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 Names
Mablethorpe
Marblethorpe, in the Calceworth Wapentake of Lincolnshire, comes from a likely Continental Germanic male personal name Malbert and Old Norse þorp ‘a secondary settlement, a dependent outlying farmstead or hamlet’.
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Viking Names
Linby
Linby, in the Broxtow Wapentake of Nottinghamshire, comes from Old Norse lind ‘a lime tree’ and by ‘a farmstead, a village’.
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Viking Names
Gunngifu
Gunngifu is a postulated Anglo-Scandinavian hybrid female personal name formed from the very common Old Norse element Gunn- from gunnr, guðr ‘battle’ combined with the Old English element gifu ‘gift’. There is a possible attestation of the name in a medieval document from Lincolnshire.
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Viking Names
Scartho
Scartho, in the Bradley Wapentake of Lincolnshire, is a difficult name. The second element is clearly Old Norse haugr ‘a hill, a mound’. The first element, however, has been the subject of much discussion. It has been suggested that the first element is the Old Norse male personal name Skarði or the Old Norse element skarð ‘an opening, an open place in the edge of something, a gap, a mountain pass’. Since the area is now built up, it is nearly impossible to determine the exact topography of the place. It may be pointed out that there are patches of glacial sand and gravel and alluvium at the top of the hill. It has also been suggested based on forms of the name in Scarf- that the first element is Old Norse skarfr ‘a cormorant’, but these spellings occur in only one source. On balance, skarð provide an acceptable first element, but twentieth-century development makes certainty impossible.
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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.