Difference between revisions of "Pins"

Latest revision as of 19:51, 21 February 2017

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

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

Viking Age Compendium articles on Rings & Pins:

Jewellery

Arm and Neck Rings

Finger Rings

Penannulars

Pins

Ringed Pins

Viking Age Compendium articles on Rings & Pins:

Jewellery

Arm and Neck Rings

Finger Rings

Penannulars

Pins

Ringed Pins

Introduction

Pins were probably the most common form of cloak fastening in the Viking Age ^{[GRAHAM-CAMPBELL 1980]:p.30}
Pins classed as dress pins could have been used for a number of purposes including fastening cloaks, securing hair styles or as stylus. ^{[MACGREGOR, MAINMAN & ROGERS 1999]:p.1949}.
^{[OWEN-CROCKER 2004]}
Morris makes the point that wooden pins would not have had the strength of pins made from other materials but would have been quicker and easier to make. ^{[MORRIS 2000]:p.2309}
Hinton points out that there are 'practically' no small dress items made of precious metals after the C10th ^{[HINTON 2005]:p.166}.

Heads

The typology styles 1 to 6 are based on that by Nicola Rogers ^{[Rogers 2009]:p.33}. Styles 7 to 15 have been added by the author. The Irish-sea corpus is usually classified using O'Rahilly's typology [O'Rahilly 1973] summarised by Nicholson and Hill [Nicholson & Hill 1997:p.365]. Both types are included in italics under each heading.

1: Globular (spherical, ball)

Rogers - Type 1; O'Rahilly - Type a (Round)
Archaeology

• England York
  • 6 of iron. 2 with pellets attached to the globular heads ^{[OTTAWAY 1992]:p.693-695}
  • 14 of bone ^{[MACGREGOR, MAINMAN & ROGERS 1999]:p.1948-1949}
• England Flixborough
  • 78 of copper alloy ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.33}
  • 10 of silver ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.70-72}
  • 33 of iron. 12 with lead heads, 2 with glass heads, 19 with iron heads ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.74-77}
• Scotland Ballinaby, Islay. silver ball headed pin in a woman's grave. ^{[HINTON 2005]:p.124}

Discussion
Originate in the early Anglo-Saxon period ^{[OTTAWAY 1992]:p.693}. A long lived type – impossible to separate roman from post roman on typology ^{[MACGREGOR, MAINMAN & ROGERS 1999]:p.1950}. The Flixborough examples date from AD 650-1000.

• 

  Type: Globular

• 
• 

  Kings Lynn

2: Polyhedral

Rogers - Type 2
Archaeology

• England York
  • 2 of iron ^{[OTTAWAY 1992]:p.693}
  • 1 of wood ^{[MORRIS 2000]:p.2309}
• England Flixbourgh
  • 66 of copper alloy ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.33}
  • 1 of silver ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.70-72}
  • 17 of iron ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.74-75}
• Ireland, Lagore Crannog, 1 of wood
• Iceland, Hafurbjarnarstađir. 15cm long silver pin. ^{[HAYEUR SMITH 2003]:p.143-175 cst.13667}

Discussion
Originate in the middle Anglo-Saxon period ^{[OTTAWAY 1992]:p.693}

• 

  Type 2 Polyhedral

• 

  York

3: Biconical

Rogers - Type 3; O'Rahilly - Type g (Club)
Archaeology

• England Flixbourgh
  • 79 of copper alloy ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.33}
  • 20 of iron ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.76-77}

Discussion
--

4: Spiral (Bifurcated)

Rogers - Type 4
Archaeology

• England Flixbourgh
  • 14 of copper alloy ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.33}

Discussion
--

• 

  Type: Spiral

• 

5: Headless

Rogers - Type 5; O'Rahilly - Type e (Undifferentiated)
Archaeology

• England York
  • York, 2 finds of iron ^{[OTTAWAY 1992]:p.695, Cat.3807,3810}
• England Flixbourgh
  • 67 of copper alloy ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.33}

Discussion
--

6: Flat (disc, trapezoid or conical)

