Belts (Women)

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Viking Age Compendium articles on Belts and Tags:

Jewellery

Jewellery

Strap Ends

Strap Ends

Buckles

Buckles

Belts (Men)

Belts (Men)

Hooked Tags

Hooked Tags

Jewellery

Jewellery

Strap Ends

Strap Ends

Buckles

Buckles

Belts (Men)

Belts (Men)

Hooked Tags

Hooked Tags

No Belts

Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

• Sweden, Birka. From the 94 female graves that contained textile remains, Geijer states “not the slightest trace of a belt could be found” ^{(GEIJER 1938 p.138)}.
  

Discussion
In Birka 21 female graves were found with 'eastern style belt parts'. Some of these were strap ends with others being studs and trefoils. All of them were converted to be worn as jewellery and were not used for their original purpose ^{(JANSSON 1986 p.80)}. Examples include Graves bj.838 ^{(ARBMAN 1940 Taf.95.4a,4b)} and bj.557 ^{(ARBMAN 1940 :Taf.96.1a,1b)}.
Also in Birka 3 female cremations were found with some parts of western style belts ^{(MALARSTEDT 1986 :p.109)}. Graves, bj.29 strap end ^{(ARBMAN 1940 Taf.86.9)}, bj.158b strap holder ^{(ARBMAN 1940 Taf86.16a,16b)} and bj.456 a unique style of buckle ^{(ARBMAN 1940 Taf.86.7)}.

Cloth Sash

Art
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Literature
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Archaeology
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Discussion
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Braided or tablet woven textile belt

Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

• Isle of Man, St. Patrick's Isle. 'Pagan Library'. A possible tablet woven belt ^{(FREKE 2002)}.
  

Discussion
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Leather Belt

Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

• England
  • Cumwhitton, Grave 2. ^{(PATERSON 2014)}
• Scotland
  • Kneep (Cnip). Hiberno-Norse style buckle and strap end. The strap end was found across the lower left ribcage. Possible leather remains between the copper-alloy plates. ^{(WELANDER, BATEY & COWIE 1987)}
  • Valtos. Buckle ^{(MACLEOD 1916 p.181-189) (GRIEG 1940 p.75-77) (WELANDER, BATEY & COWIE 1987 :p.170)}
    

Discussion
Currently the only evidence we have for women wearing leather belts with metal fittings is from the Norwegian Viking inhabited areas of Scotland and England.

• 
  England, Cumwhitton
• 
  Scotland, Kneep (Cnip)
• 
  Scotland, Valtos

Reference

Arbman, Holger (1940) Birka 1b Die Graber: Tafeln. [The Graves: Plates] Birka, Kungliga Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien: Ib

 ^{(ARBMAN 1940)}

Freke, David (ed.) (2002) Excavations on St. Patrick's Isle, Peel, Isle of Man 1982-88. Prehistoric, Viking, Medieval and Later.

 ^{(FREKE 2002)}

Geijer, Agnes (1938) Birka III - Die Textilfunde Aus den Grabern. [The Textile finds from the Graves] Birka, Kungliga Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien: III

 ^{(GEIJER 1938)}

Grieg, Sigurd (1940) Viking Antiquities in Scotland. Edited by Haakon Shetelig. (Available Online) Viking Antiquities in Great Britain and Ireland: Part 2

 ^{(GRIEG 1940)}

Jansson, Ingmar (1986) 'Guertel und Guertelzubehoer vom Orientalischen Typ'. In

Arwidsson, Greta (ed.) (1986) Birka II:2 Systematische Analysen der Graberfunde. [Systematic Analysis of the Graves Findings] Birka, Kungliga Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien: II:2

 ^{(JANSSON 1986)}

MacLeod, D. J. (1916) 'An Account of a Find of Ornaments of the Viking Time for Valtos, Uig, in the Island of Lewis. With a Detailed Description of the Objects and a Note upon the Find.' (Available Online) The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland: Vol.50

 ^{(MACLEOD 1916)}

Malarstedt, Hilkka (1986) 'Uebriger Guertelzubehoer'. In

Arwidsson, Greta (ed.) (1986) Birka II:2 Systematische Analysen der Graberfunde. [Systematic Analysis of the Graves Findings] Birka, Kungliga Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien: II:2

 ^{(MALARSTEDT 1986)}

Paterson, Caroline; Parsons, Adam J.; Newman, Rachel M.; Johnson, Nick and Howard Davis, Christine (2014) Shadows in the Sand. Excavation of a Viking-Age Cemetery at Cumwhitton, Cumbria.

 ^{(PATERSON 2014)}

Welander, R.D.E., Colleen Batey, and T.G. Cowie. (1987) A Viking burial from Kneep, Uig, Isle of Lewis. pp.149-174. (Available Online) The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland: Vol.117

 ^{(WELANDER, BATEY & COWIE 1987)}