Frisians of the Early Middle Ages

438 Pages·2021·65.39 MB·English

by  John Hines, Nelleke IJssennagger-vander Pluijm, Nelleke IJssennagger-van der Pluijm, Annet Nieuwhof, Arjen Versloot, Bente Sven Majchczack, Ian Nicholas Wood

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Frisian is a name that came to be identified with one of the
territorially expansive, Germanic-speaking peoples of the Early
Middle Ages, occupying coastal lands south and south-east of the
F
North Sea. Highly varied manifestations of Frisian-ness can be
R
traced in and around the north-western corner of the European
I
continent in cultural, linguistic, ethnic and political forms across S
two thousand years to the present day. I
A
The thematic studies in this volume foreground how diverse N
‘Frisians’ in different places and contexts could be. They draw S
on a range of multi-disciplinary sources and methodologies to
O
explore a comprehensive range of social, economic and
ideological aspects of early Frisian culture, from the Dutch F
province of Zeeland in the south-west to the North Frisian region
T
in the north-east. Chronologically, there is an emphasis on the H
crucial developments of the seventh and eighth centuries AD,
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alongside demonstrations of how later evidence can retro -

spectively clarify long-term processes of group formation. The E
A
essays here thus add substantial new evidence to our under -
standing of a crucial stage in the evolution of an identity which R
had to develop and adapt to changing influences and pressures. L
Y

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JOHN HINES is Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University. D
NELLEKE IJSSENNAGGER-VAN DER PLUIJM is Director of
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the Fryske Akademy, Leeuwarden.
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Contributors: Robert Flierman, John Hines, Nelleke

