Nørre Sandegård Vest: A Cemetery from the 6th-8th Centuries on Bornholm

248 Pages·1997·75.654 MB·English

by  Lars Jørgensen, Anne Nørgård Jørgensen

N ørre Sandegård Vest
A Cemetery from the 6th-8th Centuries on Bornholm
Lars Jorgensen and
Anne Nørgård Jorgensen

N ørre Sandegård Vest
A Cemetery from the 6th-8th
Centuries on Bornholm
Nordiske Fortidsminder
Serie B
Volume 14
Published with grants from:
H. M. Queen Margrethe II’s Archaeological Foundation
The Carlsberg Foundation
G.E.C. Gads Foundation
Bodiljørgensen
The Danish Research Counsil for the Humanities
The National Museum of Denmark
The State Antiquary
The National Museum’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology
under The Danish National Research Foundation
Helen and Ejnar Bjørnow’s Fund for Military Research
N ø rre S andegård Vest
A Cemetery from the 6th-8th Centuries
on Bornholm
Lars Jørgensen and Anne Nørgård Jørgensen
with contributions by
Ulla Mannering and Claus Malmros
DET KONGELIGE NORDISKE OLDSKRIFTSELSKAB • KØBENHAVN 1997
© 1997 Det Kongelige Nordiske Oldskriftselskab
Frederiksholms Kanal 12, DK-1220 København K
ISBN 87-87483-35-1
ISSN 0105-578X
General editors: Ulla Lund Hansen and Birger Storgaard
Translation: John Hines
Produced and printed by: Rosendahls Bogtrykkeri • Esbjerg
Font: Baskerville Book
Paper: 115 g. MultiArt Silk
Binding: Nordisk Bogproduktion
Distribution:
Herrn. H J. Lynge & Søn
Silkegade 11
DK-1113 København K
Cover: View to the cemetery area and the Baltic Sea (photo Lars Jørgensen).
To Michael and Tine
Contents
Foreword............................................................... 9 Ornamental disc..................................... 48
Pendants ................................................. 49
1. Introduction Bead-string terminals ............................. 49
by Lars Jørgensen................................... 11 Toiletry sets............................................. 49
1.1 Vedel’s excavations of 1884 and 1901 . 11 Spiral pendants....................................... 50
1.2 The excavations of 1986-87 .................. 13 Chains ..................................................... 50
Copper-alloy box ................................... 50
2. Finds from earlier periods Purse mounts ......................................... 51
by Lars Jørgensen................................... 15 Armrings................................................. 51
2.1 Roman Iron-age graves ........................ 15 Spindle whorls......................................... 54
2.1.1 Cremations of the Early Roman Knives ..................................................... 54
Iron Age................................................... 18 Scissors..................................................... 54
2.1.2 Inhumation grave of the Late Combs..................................................... 54
Roman Iron Age..................................... 19 Tesserae................................................... 55
2.2 Undated graves....................................... 20 Rings, cleats, rivets and nails etc............ 55
Wooden containers................................. 55
3. The Late Germanic Iron-age 3.2.8 Sets of jewellery and reconstruction of
cemetery costume................................................... 55
by Lars Jørgensen and 3.3 The male graves
Anne Nørgård Jørgensen ...................... 21 by Anne Nørgård Jørgensen ................ 60
3.1 Introduction 3.3.1 Grave construction................................. 60
by Lars Jørgensen................................... 21 3.3.2 The position of the grave goods .......... 60
3.1.1 Children's and unidentifiable graves .. 21 3.3.3 Chronology............................................. 62
3.2 The women’s graves 3.3.4 Phasing ................................................... 63
by Lars Jørgensen................................... 24 3.3.5 Absolute chronology ............................. 65
3.2.1 Chronology............................................. 24 3.3.6 The grave goods..................................... 70
3.2.2 Description of the phases...................... 28 The two-edged sword............................. 70
3.2.3 The animal styles and absolute One-edged swords (saxes) .................... 71
chronology ............................................. 30 Shields ..................................................... 74
3.2.4 The burial sequence............................... 35 Lances ..................................................... 74
3.2.5 Synchronization with the male Knives ..................................................... 75
chronology ............................................. 37 Other equipment ................................... 75
3.2.6 Grave construction................................. 39 3.3.7 Weapon sets at Nørre Sandegård
3.2.7 The grave goods..................................... 39 Vest........................................................... 76
Equal-armed brooch............................... 39 3.3.8 Weapon sets on Bornholm in general .. 76
Beak brooches......................................... 39 3.3.9 Graves with horses................................. 78
Bird brooches ......................................... 41 3.3.10 Local variation ....................................... 78
Disc-on-bow brooches .......................... 41 3.3.11 Weapons and weapon graves in
Disc brooches ......................................... 43 Denmark................................................. 80
Oval plate brooches ............................... 43 3.3.12 Summary................................................. 83
Rectangular plate brooches.................. 43
Zoomorphic plate brooches.................. 44 4. The weapon graves of
Tortoise brooches................................... 44 Northern Europe