Rogers - Types 6 (Disc), 7 (Triangular) & 8 (inverted conical); O'Rahilly - Types b (Squared), c (Disc), d (Rounded)
Archaeology

• England York
  • 2 finds of iron with spirally twisted shanks ^{[OTTAWAY 1992]:p.696, cat.3804,3809}
  • 1 find of bone, disk shaped, late C10th.
• England Flixbourgh
  • 18 of copper alloy Types 6 & 7 ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.33}
  • 1 of silver - disc shaped ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.70-72}

Discussion
--

• 

  Type: Flat

• 

  Type: Flat

• 
• 
• 
• 

7: Flat perforated head

Pins that have perforated heads much in the same manner as a needle but have heads that are deemed to be too large to pass through cloth.
Archaeology

• England York
  • 2 finds of iron ^{[OTTAWAY 1992]:p.695 Cat.3808,3812}
  • 13 of bone, 2 of antler ^{[MACGREGOR, MAINMAN & ROGERS 1999]:p.1951}

Discussion
--

8: Linked

Rogers - Type LIN1, LIN2
Archaeology

• Scotland
  • Whithorn, 2 of Copper-alloy [Nicholson & Hill 1997]:p.369 nos.4 & 5

Discussion
--

9: Miscellaneous

Archaeology

• -
  • -

Discussion
--

• 

  Drumiller Ireland

• 

  Dublin

10: Pig fibulae

Rogers - Type B2
...... including pins that have perforated heads much in the same manner as a needle but have heads that are deemed to be too large to pass through cloth.
Archaeology

• England York
  • York, 61 finds of perforated pig fibulae and 10 finds of unperforated pig fibulae ^{[MACGREGOR, MAINMAN & ROGERS 1999]:p.1950}
  • Flixborough, 8 finds ^{[Rogers 2009]:p.39-40}

Discussion
Many more could be included from York if bone needles with smaller heads were to be included.

• 

  Type: Pig Fibulae

• 

  Dublin

11: Zoomorphic

Archaeology

• England, York, 5 finds, 1 of bone, 4 of unknown. ^{[MACGREGOR, MAINMAN & ROGERS 1999]:p.1949}
• Scotland, Jarlshof. 4 completed bone pins with dragon head aligned to the shaft with open mouths and two part made pins. ^{[MACGREGOR 1985]:p.119[MACGREGOR, MAINMAN & ROGERS 1999]:p.1949[HAYEUR SMITH 2003]:p.173}.
• Iceland, Ymaberg. Bone, dragon head with open mouth, 16.3cm long ^{[HAYEUR SMITH 2003]:p.173 cat.11296}.
• Denmark, Hedeby.
• Frisian
• Scandinavia, 6 finds
• Flixbourgh, 4 of silver ^{[EVANS & LOVELUCK 2009]:p.70-72}

Discussion
Dated to the 9th or 10th century but may have continued into the 12th in Sweden ^{[MACGREGOR, MAINMAN & ROGERS 1999]:p.1949}.
MacGregor notes that the pins found at Jarlshof must have been made in a local workshop [MACGREGOR 2005:p.119]

• 

  Type: Zoomorphic

• 

  Dublin

• 

  Dublin

• 

  Dublin

• 

  Hedeby

12: Shaped

Archaeology

-

Discussion

-

• 

  Jarlshof

• 

  Dublin

13: Large disk

Archaeology

-

Discussion

-

• 

  Ireland

14: Wide

Archaeology

• -

Discussion

-

• 

  Type: Wide

• 

  Type: Wide

• 

  Dublin Whalebone

15: Filigree ball

Archaeology

England, Kent: Gilton Ash

Scotland, Ballinaby

Denmark (old), Thunby-Bienebek ^{[GRAHAM-CAMPBELL 1980]:cat.207}

Denmark (old), Hedeby

Discussion

-

• 

  Ballinaby

• 

  Ballinaby

• 

  Gilton Ash

• 

  Hedeby

Shanks

Introduction

Many pins have been excavated with a bend in the shank. Halpin has put forth the theory that this may be a deliberate feature and may has assisted the pin in keeping two pieces of cloth together.

Round

--

Round with a Swelling

--

Round with a Square Section

--

Square

--

References