Viking Objects
Reproduction Stamped Finger Ring
A reproduction, stamped, silver ring with knotted ends. Rings with this type of stamped decoration are typical of Scandinavian design during the Viking Age.
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Viking Designs
Drawing of Copper Alloy Disc Brooch
Drawing of a copper alloy, gilded brooch with a zoomorphic design. Brooches were a typical part of female dress. Scandinavian brooches came in a variety of sizes and shapes which included disc, trefoil, lozenge, equal-armed, and oval shapes. The different brooch types served a variety of functions in Scandinavian female dress with oval brooches typically being used as shoulder clasps for apron-type dresses and the rest being used to secure an outer garment to an inner shift. Anglo-Saxon brooches do not match this diversity of form with large disc brooches being typical of ninth century dress styles with smaller ones becoming more popular in the later ninth and tenth centuries. However, since disc brooches were used by both Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian women they are distinguished by their morphology. Scandinavian brooches were typically domed with a hollow back while Anglo-Saxon brooches were usually flat. Moreover, Anglo-Saxon brooches were worn singly without accompanying accessories.
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Viking Designs
Drawing of an Urnes-Style Mount
A drawing of a cast copper alloy sword fitting with Urnes-style decoration.
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Viking Objects
Gold Ingot (BH-720251)
The Vikings arriving in England had a bullion economy in which they paid for goods, most commonly, with silver that was weighed to an amount agreed between the buyer and the seller. Though rarer than silver equivalents, this gold ingot formed part of the bullion currency used by Vikings in England. It took some time for the Scandinavian settlers to adopt a monetary economy like that of the Anglo-Saxons, and both systems were used simultaneously for a while before they fully adopted the new system. The Vikings were familiar with monetary economies but they treated coins as just another form of bullion before adoption of a monetary economy.
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Viking Objects
Imitation Finger Ring (NLM-D675CA)
This finger ring bears stamped decoration imitating the Scandinavian ring and dot pattern which is bordered by incised crossing diagonals of a saltire. The ring- and dot-style of decoration was briefly adopted by inhabitants of Anglo-Saxon settlements such as Cottam in Yorkshire and Flixborough in Lincolnshire.
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Viking Objects
Hooked Tag (PUBLIC-6847A6)
This hooked tag is constructed from a circular plate and single hook. The decoration features a trefoil with fillet design on the front probably influenced by the Ringerike style.
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Viking Objects
Carolingian Style Strap-End (NARC-10F5B2)
This silver strap-end is decorated with foliate design cast in relief and is categorized as Thomas (2003) Class E, Type 5 (Carolingian). Carolingian belt fittings from England could have been imported either indirectly through Scandinavia or directly from the Continent. It is possible that this strap end was brought over by Scandinavians after their raids on the continent.
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Viking Objects
Possible Knife End-Cap (NARC-D16C22)
A cast copper alloy object with Anglo-Scandinavian zoomorphic decoration resembling an end-cap from a knife or dagger handle. It has been suggested that the decoration is, in fact, Viking Jelling-style decoration from the tenth century.
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Viking Objects
Arabic Dirham Fragment (LIN-5F318A)
Fragment of an Early Medieval Arabic dirham, probably dating between the eighth-ninth centuries. The fragment appears to have been cut down into a smaller module. The fact that it may have been cut suggests that it was used as part of a bullion transaction in line with the dual bullion-monetary economy established by the Vikings in England. The circulation of Arabic dirhams is generally attributed to Viking activities and this example’s proximity to the winter camp of Torksey likely connects the dirham with the activities of its inhabitants. Arabic coins are especially useful for dating sites, because they carry the date when they were minted. This permits precise dating where the part of the coin with the date survives, whereas European coins can only be dated to the reign of the ruler depicted on them. In western descriptions of these coins, the Arabic dates found on the coins are usually listed in square brackets, as above, and the European equivalent is listed after it. This coin is a product of the Abbasid Caliphate which was ruled from its capital in Baghdad. The Abbasid Caliphate was at its greatest extent c.850 CE, occupying lands from Morocco in the west to Afghanistan in the east.
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Viking Objects
Copper-Alloy Strap-End (NLM-B633CE)
The decoration on this cast copper-alloy strap-end involves a series of deep longitudinal grooves which may actually represent previous damage. If decorative, the object is similar to Thomas Class E Type 3 strap ends whose distribution generally falls in the eastern Danelaw and around the Irish Sea. Strap ends came in various styles and were fairly common throughout the Viking world. They were used to decorate the ends of belts and to stop them getting damaged.
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Viking Objects
Frankish Brooch (NLM-826868)
This copper-alloy brooch is either an equal-armed or ansate brooch. The ansate form is a Frankish style. It is possible that it made its way to England prior to Viking incursions but it is equally likely that the Vikings brought this brooch with them as plunder after raiding in Frankia. For more information on Scandinavian jewellery in England check out our blog: Brooches, Pendants and Pins: Scandinavian Dress Accessories in England.