200711v1a GotlandResearchAndReplica Copyright Laura E Storey

VIKING AGE GOTLAND RESEARCH & REPLICA WOMEN'S BEADS

Laura E. Storey © 2006-7 of 18 Lady Iohanna filia Iacobi

[email protected] version 1a (Nov 2007) Kingdom of Atlantia

Introduction This document provides the reader / course attendee with an overview of research sources and

methods for approaching Viking Age Gotland finds, with a focus on researching and recreating pärlgarnityr (Gotlander woman’s brooch beads). Research guidelines include sources, methods,

Swedish terms, and step-by-step instructions for using online resources. Replica description includes an overview of the iterative design development, lessons learned between versions of the project, expected outcome from current iteration, and resources for materials used.

Summary of Topics Topics include the following:

• Comparison of Gotland and mainland Norse material culture.

• Detailed description of online sources author for researching jewelry, accessories, and beads.

• Survey of process and materials used to iteratively develop a set of Gotland woman’s beads.

Historical Context: Time and Place The area of focus both for the research materials and the recreated Gotland woman’s beads in this document is the island of Gotland, the largest in the Baltic Sea, just off the coast of modern day Sweden. The target time frame is the Viking Age, roughly between the 8th and 11th century CE, with a focus on 9th and 10th century sites near Visby, Gotland. As appropriate, comparisons to mainland Norse sources are included to contrast with Gotland’s unique material culture.

Document Contents Gotland vs. Mainland Material Culture ....................................................................................... 2

Researching Gotland’s Small Finds ........................................................................................... 6

Pärlgarnityr Research and Development (My Beads!)...............................................................10

Necessary Items for Making Pärlgarnityr...................................................................................14

Annotated Sources ...................................................................................................................16

Author / Instructor Contact Information Should you have any questions, comments, and/or additional sources, please contact:

Lady Iohanna filia Iacobi

Barony of Ponte Alto

Kingdom of Atlantia

MKA Laura E. Storey

[email protected]

http://www.feochadan.com/

Apprentice to Maestra Giuliana Salviati

Torre della Croce

VIKING AGE GOTLAND – RESEARCH & REPLICA WOMEN'S BEADS



Gotland vs. Mainland Material Culture Comparison of Gotland and mainland Norse material culture.

Harbors, Traders, Farmers, and Wealth Figure 1 provides a sense of Gotland’s place in Viking Age Europe: in the Baltic Sea, a bit closer to modern day Sweden than to Latvia, Gotland’s many harbors served as trade centers. Grave and hoard finds speak to extensive wealth: women were buried with unique jewelry (Figure 2), and the island is home to the largest size and greatest quantity of Viking Age silver hoards (Figure 3). Large quantities of Arab coins suggest trade routes to Baghdad; runic memorial stones suggest some Gotlanders may have traveled the coins’ path on the “Silver-Fur Road” to the East. The bildstenen (picture stones) dotting Gotland’s landscape are often cited as sources for Norse ship and sail designs, clothing, and activities (Figure 4).

Figure 1. Google Maps image of modern Visby, Gotland, Sweden. Google © 2007.

Figure 2. Drawing of Grave 7,

Slite Harbor; female inhumation

site excavated in 1916 (Carlsson

Jewellry 1).

Figure 3. Some of the approx. 165

pound Spillings silver hoard; over

14,200 Arabic coins. (Carlsson)

Figure 4. Figures on picture stone

(Historiska Museet inv. 13127).




Women’s Clothing and Accessories: Gotland vs. Mainland While Gotlander female inhumation finds provide a palette of distinct accessories, information about Gotland’s clothing styles is sparse. While Ewing and others suggest that Gotlander women wore mainland styles with their unique brooches and beads, Carlsson states a greater similarity to Eastern Baltic styles:

“It can clearly be seen that in the Viking Age, as well as long before that, Gotland is more

closely connected to the Eastern Baltic area then with the rest of Sweden and the western

part of the Viking world. Many items of jewellery and other objects on Gotland have no

connections to mainland Sweden, something that is clearly demonstrated in most forms of

artefacts.” (Jewellry 16)

Carlsson also reproduces an image from the Council of Europe’s From Viking to Crusader catalog that suggests Gotland dresses were distinct compared to mainland styles (see Figure 5, an excerpt from the larger diagram discussing distribution of the brooch styles across Viking sites).

Looking at the “Gotland woman” on the left in Figure 5, the dress appears to have a closed shoulder, rather than over-the-shoulder straps terminating in the brooches as typical for the style of the “Scandinavian woman” (understood to be mainland Swedish styles; see Ewing, Ward, and Orton). Note also the placement of a separate tool brooch on the Gotland woman: at the bottom of the rib cage, with tools suspended to mid-thigh, rather than from a brooch.

In all three examples, the dress brooches and beads appear different from what the author has seen in most reenactors’ wardrobes; in practice, the brooch placement may affect the wearer’s ability to breastfeed, cook, use tools, etc. and the scholars’ guess is off.

The wardrobe information provided in Figure 5 is incomplete, likely intentionally as the diagram’s focus was brooch finds, not clothing. The women’s outer layers, head coverings, etc. are not clearly defined.

