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Description: | Viking Age lead alloy disc brooch with runic inscription. Interestingly, in the centre of the brooch is a possible runic graffitto. The motif is in the form of a lozenge with 'tails', the runic 'epel' (approximating our letter 'o', and the final letter of the early Germanic 'elder futhark' alphabet). This rune has been used as an ideogram for the word 'homeland',as well as for the words 'estate' or 'inheritance' , all of which are interesting possibilities in the context of an Anglo-Scandinavian dress accessory (see below), though its actual meaning can only be speculated upon.This form of lead alloy brooch is typical of what may be termed the 'Anglo-Scandinavian' milieu. The Viking Age colonisation of 10th- to 11th-century England led to the production of a material culture that was neither recognisably Scandinavian or Anglo-Saxon, but of a form and style unique to the context. These inexpensive lead alloy brooches, which in many ways mimic more expensive Scandinavian gold or silver, or copper alloy analogues, are typical of the type, and seem to express a desire (on the part of at least a certain proportion of the population) to display a Scandinavian identity. This type of disc brooch could be termed a 'nummular' brooch, as it is ultimately based on the form of contemporary coins.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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