Godandic brooches................................. 45 by Anne Nørgård Jørgensen ................ 86
Dress pins ............................................... 45 4.1 A methodological discussion
Beads....................................................... 45 concerning regional and transregional
Bead-string spacers................................. 47 weapon-grave analysis.......................... 87
4.2 Weapon-types and weapon sets 6. Wood analyses from Nørre
on Gotland ............................................. 88 Sandegård Vest
4.2.1 Local variation ....................................... 90 by Claus Malmros ...................................141
4.2.2 Summary................................................. 91 Introduction ........................................... 141
4.3 Weapon-types and weapon sets in 6.1 Laboratory analysis ............................... 141
Southern and Central Norway ............ 91 State of preservation............................... 141
4.3.1 Local variation ....................................... 94 Wood-anatomical identification............ 141
4.3.2 Summary................................................. 94 Other organic materials......................... 142
4.4 Scandinavian weapon graves 6.2 The use of the types of wood at
- conclusion............................................. 95 Nørre Sandgård Vest ............................. 142
4.4.1 Chronological variation in the Knives ..................................................... 143
deposition of weapon-types in Swords..................................................... 143
Scandinavia............................................. 96 Lances ..................................................... 143
4.4.2 Burial weapons and real weapon sets .. 97 Shields ..................................................... 143
4.4.3 The military elite ................................... 99 Wooden beads......................................... 143
4.5 Frankish-Alamannic weapon burial rite 99 Wooden box ........................................... 144
4.5.1 Weapon sets in Frankish-Alamannic Coffin....................................................... 144
graves....................................................... 101 Wood from objects of
4.5.2 Saxes in Frankish-Alamannic graves ... 102 unknown function ................................. 144
4.5.3 Two-edged sword in Combs..................................................... 144
Frankish-Alamannic graves.................. 103 Other organic materials......................... 144
4.5.4 A comparison of the weapon 6.3 The source of the wood from Nørre
combinations in Scandinavian and Sandegård Vest....................................... 144
Frankish-Alamannic graves.................... 104 Trees on Bornholm in the Iron Age ... 145
4.6 The Frankish military system.............. 105 Maple....................................................... 145
4.6.1 The military elite in Scandinavia.......... 107 Pine ......................................................... 145
4.6.2 Conscription in Scandinavia in the The contemporary situation on
light of the merovingian sources.......... 109 Bornholm ............................................... 145
4.6.3 Mounted troops and infantry .............. Ill The wood from Nørre Sandegård
4.6.4 Scandinavian weapon graves and Vest........................................................... 145
the military elite in the context of the 6.4 The wood from Nørre Sandegård
early history of the Frankish kingdom. Vest compared with other grave finds .. 146
A summary of the political geography Knives ..................................................... 146
of the period............................................. Ill Spears and lances ................................... 147
4.6.5 Nørre Sandegård Vest at a historical Swords..................................................... 147
turning point............................................. 116 Shields ..................................................... 147
4.7 Appendix: Analyses of age and 6.5 Summary................................................. 147
weapon-combinations in the continental 6.6 Comparative finds of wood from the later
cemeteries ............................................... 116 iron age in Scandinavia ......................... 147
5. The textiles from Nørre Notes............................................149
Sandegård Vest
by Ulla Mannering...................................118 7. Dansk resume ............................154
5.1 Analysis of the textiles ........................... 119
5.2 The textiles ............................................. 120 8. References ..................................167
Tabby weaves - the Gerlev-Dråby,
Nørre Sandegård and 9. Catalogue....................................173
Gudmingegård types ............................. 121
Twills - the Birka type........................... 124 Plates............................................191
The fibre - wool or flax........................ 126 Grave inventory, PI. 1-26....................... 192
The yarn - thickness and quality........ 127 Colour plates, beads and inventory,
Colours ................................................... 127 PI. 27-40 ................................................... 218
Cords....................................................... 129 Grave plans, PI. 41-45 ........................... 232
Edges, hems and seams ........................ 131 Detailed plans, PI. 46-51 ...................... 237
5.3 Non-woven structures ........................... 133 Lindisfarne Gospels, fol. 266,
5.4 Combinations of textile ........................ 135 PI. 52 ....................................................... 243
5.5 Conclusive remarks ............................... 136