NOTE: To date, there is no published information specific to

Gotland’s textiles; while correspondence with Carlsson has yielded a couple of names, J-STOR

and other scholarly sources have not yielded any articles.

Figure 5. Image comparing Gotland, Scandinavian, and

Finnish women’s dress and brooch styles, reproduced from

the From Viking to Crusader catalog (Carlsson Jewellry 7).

NOTE: The limited availability of From Viking to Crusader and Carlsson’s incomplete citation (i.e., no page or figure number) has hampered attempts

to locate the adjacent / descriptive text accompanying this image in the source.




Uniquely Gotland: Brooches, Bead Spreaders, Pendants, and Pins The following provides a brief summary of the uniquely Gotlandic accessories found in women’s graves, as described extensively in Carlsson’s materials, bear head brooches and bead spreaders are commonly found in Viking Age female Gotlander grave sites; “fish head” beads, rock crystal pendants, and dress pins are other distinct element of female grave finds.

NOTE: Images of extants are provided for each item. Citations for images from the Historiska Museet’s online artifact database include inventory ID numbers.

Animal Head Brooches (djurhuvudformat spännen)

Pairs of animal head brooches – worn “nose up” – are found in Gotlander women’s graves in positions similar to the oval brooches on mainland Sweden. Carlsson, Ewing, and others suggest that these brooches were used in the same manner as mainland brooches: to secure the woman’s dress. See Figure 7.

Box Brooch (dosformat spänne)

Carlsson’s female grave site reports often contain a single “box” brooch; some finds include coins or similar valuables wrapped in cloth and held in the concave interior of the brooch. See Figure 8.

Bead Spreaders (pärlspridaren)

Many female graves yield a pair of bead spreaders and a large quantity of beads, sometimes over 100 individual beads (Carlsson, Rundkvist). The bead spreaders are “T” shaped metal with a series of holes piercing the “leg” of the T, allowing strands of beads to be suspended in a series of spaced strands, and often decoration on the top “plane” of the T. See Figure 9.

“Fish Heads” (fiskhuvudformade hängen)

Some of the Gotland bead finds include a row of metal “fish” bead, typically bronze and often gilded / silvered; the hole is the “fish eye” (see Figure 6). Later period finds yield one or two fish head beads reworked into brooches or pendants (see Figure 10).

Figure 6. "Fish head" bronze pendants with scored bands. (Historiska Museet inv. 2593)

Figure 7. Extant animal head brooch:

bronze with gold and silver detail.

(Historiska Museet inv. 4645)

Figure 8. Extant box brooch.


Figure 9. Extant nine-hole bronze bead

spreaders. (Historiska Museet inv. 4185)

Figure 10. Extant pin made of fish-head

pendants. (Historiska Museet inv 10462)




Brooch Bead Set (pärlgarnityr)

Organic material used to strand the member elements of the brooch beads decayed in the grave sites, leaving the placement of the individual beads up to the archaeologists’ and curators’ judgment. See Figure 12.

Rock Crystal Lenses (bergkristall hängen)

Rock crystal and natural stone “lenses” mounted for use as pendants are typically not integrated into the brooch beads. See Figure 13.

Dress Pins / “Needles” (dräktnålar)

Pairs of pins with one or more holes are found along the neckline in female graves (see Figure 14). Per Carlsson, dress pin use is unclear; he cites Thunmark’s suggestion shown in Figure 11 (Jewellry 12). Note the heads of the dress pins are pointed down, and the strand wraps up and around the points.

NOTE: Carlsson does not provide information regarding whether or not dress pins are found with

animal head brooches and/or brooch bead sets, nor does Carlsson provide detail as to whether the dress pins were used on an outer layer (e.g., cloak or coat)

or on the dress layer. Figure 2 shows a grave with animal head brooches and dress pins.

Figure 11. Suggested use / wearing of dress pins with strand of

beads, based on Thunmark. (Carlsson Jewellry 12).

Tool Brooch (redskapsspänne)

Tool brooches – some with fragments or lengths of chain attached – are typically found below the ribcage and above the knee. Adjacent items (e.g., small knife and/or key) may have been attached by chain or organic cording. See Figure 15.

Oddities and Exceptions

A few animal head brooches have chain attached; see Figure 16. Some graves have a third animal head

brooch placed similarly to box brooch in other sites.

Figure 12. Restranded extant brooch

beads found in Grötlingbo Parish.


Figure 13. Extant rock crystal lens set

in silver. (Historiska Museet inv. 8315)

Figure 14. Extant bronze dress pins.


Figure 15. Extant bronze tool brooch.


Figure 16. Extant bronze animal head

brooch with chain (Historiska Museet

inv. 1892)




Researching Gotland’s Small Finds Detailed description of sources and methods author has identified to date for researching Gotland,

including the online resources.

Despite Gotland’s unique material culture, all too often “Viking” books gloss over and/or lump Gotland in with generalizations about Norse culture and dress. While textile finds in Birka and material finds in Oseberg and Jorvik are informative about Norse culture at large and those regions particularly, it may be “stretching” to apply common clothing styles across distinct subcultures and confluence points.

