from children graves, 3 in double graves (male & female), 38 with oval brooches, 2 with equal armed brooches, 5 with a trefoil brooch, 22 with a large round brooch, 1 with a silver pennanular. (ARWIDSSON 1984, p.58-74)
Only women’s graves?

Birka Type I-IV Cast gilt copper-alloy

{{evidence |Archaeology =

  • Birka 47 finds – 46 are copper-alloy, 1 is silver, the gold plated.
  • Type I - Jelling,
    • 13 finds, ? from Sweden (3 from Birka), ? from Denmark, 1 from Russia, 1 from England (Chester), 1 from Dublin
  • Type II - Borre beasts and knotwork.
    • 57 finds, 41 from Sweden, 3 from Norway, 7 from Russia, 1 from Finland, 5 from Denmark
  • Type III - Borre knotwork,
    • 8 finds, 6 from Sweden, 2 from Denmark. Type IIIe is possibly based on the English swastika style knot work.
  • Type IV - filigree.
    • 20 finds, 17 from Sweden, 1 from Norway, 1 from Finland, 1 from Russia.

Birka Type V Silver sheet - filigree

{{evidence |Archaeology =

  • Birka 9 finds.
  • over 50 examples from Denmark, Sweden and Gotland.

|Discussion= Filigree brooches are made thus: the front plate was cut to shape and relief decoration imprinted by a bronze die. Sometimes a plain back-plate was affixed. Finally filigree and granules were soldered to the front plate raised features. (ROESDAHL 1982, p.105)
‘Patrices’ were used to achieve the basic convex shape. Made of bronze with raised relief. The silver sheet was placed on a yielding base and the Patrice hammered into it. (ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992, p.254 cat.105,106)

Birka Type VI Silver sheet – punched and stamped

{{evidence |Archaeology =

  • 11 finds, 3 from Gotland, 7 from Sweden, 1 from Russia. Type VI are similar and may have been based on English prototypes with their 5 raised rivets.

Large convex round brooches [V/F]

Dated from 900 to 954 on coins from Birka
Birka 5cm (2”) - open work 7cm (2 ¾”) - below or between the oval brooches. (EWING 2007, p.61)

Clasps are different from English brooches. The pin is held by two lugs and an additional third lug is often present, sometimes with an attached wire ring.
Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

  • Birka
    • 32 from Birka, 4.5 - 7.3cm, Found in position that suggests that they were used to close either the cloak or coats of women. All cast from copper alloy except for only one brooch was made from thin silver sheet and was smaller, 4.1cm. It was found on the chest and was probably still used to close a cloak or coat. Similar to small round brooches, needle arrangement and mostly gold plated. Some have an additional back plate. Also had the additional lug with occasional wire hoops attached. Centered around Sweden, typically Swedish. 2 in childrens graves, 5 in double graves, 26 found with oval brooches, 23 with small round brooches. [ARWIDSSON 1984: p.75-84]

Discussion
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Birka Type I-IV Cast gilt copper-alloy

Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

  • Type I - Jelling,
    • 13 finds, 4 from Sweden, 3 from Gotland, 4 from Norway, 1 from Denmark, 1 from Russia
  • Type II – Borre beasts and knotwork ,
    • 99 finds, 68 from Sweden, 16 from Russia, 13 from Norway, 1 from Iceland, 1 from Finland
  • Type III- Borre knotwork,
    • 8 finds, 7 from Sweden 1 from Denmark

Discussion
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Birka Type V Silver & gold sheet

Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

  • Type V- Filigree,
    • 1 find of silver, Nonnebakken, Denmark (ROESDAHL 1982, p.190)
    • 2 finds of gold , Hornelund, Denmark c.1000AD (ROESDAHL 1982, p.105) (ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992, p.254 cat.107)
  • Type VI - Punched and stamped,
    • 1 find of silver, Birka, Sweden (ARWIDSSON 1984) smaller than normal at 4.1cm.

Discussion
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