IJssennagger-van der Pluijm, Egge Knol, G.J. de Langen, Tineke A
Looijenga, Bente Sven Majchczack, J.A. Mol, Johan Nicolay, G
Annet Nieuwhof, Han Nijdam, Arjen Versloot, Ian Wood
E
Frisians
S
Cover image: Frisian creek (reconstruction). Illustration by Ulco Glimmerveen.
Studies in Historical Archaeoethnology
of the Early Middle Ages
Edited byJohn Hines and
Nelleke IJssennagger-van der Pluijm
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Studies in Historical Archaeoethnology
Volume 10
FRISIANS OF THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES
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Studies in Historical Archaeoethnology
FOUNDING EDITOR: GIORGIO AUSENDA
Already published:
After Empire: Towards an Ethnology of Europe’s Barbarians edited by Giorgio Ausenda
The Anglo-Saxons from the Migration Period to the Eighth Century: An Ethnographic
Perspective edited by John Hines
Franks and Alamanni in the Merovingian Period: An Ethnographic Perspective
edited by Ian Wood
The Visigoths from the Migration Period to the Seventh Century: An Ethnographic
Perspective edited by Peter Heather
The Scandinavians from the Vendel Period to the Tenth Century: An Ethnographic
Perspective edited by Judith Jesch
The Continental Saxons from the Migration Period to the Tenth Century: An
Ethnographic Perspective edited by Dennis H. Green and Frank Siegmund
The Ostrogoths from the Migration Period to the Sixth Century: An Ethnographic
Perspective edited by Samuel Barnish and Federico Marazzi
The Langobards before the Frankish Conquest: An Ethnographic Perspective
edited by Giorgio Ausenda, Paolo Delogu and Chris Wickham
The Baiuvarii and Thuringi: An Ethnographic Perspective
edited by Janine Fries-Knoblach and Heiko Steuer
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FRISIANS OF THE
EARLY MIDDLE AGES
Edited by
John Hines and Nelleke IJssennagger-van der Pluijm
THE BOYDELL PRESS
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© Contributors 2021
All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation
no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system,
published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner
First published 2021
The Boydell Press, Woodbridge
ISBN 978 1 78327 561 8 hardback
ISBN 978 1 80010 132 6 ePDF
A CIP catalogue record of this publication is available
from the British Library
The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer Inc.
668 Mt Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620-2731, USA
website: www.boydellandbrewer.com
This volume contains the papers presented
at a conference on ‘Studies in Historical Archaeoethnology’
organized by the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Social Stress
Cover image: Frisian creek (reconstruction). Illustration by Ulco Glimmerveen.
CONTENTS
List of Figures vii
List of Tables xi
Acknowledgements xii
Abbreviations xiii
Conventions for the Representation of Names xiv
1. Frisians of the Early Middle Ages: An Archaeoethnological Perspective 1
Nelleke IJssennagger-van der Pluijm, John Hines and Ian Wood
2. For Daily Use and Special Moments: Material Culture in Frisia, 13
AD 400–1000
Egge Knol
3. The Frisians and their Pottery: Social Relations before and after the Fourth
Century AD 45
Annet Nieuwhof
4. Landscape, Trade and Power in Early-Medieval Frisia 79
Gilles de Langen and J. A. Mol
5. Law and Political Organization of the Early Medieval Frisians 137
(c. AD 600–800)
Han Nijdam
6. Recent Developments in Early-Medieval Settlement Archaeology: 171
The North Frisian Point of View
Bente Sven Majchczack
7. Franks and Frisians 203
Ian Wood
8. Mirror Histories: Frisians and Saxons from the First to the 223
Ninth Century AD
Robert Flierman
9. Structured by the Sea: Rethinking Maritime Connectivity of the 249
Early-Medieval Frisians
Nelleke IJssennagger-van der Pluijm
10. Art, Symbolism and the Expression of Group Identities in 273
Early-Medieval Frisia
J. A. W. Nicolay
v
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Contents
11. Religion and Conversion amongst the Frisians 311
John Hines
12. Traces of a North Sea Germanic Idiom in the Fifth–Seventh Centuries AD 339
Arjen P. Versloot
13. Runic Literacy in North-West Europe, with a Focus on Frisia 375
Tineke Looijenga
Final Discussion 401
List of Contributors 407
Index 409
vi
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FIGURES
Frisians of the Early Middle Ages: An Archaeoethnological Perspective,
Nelleke IJssennagger-van der Pluijm, John Hines and Ian Wood
1.1 The Frisian zone in the southern North Sea area. 3
For Daily Use and Special Moments: Material Culture in Frisia, AD 400–1000,
Egge Knol
2.1 Part of the mound of Garnwerd, Groningen, being quarried. 14
2.2 Textile fragment from Rasquert in Groningen. 17
2.3 Leather shoe from Hallum-Jousemaburen. 18
2.4 A semi-manufactured comb fromWirdum, Groningen. 20
2.5 A wooden stool found in grave 44 at Hogebeintum. 21
2.6 Two bowls of alder wood from graves at Hogebeintum. 21
2.7 A wooden trough of the fifth century AD re-used as a coffin. 23
2.8 Two beams of a harrow, re-used for reinforcement at the base of a well at
Hattersum, northern Germany. 24
2.9 (a) The half dug-out canoe from Jemgum; (b) A ceramic boat found in the
terp of Pogum. 27
2.10 Two yew-wood bows, from Aalsum and Hoogterp. 28
2.11 A pectoral cross of the ninth century. 31