Online Sources Several online resources provide extensive text and image sources for Gotland research: ArkeoDok providing the archaeological record, Fröjel providing the personal support, and the Historiska Museet providing the museum-grade images and provenance for extant pieces.

Table 1. Online Sources

NAME AND URL DESCRIPTION AND URL

ArkeoDok

http://www.arkeodok.com/

Professor Dan Carlsson’s site providing ready access to archaeological reports for Gotland sites, particularly near Visby. Many materials are available for free download; a selection is offered in English. Online store provides objects based on extant Gotland finds; e.g., bear head and box brooches.

Fröjel Gotlandica Viking Re-enactment Society

http://www.frojel.com/

Extensive but poorly documented photo galleries of extant objects, as well as some reenactment events. Site owner Sandy Sempel is very responsive via email and was vital to the research and recreation of the pärlgarnityr (brooch beads) project.

Historiska Museet

http://www.historiska.se/

Limited content in English. Best content in Swedish for Viking Age permanent exhibitions; click links as follows to access: Utställningar > Fasta utställningar > Vikingar

Historiska Museet database

http://www.historiska.se/data/

Swedish language only. Database query interface providing ready access to museum’s artifact archives. Many entries include images, provenance, and find location details.

NOTE: Two elusive sources may offer additional scholarly content: Callmer’s Trade Beads in Scandinavia and The Council of Europe’s From Viking to Crusader.




Historiska Museet Database: How to Use and Key Terms The following sections provide step-by-step instructions for using the Historiska Museet’s online database query page and select terms used on the interface.

NOTE: One of the database developers – Ny Björn Gustafsson – is a member of the Norsefolk_2

Yahoo! Group and posted basic instructions to the group in March 2007.

Query for Viking Age Artifacts from Gotland

Follow these steps to view the Historiska Museet’s database query page and return Gotland artifacts dating to the Viking Age:

1. Launch the web browser of your choice.

2. Open the following URL: http://mis.historiska.se/mis/sok/sok.asp The Sök i Historiska museets samlingar (Search the Historiska Museet’s Collection) page is displayed.

3. Click on / select a Föremålsbilder (Object Images) link to return image results (link on left in navigation, pick list at top of content area, or link at bottom of list in content area). The Sök i samlingarna – föremålsbild (Search the Collection – Images) page is displayed.

4. From the Landskap (Province) pick list, select Gotland to narrow search results to artifacts from Gotland (fourth item on left side of content area). The page will refresh.

5. From both Datering (Date Range) pick lists, under Järnålder > Yngre järnålder, select vikingatid to narrow search results to the Viking Age (last fields on right side of content area). The selections should match those shown in Figure 17 (see next page).

6. Click the Sök (Search) button to initiate the database query. The Sökresultat bilder (Image Search Results) page displays the query results.

7. To filter the displayed results, select a term from the Välj sakord (Choose an item) pick list and click the Filtrera (Filter) button. See below for artifact terms.) The search results will be filtered (typically reduced in quantity) based on your selection.




Completed Query Page

The following figure captures the database search screen as populated via the steps above. Search results returned will be for Viking Age items found on Gotland.

Figure 17. Historiska Museet’s database query web page, showing Gotland Viking Age selection criteria.

Swedish Terms: Selected Terms on Historiska Museet Database Query Pages

The following table outlines the terms (i.e., fields and values) used to narrow the search results to Gotland artifacts dating to the Viking Age.

Table 2. Swedish Terms: Historiska Museet Database Pages

SWEDISH TERM ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION / DEFINITION

#-talet date range where # is the century: “the # hundreds.” E.g., “1000-talet” is “the 10-hundreds” or the 9th century CE

Datering date range; label for Från and Till pick lists

Filtrera Filter (button)

Föremål return artifact text (link on left / bottom, pick list at top)

Föremålsbilder return artifact images (link on left / bottom, pick list at top)

Från start of date range; i.e., “from” (Datering pick list)

Landskap province of artifact site; e.g., Gotland, Lappland, etc.

Sök Search (button)

Till end of date range; i.e., “to” (Datering pick list)

Välj sakord list of descriptive terms associated with artifacts in results set

vikingatid Viking Age time period (Datering pick list value)

Typ list of attributes; e.g., “redskap” for tool, “brons” (see terms)




Swedish Terms: Beads, Jewelry, and Related Artifacts

The following terms are used both on the Historiska Museet database query results page and in Swedish languages sources (e.g., Carlsson’s site reports).

