Suspended Value: Using Coins as Pendants in Viking-Age Scandinavia (c. AD 800-1140)

350 Pages·2018·4.257 MB·English

by  Florent Audy

SUSPENDED VALUE

Florent Audy

Suspended Value

Using Coins as Pendants in Viking-Age Scandinavia (c. AD 800–1140)

Florent Audy
©Florent Audy, Stockholm University 2018

ISBN print 978-91-7797-228-0
ISBN PDF 978-91-7797-229-7
ISSN 0349-4128

Graphic design: Alexander Svedberg
Printed in Sweden by Universitetsservice US-AB, Stockholm 2018
Distributor: Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University

Front cover: Reconstruction of the necklace from grave 94 at Folkeslunda, Öland
Photograph: Gabriel Hildebrand, SHM
A Pauline, Eva et Liv

Table of contents
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................................15
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................19
Part I – A background to the study of the Viking-Age coin-pendants ....................................................................21
Chapter 1. The reuse of coins as pendants: old and new perspectives....................................................................23
1.1. Coins and jewellery: research history ........................................................................................................................................23
1.1.1. The ‘annoying’ suspension ................................................................................................................................................23
1.1.2. The reuse of coins as pendants: a Scandinavian perspective ............................................................................................25
1.1.3. Coin-pendants and the Viking-Age economy ...................................................................................................................29
1.2. Towards a theoretical model for studying coin-pendants ..........................................................................................................32
1.2.1. Between archaeology and numismatics ............................................................................................................................32
1.2.2. Coins, graves and hoards after the cultural turn ...............................................................................................................34
1.2.3. Contextual archaeology ....................................................................................................................................................35
1.2.4. The social biography of things ..........................................................................................................................................36
1.2.5. The meaning of things.......................................................................................................................................................39
1.3. Research questions .....................................................................................................................................................................40
Chapter 2. Presentation of the material ...................................................................................................................43
(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:6)}~(cid:127)(cid:128)(cid:129)(cid:128)(cid:130)(cid:127)(cid:131) ..................................................................................................................................................................................43
2.1.1. Coins, coin-pendants and coin-like pendants ....................................................................................................................43
2.1.2. Historical and geographical framework ............................................................................................................................46
2.2. Structuring the data ....................................................................................................................................................................49
2.2.1. The grave sample ..............................................................................................................................................................49
2.2.2. The hoard sample ..............................................................................................................................................................51
2.3. Overview of the material ...........................................................................................................................................................55
2.3.1. Dating issues .....................................................................................................................................................................55
2.3.2. Overview of the hoard material ........................................................................................................................................57
2.3.3. Overview of the grave material .........................................................................................................................................65
Part II – The making of coin-pendants in the Viking Age ......................................................................................73
Chapter 3. Selection ................................................................................................................................................75
3.1. Methodological considerations ..................................................................................................................................................75
3.2. Coins and coinage in the Viking Age .........................................................................................................................................76
3.2.1. Islamic coins .....................................................................................................................................................................77
3.2.2. German and English coins ................................................................................................................................................78
3.2.3. Scandinavian coins ............................................................................................................................................................78
3.2.4. Byzantine, Carolingian and Roman coins .........................................................................................................................79
3.3. Coin selection: a morphological approach .................................................................................................................................81
3.3.1. Rarity. ................................................................................................................................................................................83
3.3.2. Size and weight .................................................................................................................................................................83
3.3.3. Aesthetic quality ................................................................................................................................................................85
3.3.4. Inscriptions and images .....................................................................................................................................................86
3.4. Coin selection: a spatio-temporal approach ...............................................................................................................................87
3.4.1 Chronological variation .....................................................................................................................................................87
3.4.2. Geographical variation ......................................................................................................................................................88
Chapter 4. Transformation ......................................................................................................................................91
4.1. Methodological considerations ..................................................................................................................................................91
4.2. Towards a typology of the means of suspension ........................................................................................................................92
4.2.1. Biconical mounts ..............................................................................................................................................................93
4.2.2. Edge-mounted loops .........................................................................................................................................................93
4.2.3. Holes .................................................................................................................................................................................93
4.2.4. Sandwiched loops .............................................................................................................................................................94
4.2.5. Rings .................................................................................................................................................................................96
4.2.6. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................................96
4.3. Transformation as a production process ....................................................................................................................................97
4.3.1. Holes .................................................................................................................................................................................97
4.3.2. Loops.................................................................................................................................................................................99
4.3.3. Rings ...............................................................................................................................................................................102
4.4. Dating and locating the transformation ....................................................................................................................................102
4.4.1. Round and other holes ....................................................................................................................................................103
4.4.2. Loops of type Lr1 ............................................................................................................................................................103
4.4.3. Loops of type Lr2 ............................................................................................................................................................105
4.4.4. Loops of type Lr3 ............................................................................................................................................................107
4.4.5. Rings of type R3A ...........................................................................................................................................................109
Chapter 5. Orientation ...........................................................................................................................................113
5.1. Methodological considerations ................................................................................................................................................113
5.2. Orientation: an iconographical perspective .............................................................................................................................116
5.2.1. Design orientation ...........................................................................................................................................................116
5.2.2. Ranking the coin designs ................................................................................................................................................118
5.3. Orientation: a practical perspective .........................................................................................................................................120
5.3.1. Placement marks .............................................................................................................................................................120
(cid:7)(cid:3)(cid:8)(cid:3)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:5)(cid:9)(cid:139)(cid:140)(cid:141)~(cid:129)(cid:128) .............................................................................................................................................................................121
5.3.3. Design integrity ...............................................................................................................................................................122
5.4. Understanding variation ...........................................................................................................................................................124
5.5.1. Aesthetic and technical quality .......................................................................................................................................124
5.5.2. Chronological and geographical variation ......................................................................................................................126
Part III –The Viking-Age coin-pendants in use ....................................................................................................129
Chapter 6. Combination ........................................................................................................................................131
6.1. Methodological considerations ................................................................................................................................................131
6.2. Combining coin-pendants together ..........................................................................................................................................132