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536 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874.

II. VIKINE RELICE NOTETH TH F N GSO SO PERIOE NORTHMETH F DO N IN SCOTLAND, ILLUSTRATED BY SPECIMENS IN THE MUSEUM. JOSEPY B H ANDERSON, KEEPE MUSEUMRE OFTH .

In this paper I propose shortly to notice the remains we have in Scotland which belong to the Viking Period of the Northmen, corresponding to the later Iron Age of the Scandinavian archaeologists, and to allud theio et r bearin chronologe th n go Scottisf o y h archeeology. Durin visity e summem gth , r befor e splendi th last o t , d national collection t Copenhagena s , Stockholm Christianiad an , attentioy m , s nwa specially attracte certaio t d n classe f relicso s f whico , h occasional specimens occu thin o r s sidNorte eth h Sea. With som beed f theseo ha n eI familiar in the north of Scotland, and with others I had become familiar as specimen e Museumth n i s , which from their special peculiaritied di s not fall naturally intScottisr seriee oou th f so h relics. s occurre ha e tha e groupint m I th t o dt g togethe f theso r e relica f so peculiar perio histore r countr ways.o usefue th ou b tw n df i y yo n —i ly ma We have definite dates which form the limits, in both directions, of their e showe Scandinaviab agef b theI n .o n t yca I spea( n f thoso kg du e up on Scottish soil), they cannot be older than the last quarter of the eighth century, when the Scandinavian incursions on the Scottish shores begin to be recorded in the Irish and Norwegian annals; while the introductio f Christianito n y amon e heathegth n Northmen e firsth t n i , quarte e eleventth f o r h century, mark perioe th s whico dt h their pagan customs specialld an , e custoyth f cremationmo , descende e nortth hn i d and west of Scotland. I have some hope, also, that directing attention to this group of relics may help to open up an inquiry into the special characteristics of early Celti d Scandinaviaan c n arts exemplifiea , e enrichmenth n di f theio t r metal work, with the view of enabling us to determine with more precision wha s Celtii t whad can Scandinavians i t . specifie Th c differences, however, betwee e earlienth r stone implements of Scandinavi d thos an af Scotlan o e e stronglar d y marked e mosTh .t striking characteristic of our early stone series is the paucity of flint VIKINE RELICE NOTETH TH F 7 N GSO SO 53 PERIOD.

implement largee th f rso kinds; whil abundance eth mosthese f eo th s tei striking feature Scandinaviath f o e n collections r Scottisou n I h. flint find meee w s t wit he longnonth f ,o e straight-sided , round-topped flint celts; none of the thick, fusiform spear-heads; none of the finely worked, ripple-flaked flint knives or daggers, with delicately crimped handles— blad d handlan e e admirably fashioned fro ma singl e long flaked an ; crescentie nonth f eo c " scraper scommo o "s Scandinavian ni . Similarly, amon r bronz t meegou no eo t d findwit e w shsingla e speci- e distinctivelth me f o n y Scandinavian swor f bronzeo d , wit e lonhth g heavy blade of nearly equal width throughout, a tang for the handle mounted with a cylindrical grip, having an expanding and flattened ornamental top, like that of our Highland dirks, and a lunated collar grasping e uppeth bladee r th par f o t; non f theieo r extremely graceful, elongated palstaves d non an f thei; o e r thin, razor-shaped knives, with galley-like ornamentation, and looped handle terminating in spirals. There is also Scandinaviae th n i n collection markesa d scarcit commonesr ou f yo t form of leaf-shaped sword, with flat handle-plate, pierced with rivet holes; as distinctivele th f welo s a l y British typ f bronzeo e spear-head, with loops, or segmental openings in the blade. Neither is there anything on the Scandinavian bronzes strictly analogous to that peculiar style of ornamentation, which in this country has been denominated " Late Celtic," and of whic mano hs y interesting examples have been figure d describean d d in our Proceedings1 by Dr John Alexander Smith. Nor have we in Scotland a single specimen of the bracteates, of the crucifor r bow-shapemo e agrafedth fibulae f r belo o s r to ;mountings ; o singla r e exampl Scandinaviae th f eo n styl f ornamenteo , characteristic of the early Iron Age. thin I s respec archseologicae th t lwite evidenchistoricae on hth t a s ei l record, inasmuch as it gives no hint of any intercourse between Scandi- navia and Britain previous to the later Iron Age, corresponding to the Viking time of the historical period. In dealing with relics of the Viking Period found on Scottish soil, ther s necessarilei y some difficult determininn yi g what purels i y Scandi- navia d wha an ns purel i t y Scottish, arisin n somgi e cases from certain forms and styles of ornament being common to both countries. But in 1 See the Proceedings, vol. iii. p. 236, and vol. vii. p. 334. 538 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874.

