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Description: | Middle Early-Medieval to Late Early-Medieval copper alloy mount from a hanging bowl. It measures 41.7mm in length by max.11.7mm wide (min.10.6mm wide) and is max.11.9mm thick. It weighs 14.11g. The mount is in the form of two opposed bearded heads with pointed chins with a length of copper alloy between. To the reverse the heads are D-shaped, the upright forming the horizontal line at the base of the head directly behind the lower half of the ears. It is hollowed at the centre with an edge 2-3mm thick. There is a rectangular area between the heads, hollowed at the centre with an edge 2.8mm thick, the edges of which are lowered beyond the line of the heads. To the front, the pointed chin decoration extends over this rectangular area. One of the heads has a horizontal rectangular projection to the reverse at its base (the thickest part of the object), beyond the back of the beard and measuring 10.9x3.7x2.7mm. The top of this head also extends backwards and downwards beyond the hairline to the reverse to give a curved top to the head (the other head is curved to front only and flat to reverse) extending downwards to just above where the hairline begins at the front above the eyes. This projection appears a little damaged to either side. The two projections combined would have held onto the rim of the vessel. The second head projects slightly to the reverse, but not beyond the beard or hairline. This projection is accentuated by the fact that the rectangular area below is cut away. Between both heads then this gives a flat slot presumably for some kind of suspensions strap or chain. The top of the second head is flush with the bottom of it so does not project, but a slightly off centre, angled hole for a rivet appears at the hollowed centre and can be seen on the front of the head at the centre, over the nose, as a hole 2.4mm in diameter and now filled with concretion. Probably this was for added attachment security. To the front, both heads are similar but different. That with the projection has one C shaped ribbed-groove ear and one comma shaped ribbed-groove ear. The eyes appear closed (an incised U in line with the top of the ears) but actually the upper inverted-U lids have been worn. It has a flaring trinagular nose between missing its point and above this a curious inverted-U shape in line with the hair, which starts at either side of the head in a groove turning upwards with tiny vertical grooves to indicate strands of hair. These only extned 2-3mm upwards and don't reach the top of the head. Below the nose is an oval, hollowed mouth. The beard consists of a rib running from just underneath the line of the hair and converging into a slightly prominent chin below the mouth. To the right side of the head as you look at it the beard is wider - probably this a design flaw as this is where the vessel rim slots in. This head is (top to chin) 17.9x11.6mm. The second face has a much fuller hairstyle. A rib flanked by a groove on either side runs down the centre of the top of the head and grooves and corresponding ribs (5mm long) run vertically from this to the groove defining the line of the hair, again running upwards on either side of the head. At the middle of the head in line with the bottom hairline is again an inverted-U groove, this time rather more crescent-like in its appearance. The beard is rib-like on the lower part of the head again converging in a prominent chin but is wider to the side of the head. One eye is formed by two slightly curved lines, not joining, the other is smaller and more of a pointed oval. The nose between is triangular in shape (without a point) but obliterated by the piercing. The mouth underneath is a horizontal U-shaped groove upturned at the corners. The ears are in line with the top of the ears. One is an oval ribbed groove, the other a C-shaped ribbed groove. This head measures (top to chin) 17.6x11.7mm. The gap between the chins is 5.7mm. Susan Youngs comments there is a strong similarity between this mount and those from the famous bowl at Myklebostad, Sogn og Fjordanen, in west Norway. These feature a single head but the profile for the reverse is the same. A double-headed detached mount, found 'near York', is a cruder version of this find. "There are two more bowl mounts from Norwegian Viking contexts which also have a head at each end - Hommersåk, Rogaland h.67 x 23 x 9.5mm and Løland, Vest Agder h.54 x 16mm. Dating is very broad - late 8th or 9th century on the basis of end-use, enamelling and art-historical elements. These are late hanging-bowls from the Irish series - clearly much liked by the Norwegian Vikings".
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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