Rope and Cordage

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Viking Age Compendium articles on Crafts:
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Rope and Cordage
Viking Age Compendium articles on Crafts:
VA Example.jpg
Rope and Cordage

Rope was generally made from whatever stout, flexible fibre was available locally [WALTON ROGERS 1997]:p.1719. Roesdahl says that the remains of ropes and nets that have been found are always made of bast. For example of the 291 pieces of bast rope and netting at Hedeby 85% were oak, 13% lime, 1% willow and 1% other trees [ROESDAHL 1982]:p.100. Of the 6 oak bast fragments found in the harbour at Hedeby most were plied but one was plaited [HAGG 1984]:p.262 ff.
In the settlement at Hedeby three cords made from other material were found:

The first is a now almost dissolved cord made from dark cattle hair. In the original report from 1953 it was said to have been made of three plied yarns of 5mm diameter. The cord was then placed between the planks of the ship with the rivet holes going through the cord.
The second example was a simple woollen cord of about 4-6mm diameter.
The last are the remains of a knot made from wool and bast. The knot consists of a thick cord made of multiple woollen threads that are tied around a rope made from wood bast. Only a small hooped fragment of the rope remains. [HAGG 1991]:p.110


In York, Coppergate 16-22 a fair amount of cords were found. 13 cords had a diameter of 3mm or more. 7 of the 13 finds were made of plied or cabled wool and ranged from 3mm to 5mm, one example was 8mm in diameter. The 6 remaining examples were made of vegetable fibre, most likely bast, and ranged from 5mm to 9mm. It would seem that the thicker cords are made of bast, while the thinner examples are made of wool. [WALTON 1989]:p.432f. 10 examples of ropes were also found at Coppergate, York, they do however all date to the 12th and 13th centuries. 8 of the 10 ropes are made from “common haircap moss” (Polytrichum commune) the other two are made of untreated flax stems. Those made of hair moss were made of 3 strand plaits, while the flax ones were plied. Both the flax examples had a diameter of 10mm, while the hair moss ropes ranged from 25mm to 40mm in diameter (one was to fragmented to measure). One of the hair moss examples was only a bundle of stems, some still with leaves. [WALTON 1989]:p.441f. Another example of cords found at A Toftanesi, Leirvik on the Faroe Islands were made of twinned Juniper branches, which were used as handles for the barrels and ropes for the roof stones [ARGE 2008]:p.581.


Art
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Literature

  • The account of the Norwegian chieftain Ohthere (ca. 890 AD) mentions ships ropes, 60 ells long, made of walrus hide and seal skins. [ROESDAHL 1982]:p.101 [ZACHRISSON 2008]:P.35

Archaeology

  • England, York, Coppergate 16-22. 10th & 11th Centuries [WALTON 1989]:p.432f.
    • 1269: Wool, dark brown plied, 8mm diam., 40mm long
    • 1274: Wool, Tightly plied mid brown cord, 3-4mm diam, 0.28m long
    • 1275: Wool, plied cord, average 4mm diam, 0.26m long. Hoop at one end.
    • 1276: Wool, mid brown cord, 3mm diam.
    • 1312: Wool, cabled cord 175mm long, 5mm diam. Dyed with madder
    • 1337: Vegetable fibre, plied, 65mm long, 8mm wide
    • 1338: Vegetable (bast?) 5 pieces, maybe from a 5 ply cord. 5mm diam.
    • 1339: Vegetable (bast?), semi-rigid. 9mm diam.
    • 1370: Vegetable fibre, plied. 90mm long, 6mm diam.
    • 1383: Wool, cabled. 125mm long, 4mm diam.
    • 1384: Wool, cables. 180mm long, 4mm diam.
    • 1405: Vegetable (bast?) Plied 100mm long, 5mm diam.
    • 1406: Vegetable bast fibre, 180mm long, 5mm diam.
  • England, York, Coppergate 16-22. 12th & 13th Centuries [Walton 1989:p.441f.]
    • 1446: Untreated flax stems, plied rope,. 200mm long, 10mm diam.
    • 1447: Hair moss, 3 strand plait,. 270mm long, 25mm diam.
    • 1448: Hair moss, two 3 strands plaits. 280mm & 125mm long, 40mm diam.
    • 1449: Hair moss, 3 strand plait. 200mm long, 30mm diam.
    • 1450: Hair moss, 3 strand plait now broken.
    • 1451: Hair moss, 3 strand plait. 170mm long, 25mm diam.
    • 1452: Hair moss, 3 strand plait. 230mm long, 30mm diam.
    • 1453: Hair moss, 3 strand plait. 200mm long, 40mm diam.
    • 1454: Untreated flax stems, 3-ply rope. 100mm long, 10mm diam.
    • 1455: Hair moss, bundle of stems some still with leaves. 140mm long, 15mm diam.
  • Hedeby
  • Faroe Islands, Leirvik, Toftanesi [ARGE 2008]:p.581
    • twinned Juniper branches

Discussion
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See Also

Fishing in Viking Age Britain

References

Arge, Simun V. (2008) 'The Faroe Islands'. In Brink, Stefan (ed.) (2008) The Viking World. [ARGE 2008] ^ 1 2 *
Hagg, Inga (1984) Die Textilfunde aus dem Hafen von Haithabu. [The Textile Finds from the Port of Hedeby]. Hedeby-Ausgrabungen in Haithabu [HAGG 1984] ^ *
Hagg, Inga (1991) Textilfunde aus der Siedlung und aus den Grabern von Haithabu. [Textile Finds from the Settlement and from the Graves of Hedeby]. Hedeby-Ausgrabungen in Haithabu [HAGG 1991] ^ *
Roesdahl, Else (1982) Viking Age Denmark. British Museum. [ROESDAHL 1982] ^ 1 2 *
Walton, Penelope (1989) Textiles, Cordage and Raw Fibre from 16-22 Coppergate. York Archaeological Trust: 17/05 [WALTON 1989] ^ 1 2 3 *
Walton Rogers, Penelope (1997) Textile Production at 16-22 Coppergate. York Archaeological Trust: 17/11 [WALTON ROGERS 1997] ^ *
Zachrisson, Inger (2008) 'The Sami and their interaction with the Nordic peoples'. In Brink, Stefan (ed.) (2008) The Viking World. [ZACHRISSON 2008] ^ *