Late-Holocene relative sea-level changes and palaeoenvironment of the Pre-Viking Age ship burials in Salme, Saaremaa Island, eastern Baltic Sea

Two unique Pre-Viking Age ship burials were found from Salme village, Saaremaa Island, eastern Baltic Sea, containing remains of seven men in the smaller and 34 men in the larger ship. According to the archaeological interpretations, these ships belonged to a viking crew possibly from the Stockholm-Mälaren region, eastern Sweden. Geoarchaeological research was conducted in the area to reconstruct Late-Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) changes and shoreline displacement to provide environmental context to these burials. In this paper we present a Late-Holocene shore displacement curve for the Saaremaa Island and GIS-based palaeogeographic reconstructions for the Salme area. The curve shows an almost linear RSL fall from 5.5 to 0.8 m a.s.l. between 1000 BC and 1300 AD with an average rate of 2 mm/year. A slowdown in regression may be attributed to accelerated sea-level rise after the Little Ice Age and during the industrial period, being consistent with the tide-gauge measurements from the 20th century. Palaeogeographic reconstructions indicate the existence of a strait in the Salme area during the burial of the ships. The eastern part of the strait with water depth up to 2.8 m was about 80–100 m wide. The relatively steep and wind-protected shores in that part of the strait were probably the best places in the area for landing the viking ships. According to sedimentological evidence and diatom data, the narrowing of Salme palaeostrait occurred between 1270 and 1300 AD. Salme I and II ships were buried at 650–770 AD into the sandy-gravelly coastal deposits which had accumulated there in the open coastal zone about 710–450 years earlier. Reconstructions show that the ships were located about 2–2.5 m above coeval sea level and more than 100 m from the coastline. Thus, both ships were probably moved from the shore to the higher ground for burial.

Viking Age Swords from Telemark, Norway: An Integrated Technical and Archaeological Investigation

Viking Age Swords from Telemark, Norway. An Integrated Technical and Archaeological Investigation provides a metallographic analysis of 21 Viking Age swords found in the county Telemark in southeastern Norway. The book is the result of a collaboration between archaeologist Irmelin Martens and chemist Eva Elisabeth Astrup. 220 swords have been found in Telemark, and they are a mix of domestic Norwegian and imported European types. The difficulties in determining which ones were made in Norway are complicated by and closely connected to the specific skills Norwegian blacksmiths had mastered with respect to both blade construction and inlay decoration. The metallographic investigations revealed five construction types for sword blades, of which four, requiring different technical levels of smithing, may well have been mastered by Norwegian blacksmiths at that time. Combined with x-ray radiographic studies, the metallographic investigations indicate that new techniques were indeed introduced and disseminated among weaponsmiths during the Viking Age. The findings are also probably representative for the combined total of more than 3000 swords found in all areas of the country. The majority are domestic types, and their great number obviously reflects the organization of sword production and influenced blacksmiths’ social standing.

Sandtorg.

In this paper, I discuss a potential market place for theexchange of goods at Sandtorg in Harstad municipality,Troms and Finnmark county during the Iron Age and theMiddle Ages. Recently, a total of 125 objects were uncoveredon a farm, previously only mentioned in written sources inthe mid-16th century. Finds of jewelry, silver, coins, weightand metal waste from the Viking Age suggest that exchangeof goods started at the site somewhere between AD 800 and 900. Further finds indicate that there were exchangegoods here throughout the Middle Ages and onwards to thehistorically documented trade. At the location, excavationshave uncovered a far larger amount of metalworking wastethan one would expect on an ordinary farm. This included lead, copper alloys, iron and silver. The finds indicate asmithy close to the Viking Age beach level and may suggestconstruction and repair of sea vessels at the site. AroundSandtorg there are no known Viking Age graves, indicatingthat Sandtorg did not have a large permanent population,and consequently was not a large marketplace. However,it is possible that the market function was combined withservices such as repairs or construction of seagoing vesselsand guesthouses for travelers. If so, the activity at Sandtorg may have been significant.

Veidekongen, olifanten og bøkeskogen

This article discusses aspects of aristocratic hunting in theViking and Middle Ages. Falconry requires great knowledgeof birds, dogs and horses and the ability to make theminteract. The hunt itself should involve danger and requiredlarge resources. Falconry and other types of hunting wasassociated with high status, partly because hunting wasconsidered training for war. In the King’s Mirror from the13th century, emphasis is placed on the positive aspects ofhunting, such as allowing the king to maintain his health,and as having sporting fun with hawks, dogs, horses andweapons makes one accustomed to the use of weapons andwar. Earlier scholars have usually considered Norway asan exception from the general trend of aristocratic, warpreparinghunting, as hunting was practiced solely for foodor economic gains. Furthermore, Norway, together withIceland, has mainly been seen as a mere supplier of huntingbirds. Following recent research, this paper considers certainaspects of the archaeological record from Norway, as wellas written sources, that indicate falconry and other formsof aristocratic hunting practices. It is furthermore arguedthat the substantial beech forests of SE Norway were in factestablished as hunting parks in the Viking Age and later.

First Ladies

From the fifth century to the Viking Age in present-day Norway, certain women belonging to the upper strata of society were buried with high-quality ornamental bow-brooches. Although adjusting to changing styles of decoration, the practical function and basic form of the brooches - rectangular headplate, bow and rhomboidal footplate – remained more or less the same throughout the centuries they were in use. By exploring burials which include these ornamental accessories, I argue that the brooches functioned as an important factor in reproducing and continuously negotiating identity shared by certain women within the Scandinavian Iron Age elite.

The Role of Women in Plant-based Textile Production during the Viking Diaspora in Scotland and the Irish Sea Region

Evidence for textiles in viking-age Scotland and the adjacent Irish Sea region derives from small fragments usually surviving as mineralised products associated with metal dress fittings and grave goods such as shield bosses and weaving battens, excavated from the furnished graves of both women and men. Since Scottish viking-age textiles were last reviewed over twenty years ago, this paper collates information from antiquarian finds and more recent excavations which employed considerably enhanced techniques for retrieving fragile archaeological textiles. Evidence is presented for the occurrence and role of plant-based textiles derived from flax and hemp including linen in funerary processes as burial garments, shrouds and wrapping other grave goods, such as weapons and tools. Many richly appointed women's graves in viking-age Scotland were accompanied by tool assemblages used in the manufacture and maintenance of textiles. The presence of these tools raises questions about the status of textile production and the roles women played in it.