Table 3. Swedish Terms: Beads, Jewelry, and Related Artifacts

SWEDISH TERM ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION / DEFINITION

ametist amethyst (e.g., “parlä ametist” is an amethyst bead)

armbygel armband (e.g., “armbygel brons” is a bronze armband)

bärnsten amber (e.g., “parlä bärnsten” is an amber bead)

ben bone (e.g., “parlä ben” is a bone bead)

bergkristall rock crystal (e.g., “bergkristall hänge” is a rock crystal pendant)

brons bronze (e.g., “parlä brons” is a bronze bead)

djurhuvudformat spänne animal-head-shaped brooch

dosformat spänne box-shaped brooch

dräktnål (dräktnålar) dress pin (literally, needle)

fiskhuvudformade hänge fish-head-shaped pendant

glas glass (e.g., “parlä glas” is a glass bead)

guld gold (e.g., “parlä guld” is a gold bead)

halvädelsten “natural” stone (e.g., “halvädelsten hänge” is a stone pendant)

hänge (hängen) pendant

järn iron (e.g., “dräktnålar järn” is an iron dress pin)

kalksten limestone

karneol carnelian (e.g., “parlä karneol” is a carnelian bead)

kedja chain (e.g., “kedja brons” is bronze chain)

parlä (parlor) bead; also pearl, treasure

pärlgarnityr brooch beads with spreaders (e.g., “pärlgarnityr: pärlspridare med 6 rader pärlor” is a set of women’s brooch beads with a pair of spreaders and six strands of beads)

pärlspridare (pärlspridaren) bead spreader

redskap (redskapen) tool

redskapsspänne tool brooch

snäcka (snäckskal) shell (e.g., “parlä snäcka” is a shell bead)

snöre string, twine, thread (e.g., “Parlgarnityr: Pärlor på snore” is a strand of beads from a bead spreader / brooch bead set)

spänne (spännen) brooch (e.g., “dosformat spänne” is a box-shaped brooch)

sten (stenen, stenar) stone, rock (e.g., “bildsten” is a picture stone)




Pärlgarnityr Research and Development (My Beads!) Survey of recreating a set of pärlgarnityr (Gotland woman’s brooch beads), from materials and

assembly to current iteration and lessons learned.

Versions 1 to 3: A Necklace … Man’s? Treasure? Hoard? Version 1 started in August 2006 with a desire to make a man’s necklace: this was quickly set aside, as nearly all sources – conversations, grave reports, and online resources – stated that men did not wear more than perhaps a dozen beads, and were typically buried with only a few beads / amulets. My hoard of silver, amber, stone, and antique handmade glass beads called for further research and design.

Version 2 was inspired by Ward’s “Treasure Necklace” article and images in The History of Beads: a treasure necklace. Using the Hoen hoard necklace (Figure 18) and suggestions on Ward’s site, I temporarily stranded the silver, amber, and glass beads – translucent as well as “God’s eye”, chevron, and lampworked beads – with six Arab coins some stone beads, and rings of beads on silver wire (stone and coral, snowflake quartz, and amethyst). The resulting strand was approximately 40” long.

Version 3 was the result of deeper, more detailed research and sources. Peterson’s abstract of Callmer’s Trade Beads data for rock beads triggered changes in the quantity and type of stone beads I used: of 13,994 beads in 270 finds cataloged by Callmer, only three amethyst beads were found in two sites; carnelian and rock crystal appeared in greater quantities. Based on this and additional information from NorseFolk2 members and various websites, I removed the silver ring with the amethyst and the snowflake quartz rings from the hoard strand.

Figure 18. Hoen hoard

necklace (Ward Treasure).

Figure 19. Necklace held by

Historiska Museet.

Version 4.0: Work in Progress – Viking Woman’s Brooch Beads Version 4.0 started in September 2006, after Sandy Sempel responded to my post to the Norsefolk_2 list, and I “discovered” Gotland through the Fröjel Gotlandica Viking Re-Enactment Society image galleries of extants held in the Visby Museum (see Figures 20, 21, and 22) and Professor Dan Carlsson’s ArkeoDok and Fröjel Discovery Programme sites.

Figure 20. Extant bead set held in

Visby. (Fröjel Gotlandica)

Figure 21. Extant bead set with

fish-heads. (Fröjel Gotlandica)

Figure 22. Extant animal head

brooches and bead spreaders. (FG)




Per Carol Glover, extant beads are typically not found stranded in situ – the stranding material very often has decayed and is difficult to reconstruct. In her experience, loose beads may be stranded by curators / preservationists to facilitate display and may not reflect the grouping and relative position of the beads as found during excavation. She suggested finding excavation reports for a better understanding of the context of the finds; Carlsson’s ArkeoDok site provided many excavation reports and surveys of finds in Visby, Gotland.

Retaining some of the bead placement of the hoard strand, I restrung the beads into a set of five graduated strands on waxed linen cord (heavy thread). I occasionally knotted the strands to both space the beads well and hopefully prevent loss of more than a couple of beads should a strand ever break. I used a pair of small three-hole bone bead separators to emulate those shown in Sempel’s Visby Museum photos, despite the limitations of the bone spreaders: they are not as long as the extants, do not support as many strands, and were not bronze. I fed the ends of two strands through each of the bottom holes on the spreader; the top hole supported one strand. Based on extant English braids in Crowfoot and methods described by Goslee, I braided the ends of the five strands into a five-plait braid in preparation for later attachment to brooches.

For display at two events in September 2006, I used a dress form as a “body” to emulate placement of beads in the grave finds per Carlsson and other ArkeoDok sources.

