tour 18 of 23
The Vikings
Bone pin
This pin was recovered from the River Thames in
1837 and entered the collection of the pioneering Derbyshire
archaeologist Thomas Bateman. The pin would have fastened a cloak
at the right shoulder leaving the arm to move freely. To secure the
pin firmly, a cord or leather thong was tied through the hole in
the head and then wound round the pin tip in a figure of
eight.
The pin is made from
a pig bone and has been heavily polished by use. The design of
step-pattern, triangles and interwoven plant-like tendrils incised
on the head is in Ringerike
style, ornament typical of the late Viking
period in Britain and Ireland, as well as in
Scandinavia.
Dress pins of
this sort are frequently found in settlements such as York,
Trondheim and Hedeby but are usually less elaborate. They were
simple to make using bone from butchered animals and were worn as
practical dress fasteners by all classes of
society.