2.12 The inscribed whalebone staff from Bernsterburen. 32
The Frisians and their Pottery: Social Relations before and after
the Fourth Century AD, Annet Nieuwhof
3.1 Areas of different pottery styles. 48
3.2 Small pots of the first century AD from terps in the province of Groningen
in the new, ‘Chaucian’ style. 50
3.3 One of the excavated levels in the terp of Ezinge. 52
3.4 Pottery from the fourth-century transition period in Ezinge. 53
3.5 Annular brooches with backward-looking animal heads from the
northern Netherlands and north-western Germany dated to the fourth or
early fifth century. 55
3.6 The distribution of Anglo-Saxon style pottery in the northern Netherlands. 57
3.7 Silver ‘hand pin’ of British origin found in a terp near Hallum. 60
3.8 Three sherds, allegedly of Oxfordshire Ware, dated to the late third and
fourth centuries, from Groningen terps. 61
3.9 Finds from a fifth-century sunken hut in the terp of Ezinge, probably a
ritual deposit. 62
vii
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Figures
Landscape, Trade and Power in Early-Medieval Frisia,
Gilles de Langen and J. A. Mol
4.1 Early-medieval Frisia and its districts c. AD 700. 84
4.2 High-medieval manors in the county of Holland projected on the
landscape of c. AD 700. 85
4.3 Territorial parishes and their churches c. AD 1000 in Westergo
and Oostergo. 89
4.4 Territorial parishes and their churches c. AD 1000 in Eemsgo. 90
4.5 Territorial parishes and their churches c. AD 1000 in Kennemerland and
Rijnland. 92
4.6 Distribution of different forms of field parcellation in Central Frisia and
Groningen East Frisia. 104
4.7 Modern elevation map of a part of Westergo in 1832 showing regular
block-field parcellation. 105
4.8 Modern elevation map of a part of Westergo in 1832 showing irregular
block-field parcellation. 105
4.9 Hogebeintum in Oostergo in 1832. 106
4.10 Firdgum in Westergo in 1832. 106
4.11 Biessum in Fivelingo in 1832. 107
4.12 Foudgum in Oostergo in 1832. 108
4.13 Wijnaldum in Westergo in 1832. 108
4.14 Eleventh- and twelfth-century (pre-)urban centres in or near Frisia. 109
4.15 Sexbierum in Westergo in 1832. 110
4.16 Oldeboorn in Oostergo in 1832. 111
4.17 Middelstum in Hunsingo in 1832. 114
4.18 The Wijnaldum and Dongjum terp complexes and the terps of
Westerbierum (Pietersbierum and Sexbierum) and Oosterbierum and
their surroundings in 1832. 114
Law and Political Organization of the Early Medieval Frisians (c. AD 600–800),
Han Nijdam
5.1 A diagram representing the nested circles of the embodied honour of an
individual under Old Frisian law. 146
5.2 The Totius Frisiae seal of 1323. 153
Recent Developments in Early-Medieval Settlement Archaeology:
the North Frisian Point of View, Bente Majchczak
6.1 Map of North Frisia with sites mentioned in the text. 172
6.2 Aerial view of the Migration-period settlement at Wrixum/Föhr. 175
6.3 Schematic model of the system of trade and communication in the
southern North Sea area. 176
6.4 Magnetic map (±9 nT) of the settlement at Witsum with
excavation trenches. 179
viii
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Figures
6. 5 Example of a sunken-feature building from Witsum/Föhr with traces of a
standing loom. 180
6.6 Examples of vessel-glass sherds and glass beads from Witsum/Föhr. 181
6.7 Magnetic map (±9 nT) of the settlement at Goting. 182
6.8 Aerial photograph with a view of the Borgsumburg in the foreground by
the southern coast of Föhr. 186
Franks and Frisians, Ian Wood
7.1 Map of the Frisian region showing the principal sites referred to. 204
Art, Symbolism and the Expression of Group Identities in Early-Medieval Frisia,
J. A. W. Nicolay
10.1 The leather scabbard of a seax from Usquert (Groningen). 274
10.2 Copper-alloy brooches deposited as grave goods at the cemetery of
Oosterbeintum. 278–9
10.3 Copper-alloy, silver and pewter brooches from settlement sites
in Friesland. 282–3
10.4 Copper-alloy brooches from a settlement site and two cemeteries in
South-Holland. 284
10.5 The stylistic development of Domburg brooches, showing a gradual
‘debasement’ of animal motifs. 285
10.6 Chronology of copper-alloy brooches that have been found in the area of
Early-medieval Frisia. 287
10.7 Gold bracteates of Scandinavian types A, B and D found in Friesland. 289
10.8 Saxon-style silver brooches and regional-style silver-gilt brooches found at
settlement sites in Friesland. 290
10.9 A selection of high-status ornaments. 291
10.10 Religious motifs on ‘Frisian’ ornaments. 294
Religion and Conversion amongst the Frisians, John Hines
11.1 Map of the Frisian region showing the principal sites referred to. 315
Traces of a North Sea Germanic Idiom in the Fifth–Seventh Centuries AD,
Arjen P. Versloot
12.1 A range of name-types commonly held to represent settlements from the
Early Middle Ages, together with the distribution of runic finds. 351
12.2 The relative proportions of the name-types in Figure 12.1 (pale green:
‘overall’) and the distribution of runic finds of the third–eighth centuries
correlated with the name-types. Areas and runic finds that are not
associated with any of the six name-types are not included. 352
12.3 Correlation between the Anglo-Frisian and Continental runic finds of the
third–eighth centuries and the various name-types. 352
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