Figure 23. Closeup of version 4.0 beads: five strands into three-hole

bone spreaders pinned in-context on dress form “body.” (Storey)

Figure 24. Version 4.0 beads (Storey)

Figure 25. Version 4.0 beads (Storey)

The primary benefit to version 4.0 was learning more about working with the materials, particularly the placement of the beads and knotting to optimally support and separate the variety of materials. The bone spreaders clearly do not matching the extant bronze spreaders shown in the Fröjel Gotlandica and ArkeoDok sources: the strands could not be supported vertically in wear. And while the length of the bead strands resembled other Norse brooch bead replicas worn by other reenactors, they were clearly far too long to work for a Gotlander woman’s beads.

At a minimum, I needed to find a means of reproducing the spreaders’ support of the bead strands and rework the beads to shorter lengths to test the design.




Version 4.1: Work in Progress – Viking Woman’s Brooch Beads Version 4.1 was initiated by the gift of a pair of replica bronze bear head brooches in December 2006 (see XX) and a pair of seven-hole bronze bead spreaders made by Chips Whitthread received in February 2006: the necessary pieces for me to wear a dress and the beads.

With Leesa Orton’s guidance and fitting assistance, I made a red wool dress in the Scandinavian style in for a February 2007 event; at that time, I had not see Carlsson’s diagram of a Gotlander woman’s gown (see Figure 5).

I unknotted the Version 4.0 bead strands and fed one strand each through the top three holes, the fifth hole, and the seventh hole of the spreaders. Along the edge of the spreader, I built up the strands into a five-strand plait and plaited the strands to approximately four inches in length, folded the braid in half, and knotted the ends to the base of the braid (at the top corner of the bead spreaders).

As seen in Figure 26, the Version 4.0 strands hang very low on the body: the top strand was too long to hold proper tension on the spreaders, so they rolled out to the side (rather than showing the decoration on the top of the “T”). The beads need to be reworked to allow for proper spacing and tension as seen in extant examples (see Figure 12, Figure 20, and Figure 21).

Figure 26. Version 4.1 project on

the body: bear head brooches and

bead spreaders with Version 4.0

strands. (Zitney)

Note in particular the affect of the bead spreaders on the gaps between the strands: the graduated lengths of the strands are exaggerated by the spacing of their terminal ends on the spreaders.

Version 5: Pärlgarnityr Version 5 leverages lessons from earlier versions and an extensive set of additional sources: the Historiska Museet’s online artifact database and Carlsson’s publications (see Table 1). The Grötlingbo Parish beads (see Figure 12), Carlsson’s image depicting a Gotlander woman (see Figure 5), and sources describing the material, size, and attributes of beads have yielded a greater understanding of the bead sets, as well as basic Swedish vocabulary (see Table 2 and Table 3).

Carlsson’s beads CD provides images of Gotland bead finds: many include measurements, and all include a description of the bead shape and/or material. Callmer’s rock beads data (Peterson) may be from the mainland: Carlsson’s data has twice as many amethyst beads. Carlsson’s images also provide a means of identifying the effects of burial on the beads color and surface: color shifts, opacity changes (i.e., clouding), and dulling of the surface are the most common changes. Following summarizes the 403 beads found in Fröjel (Carlsson Beads 10):

Glass beads: - 87 single color - 25 multicolor (most common: triangular with white dots on corners) - 24 transparent

Bone / antler beads: 14

Rock beads: - 11 rock crystal - 9 amethyst and carnelian - 9 limestone (4 fossils)

Amber beads: 9

Gold beads: 1

Size: 2mm to 3.5cm diameter rock crystal




Deconstruction: Cutting Apart Strands and Evaluating Bead Selection

Taking Version 4.1 apart was an exercise in protecting the beads: I cut the strands off from the spreaders’ edge, and cut the knots (rather than between the bead and the knot) wherever possible. I sorted all of the beads by material, color, and size; I knew I would need fewer beads for the next version, and I preferred to use the better quality (larger / silver / handmade / amber) beads.

Reconstruction: Measure Twice, Knot Once

The first consideration was how wide the pärlgarnityr should be: I chose eight inches (8”) as that length is slightly narrower than the distance between the djurhuvudformat spännen as I wear them; I wanted a bit of tension on the top strand.

I tethered the pärlspridaren at eight inches apart with thread through the top and bottom holes, cut six 36” lengths of waxed linen thread, and temporarily stranded six lengths of beads to test the selection and arrangement. See Figure 27.

After tweaking the layout to ensure the beads around 7½” wide, I knotted up the six strands: typically a single knot between beads, with occasional double knots next to larger beads.

I fed the ends of the knotted strands through the top six of the seven holds on the pärlspridaren; I left the bottom hole open for addition of fish-heads. I did not knot the strands to the spreaders; I may need to add or remove beads from some strands and/or switch some strands around after wearing the set.

Starting at the bottom-most strand (sixth), I tensioned the waxed linen strand along the side of the pärlspridare up to the fifth hole and tied the two strands in a snug single knot. I did the same tensioning of the fifth strand to the fourth, then brought the sixth strand in tension to the fourth hole and braided the three strands to the third hole. At the third, second, and first holes I added one strand to a single strand and braided on to the next hole and then on to a cord: from third to second, one double and two single (see Figure 28); from second to first, two double and one single; from first into a braided cord, three double strands. See Figure 29.