this pape I rshal l confin remarky m e suco st h objectshowe e ar h s o nsa t Scandinavian theiy b , r being commonly foun Scandinavin i d d onlan ay rarely in Scotland, and there within the area known to have been occupie Northmene th y db .

. I STONE URNS.—"We Museue havth n ei m vera y peculiar clas stonf so e urns, found with burnt bones in them. They are often very large, always made of a soft steatitic stone, sometimes hollowed out of a single block t othea , r times fitted wit ha separat ee bottom th piec r d fo ean , usually bearing marks of having been fashioned and dug out with a metal

Stone Urn Vesselr so s foun t Ancomda , Caithness (21 inche 11d ^san inche diameter)n si .

chisel o specimenN .e Englisth f thesf o so r Iris o hey han exis n i t collections. Those in our collection are as follows:— stono Tw e . vessel1 plouge fare sth th f Aucornmturne o y n b ho p u d , parise th Wickf n hi o , Caithness presented ,an Museume th o dt Marcn ,i h 1853, by Mr A. H. Ehind. The smaller was enclosed within the larger, and covered wit hstona e lid, whic s brokee discovereth hwa y nb d an r thrown away. Unfortunately, the contents were neither examined nor preserved Ehind^stater M t ;bu ss sinc thaha et i t been observed thae th t grain grows riche greened ran r spoe oth n t wher vessele eth s were turned NOTES ON THE RELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 539

up than anywhere else in the field, from which it may he inferred that the spot was the site of an interment hy cremation. The larger vessel, whic s bowl-shapedi h , measures 13 inche inche1 n heigh2 i s d n i s an t diameter. It has two handles cut in its sides, and is ornamented round the rim by a double row of incised lines. The smaller urn is of the same form similarld an , y ornamented t withoubu , t handles s 1i 1 t £I . inches in diameter and 8 inches high. They were in all likelihood, in the first instance, vessels of domestic use.

Large Stone Urns containing Burnt Bones—(1) Found in a Tumulus at Stennis, (2) Found in a Cist in Stronsay, Orkney.

2. A large stone urn, found in a tumulus close to the great circle of standing-stones at Stennis in Orkney, and presented to the Museum, in December 1854, by Mr Farrer, M.P. This remarkable specimen, which is here figured along with the one found in Stronsay (No. 11 of this series) 0 inche2 s i ,s high d 22an ,J inches diameter acros e mouthth s , tapering considerably toward s bottome beeth ha s nt I hollowe. f o t ou d a single block of steatite by a metal tool, the marks of which are quite incisen a s visiblvessele e insidha dth th t bordeI f n i eo . r roune th d 540 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874. outside of the rim, similar to the two vessels found at Aucorn. A considerable quantity of its contents are still preserved with it, and it will he seen on examination that they consist entirely of humt bones, partially •vitrifiedtogethen ru d an ,r into lumps barroe Th whicw.n i h this stone vessee "founs plum-cakth wa s li d e tumulus," describe Capty db . Thoma Celtis hi n sci "Antiquitie fee Orkney.f 2 diametesn o 6 i t s wa t "rI l aboud an fee9 t n heighti t , circulae tope sideth th ,d fla n so an rt being sloped at a high angle. The urn was found in a cist composed of large stones, the side stones being about 6 feet in length, and the end stones abou fee2 t t e interiolong e cistTh th . ,f howevero r onls wa y, about 2J feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet deep. It was not placed in the centre of the tumulus, but nearer to one side, and about 3 feet above the level of the ground. Another cist, containing a clay urn of the usual Celtic form, 5 inches high and 5 inches diameter, was found nearer the centre of the tumulus. I am therefore inclined to think that it was the original interment for which the tumulus was reared, and that the stone urn was a secondary interment in the tumulus. f steatiteo n ur , n somewhaA . 3 t oval-shaped inche1 1 , s diameted an r 7J inches in height, half-full of calcined bones, found in a tumulus in e islanth f Eousaydo , Orkney presented an ,e Museum th o t d Juln i , y 1860, by David Balfour, Esq. of Balfour and Trenabie. It is also ornamented witrounm inciseri n outsidhe a e dth th df e o band . 4 The broken portions of a large urn, of similar character to those described e cistaboveth sf o overlyin , e founon Brocn de i ruine th gth f hso of Okstrow (Haugster How), Birsay, Orkney, which are now in the Museum, having been purchased at the sale of the Kirkwall Museum, and presented nationar ou o t l collectio Daviy nb d Balfour, Esq. Balfouf o , Trenabied an r , in January 1863. In one of these cists a small fragment of a bronze or brass ring was found; and Mr Petrie states that on the covering stone of anothe bircarvedra s dwa , " describe intelligenn a y db tw persosa o nwh resemblins a t i eagle.n ga r Petri M " e suggest havy s ethama beet i t n a raven.2

