Table Of Content

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