NOTE: All of the beads used in Version 5 are either antique handmade glass beads I had in my collection, glass “dot” beads given to me as gifts

or awards, and purchased glass, silver, amber, stone, and coral beads. I had not made beads

when I completed this version.

Figure 27. Six test strands on waxed linen,

prior to knotting. Bronze spacers are

tethered to eight inches (8”) apart. (Storey)

Figure 28. Adding the second hole’s strand

to one of the single strands, creating the

second double strand in the braid. (Storey)

Figure 29. Side view of the braided strands:

the left hole is the bottom empty hole; the

right hole is the first hole at the top, with the braided cord continuing to the right.

(Storey)




Lessons Learned: Beads, Knots, and Strands

• Edges of glass beads may need filing / buffing with emery board to lessen or remove sharp points; doing so prevents / preempts the sharp edges from cutting into linen cord and/or damaging adjacent softer materials (e.g., amber beads).

• Double-wrap waxed linen cord while knotting next to / between large beads to create larger / longer knot for freer movement and better spacing. Knot twice as needed.

• Group bead with large holes between a pair of beads with smaller holes and knot on either side of the three to stabilize the set.

• To undo a knot, make sure the waxed linen cord is warmed up: the cord moves more freely when the wax is warm.

• Consider the relative weights of beads when stranding: the strand will likely “point” at the heaviest point, so be sure to balance and/or center the heaviest items.

• Consider how the strands will cascade onto each other: long / heavy items on one strand are likely to affect / touch / obscure items on the lower strand(s).

To Do List: What’s Next

Sources

• Find Callmer and From Viking to Crusader

• Eastern Baltic clothing, textiles, accessories, etc. for comparison to Gotland and mainland

• Gotland-specific textiles and/or clothing sources; contact Carlsson for additional contacts

Beads to Make or Buy

• Glass melon beads

• Carnelian disks (large)

• Fish-heads: research working with bronze: Casting? Cold work with sheets?

• Find fish-head and glass replica sources

Version 5.1: After “Field Test”

• Expecting strands to hang / droop more than desired: adjust length of strands to ensure better tensioning from spreaders

• Test whether / how fish-heads affect tension: e.g., strand wine corks of similar size and test effect. Expecting that fish-heads assist in holding desired shape / form of beads.

• Replace purchased glass beads with beads I made / will make.

Necessary Items for Making Pärlgarnityr

Replica Brooches and Spreaders To properly reproduce the Gotlander woman’s pärlgarnityr, a pair of animal head brooches and a pair of bead spreaders are necessary items:

• Replica djurhuvudformat spännen (animal head brooches) – The author’s animal head brooches were purchased via Professor Dan Carlsson’s ArkeoDok site. The molds for casting were taken from extant brooches; the brooches are finished by professional jeweler.

• Replica pärlspridaren (bead spreaders) via Sandy Sempel – The author commissioned a pair of seven-hole bead spreaders from Chips Whitthread via Sandy Sempel. To the best of the author’s knowledge, the spreaders are based on a selection of extant spreaders.




Beads, Pendants, and Waxed Linen Cord

Bead Material and Style References

• The best reference for Gotland bead styles and materials is Professor Carlsson’s CD and documentation: images of extant beads and a discussion of materials are invaluable when selecting beads. While some of the bead descriptions do not include measurements, the quality of the images is outstanding.

• The Historiska Museet database provides extensive information – in Swedish only – and the artifacts are typically photographed with a metric ruler to provide scale. Additional materials are provided for some artifacts; e.g., portions of site reports, slide shows of additional images, etc.

• The Gotland Artifacts gallery on Frojel.com provides extensive images of beads, bead sets, bead spreaders, and brooches. Site owner Sandy Sempel is very responsive to email and posts on Norsefolk_2 and can provide additional information about the gallery images.

Buying Beads and Pendants

The following is a short list of merchants used for acquiring some of the materials used in the project:

• Ragweed Forge – Variety of pendants in bronze and/or silver, most sourced in Sweden or Denmark. Some replicas of Gotland finds, including comb pendant found in Gullrun and rock crystal pendant found in Lye Parish (see Figure 31).

• Time Traveling Traders – Variety of silver and amber beads.

• Viking-U-Like – European merchants with a selection of (museum quality) reproduction pieces, including rock crystal pendants and a tool brooch; at Pennsic and other major Wars in the United States.

• Michael’s Crafts – Large simple glass beads and occasionally disk “dot” beads in assorted colors are available. Also great source for waxed linen cord / thread.

NOTE: Contact La Compagnia dei Maestri del Vetro (Kingdom of Atlantia’s Glassworkers Guild) for

assistance in making and/or commissioning handmade beads.

Figure 30. Common Viking Age bead shapes (Carlsson Beads 5).

Figure 31. Rock crystal and silver

necklace (halsband) found in Lye

Parish, Gotland. (Historiska Museet inv.8315)




Annotated Sources Annotated sources: text / visual sources and personal correspondence.

ArkeoDok. http://www.arkeodok.com/ (first accessed Sept 2006). Publications, images, replica jewelry, and other resources associated with Gotland’s Viking Age. Maintained by Professor Dan Carlsson.

Callmer, Johan. “Trade Beads and Bead Trade in Scandinavia circa 800-1000 A.D.” Acta Archaeologica Lundensia 4th Series, No. 11. Lund: Munksgaard (1977). ISBN 3-77491-375-7.

Rare / hard-to-find source cited by Ward, Peterson, and others.

Carlsson, Dan. “Viking History.” http://www.arkeodok.com/ (accessed 12 Sept 2006). Viking artifact gallery (beads).

Carlsson, Dan. “Viking Age Jewellery on Gotland.” Sweden: ArkeoDok (2004). Survey of clothing and accessories styles on Gotland during the Viking Age, based largely on extants recovered from grave sites near Visby, Gotland. Document cites additional sources, including the From Viking to Crusader catalog published by The Council of Europe.

Castell, Roy. Jeweler. Australia. Professional finishing work on replica bear head brooches ordered from www.arkeodok.com.

Council of Europe, The. Roesdahl, Else and David M. Wilson, eds. Helen Clarke, Ingmar Jansson, Joan F. Davidson, Gillian Fellows-Jensen, et al., trans. From Viking to Crusader: The Scandinavians and Europe, 800-1200. New York: Rizzoli (1992). ISBN 0-84781-625-7.

Extensively cited rare (expensive) exhibition catalog accompanying a touring collection of Viking Age artifacts. Cited by Carlsson for brooch styles and distributions and Gotlander clothing.

Crowfoot, Elisabeth, Frances Pritchard, and Kay Staniland. Textiles and Clothing: c1150 – c1450. London: Boydell Press (1992). ISBN 0-85115-840-4. Pp. 140-141.

Images and text on extant 13th and 14th century CE braids; includes flat three-element wool braid.

Dahlstrom, Carina. “The Viking Age harbour and trading place at Fröjel, Gotland: A summery [sic] of the excavation during the summer of 2001.” http://frojel.hgo.se/Reports01/engrep1_01.html (accessed 12 Sept 2006).

Excavation report for sites near Fröjel, Gotland during 2001.

Dahlstrom, Carina and Tove Ericksson. “Rapport fran utgravningen av den vikingatida hamn – och handelsplatsen I Fröjel, Gotland 1999.” http://www.frojel.hgo.se/ (accessed 12 Sept 2006).

Excavation site report from 1999 digs in Fröjel parish, Gotland, Sweden.

Dubin, Lois Sherr. The History of Beads from 30,000 to the Present. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Publishers (1987). ISBN 0-8109-4161-9. Pp. 72, 74-77.

Images and text on extant Viking Age beads.

Elandris, Ragnar of (SKA). Conversations during middle weekend of Pennsic XXV (Aug 2006). Discussions regarding silver charms (warrior and Seat of the Norns) and carnelian Thor’s hammer amulet.

Ewing, Thor. Viking Clothing. UK: Tempus Publishing Ltd. (2006). ISBN 0-7524-3587-6. Survey of Norse clothing styles, including brief discussions of material culture unique to Gotland.

Fröjel Discovery Programme. http://www.hgo.se/frojel/ (accessed 12 Sept 2006). Excavation reports, grave site photographs, and Object Gallery (includes bead images). Maintained by Professor Dan Carlsson.




Fröjel Gotlandica Viking Re-Enactment Society. http://www.frojel.com/ (first accessed 12 Sept 2006). Content focused on of Fröjel harbour excavations on Gotland; includes images of artifacts held in Visby museum and private collections. Moderated and maintained by Sandy Sempel.

Glover, Carol Theobald. Archaeologist, anthropologist. Conversations in Aug – Sept 2006 to present. Conversations regarding archaeological site reports and typical state of textiles in gravesites (based on her field work).

Google Maps. Map of Visby, Gotland, Sweden. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=visby,+gotland,+sweden&sll=57.642989,18.725149&sspn=3.17549,12.041016&ie=UTF8&ll=57.421294,18.259277&spn=6.393705,24.082031&z=6&om=1 (accessed 14 Sept 2006 and 06 Nov 2007).

Map of Visby, Gotland, Sweden providing view of the island of Gotland in context of modern Europe. Intended to demonstrate Gotland’s relative position to mainland Sweden as well as Lithuania and its importance as a trade center.

Goslee, Sarah. SKA Phiala. “A Few Medieval Braids.” http://www.stringpage.com/ (accessed 26 Aug 2006).

Descriptions and citations of basic flat braids.

Gotlands Fornsal (The History Museum, Gotland). “Treasures.” http://www.gotmus.i.se/1engelska/skatter/engelska/the_historical_museum.htm (accessed 16 Sep 2006).

English language pages outlining Gotland’s history, including Viking Age silver hoards and finds.

Gustafsson, Ny Björn. Staff of Historiska Museet, Stockholm. Correspondence Jan 2007. Conversations regarding search of image archive.

Historiska Museet. Permanent Viking Exhibitions (in Swedish). http://www.historiska.se/utstallningar/fastautstallningar/vikingar/ (first accessed 14 Sept 2006).

Extensive online resources associated with permanent exhibitions. Includes objects found throughout Sweden, including Björkö (Birka) and Gotland.

Historiska Världar. Interpretations of historic Swedish / regional clothing and accessories (in Swedish). http://histvarld.historiska.se/histvarld/ (first accessed Aug 2007).

Includes mainland 10th century wardrobes for man, woman, and solider, based on a variety of finds: Jorvik, Hedeby, Ribe, Birka. Does not provide Gotlander clothing interpretations.

Norsefolk_2 Yahoo group. http://www.groups.yahoo.com/Norsefolk_2/ (joined 29 Aug 2006). Moderated Viking Age discussion list. Archived messages discussing instances of beads in grave and settlement sites, construction methods, and suggested sources.

Orton, Leesa. SKA Mary Isabel of Heatherstone. Conversations in Aug – Sept 2006 to present. Conversations regarding Viking Age accessories, specifically amber beads and merchants at Pennsic XXXV (Aug 2006). Atlantian Laurel, Norse culture and weaving / textile arts.

Orvis, Deb. SKA Alecia von Hawkend. Conversations during middle weekend of Pennsic XXV (Aug 2006).

Conversations regarding silver and amber beads, cord / stranding materials. Owner, Time Traveling Traders; Midrealm Laurel, bone and amber carving / engraving.

Peterson, Neil. SKA Ragnarr Thorbergsson. “Rock Beads.” http://www.treheima.ca/viking/bead_summary.htm (accessed 05 Sept 2006).

Abstract of rock bead information in Johan Callmer’s Trade Beads and Bead Trade in Scandinavia c. 800-1000 A.D.

Ragweed Forge. http://www.ragweedforge.com/ (accessed 15 Sept 2006). Product descriptions of silver Seat of the Norns charm and carnelian Thor’s hammer amulet.




Rundkvist, Martin. “BARSHALDER 1: A cemetery in Grötlingbo and Fide parishes, Gotland, Sweden, c. AD 1-1100. Excavations and finds 1826-1971.” Stockholm Archaeological Reports 40. Stockholm, Sweden: Department of Archaeology, University of Stockholm (2003). ISBN 91-631-3530-2.

Archaeological site report for Grötlingbo and Fide parishes in Gotland, including the Grötlingbo brooch beads excavated in the 1960s.

Sempel, Sandy. Email correspondence (12 Sept 2006). Permission to use images of extant artifacts in Gotland Artifacts photo gallery (http://www.frojel.com/Galleries/GotlandIndex.html).

Språkrådet. “Lexin – a Dictionary for Immigrant Education.” http://lexin.nada.kth.se/cgi-bin/swe-eng/ (accessed Nov 2007).

Rudimentary Swedish-English dictionary; very limited vocabulary / terms, useful for validating translations / assumptions.

Strurer Museum. “Video om Perlefremstilling.” (Video of bead making; in Danish) http://www.struermuseum.dk/imme/perler_hoej.html (accessed Nov 2007).

Danish museum’s video of Viking age bead making: bead kiln construction, fire stoking, glass work, and annealing. Danish language film and site. Also posted on http://www.struermuseum.dk/imme/glas.html with accompanying Danish text and some still images.

Thunmark-Nyhlén, L. “Dräkt och dräktsmycken på Gotland under vikingatiden.” Gutar och vikingar. Statens Historiska Museer (1983).

Source cited by Carlsson in “Viking Age Jewellery on Gotland” discussion of dress pins, accompanying image of dress pins worn with strand of beads from pinhead to pinhead with heads pointed down and strand looped over point.

Viking-U-Like. Merchants at Pennsic XXXIV selling museum-quality pieces from European and Asian artisans, including rock crystal pendants, dice, silver Gotlander tool brooch, and Rus man’s belt.

Contact information limited to the business card of the merchant I interacted with: Scot King ([email protected]).

Ward, Christie. SKA Gunnvör silfrahárr. Viking Answer Lady. http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ (first accessed Sep 2006).

Site providing a wealth of information about and links to sites / resources focused on Norse culture. “FAQ” style articles address specific questions sent to Ward.

Ward, Christie. SKA Gunnvör silfrahárr. “Risala: Ibn Fadlan's Account of the Rus.” http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ibn_fdln.shtml (accessed 16 Sep 2006).

“Viking Answer Lady” page discussing contemporary Arab descriptions of Rus Norse culture.

Ward, Christie. SKA Gunnvör silfrahárr. “Viking Beads and Necklaces.” http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/vikbeads.shtml (accessed 23 Aug 2006).

“Viking Answer Lady” page discussing Viking Age beads and necklaces; includes hoard finds.

Whitthread, Keith “Chips”. Trader and maker of period products and jewelry. Victoria, Australia. Commissioned metal bead spreaders (bead bars) via Sandy Sempel.

Zitney, Richard. SKA Gymir Stonelifter. Photographs of Version 4.1 project (Feb 2007). Photographs of Version 4.1 project on display and on the body; used by permission.

200711v1a GotlandResearchAndReplica Copyright Laura E Storey

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