1 Archseologia, vol. xxxiv. p. 110 ; see also Mr Petrie's paper in the Proceedings, . 59 . p vol . ii . Petrie'r M e sSe 2 paperProceedingse th n si "e ; and Avchseologith 0 n 6 .i ,. volp . ii . a ' - . Scotica, . 71 ". p vol . v . NOTE THN SO E VIKINE RELICSTH 1 F GO 54 PERIOD.

e Brochpapey 11th 1m n o rf Scotland, so 1I hav e allude intere th o d-t esting fact of a cemetery of short cists overlying the ruins of this Broch, —a fact whic s heeha h n frequently cite significans a d e higth hf o tanti - quity of the occupation of the Broch. This stone urn is an additional confirmatio viewe th f sI havno e expressef o e ag than i de tth papeo t s a r longeo n thesn r ca hesitate I cists d regaro an t e, d the belongins ma o t g the period of the Norse Paganism in Orkney, and consequently dating between, the eighth and tenth centuries. Since that time the interesting collection of relics found in the Broch itself has been presented to the Museum by Mr Henry Leask of Boardhouse, by whom it was excavated. Among these were several pieces of red Sainian ware. One of these, part of a well-known form of the vessels usually manufactured in this ware hees ha ,n mende clampy db s passed through small holes drillen i d the sides of the vessel. This shows that the inhabitants of the Broch prized the ware, which undoubtedly was rare in the regions beyond the Roman province, and it dates the occupation of the Broch conclusively as not much later than the Eoman time; while the people who buried their dead over the ruins of the dwelling in which the Samian ware was cherishe a prize s a d d possession havy ma ,e bee a ncentur late o tw r r yo still, which brings us down to the period of the early Vikings in Orkney. fragmente Th . 5 anothef o f similas o n ur rr character, foun t Birstaneda , St Ola, Orkney, are also in the museum, presented at the same time by Mr Baifour of Trenaby. fragmentsf o t se same A th gife f . eth ,o 6 tdonor , from Sanday, Orkney. fragmente Th . similaa 7 f o s r urn, also from Sanday, Orkney, presented at the same time by Mr Baifour of Trenaby. . 8. The bottom of an urn of steatite, found at Lopness in Sanday, also presented by Mr Baifour. 9. In 1855 Mr William Fotheringham, the proprietor of the farm of Newbigging, near Kirkwall, informed Mr Petrie that he had accidentally discovere s farhi m cisa n do t containin gstona e urn f ovao , l shape, about 9 inches diameter and 9 inches deep, flat in the bottom, and perforated threy b r foueo r holes. a quantitWhe d ha n f asheyn o foundur se th , and burnt bones in it. It was left exposed, and was smashed by some boys.2 1 Archseologia Scotica, vol. v. p. 176. 2 Proceedings, vol. vi. p. 411. 2 N VOL . PARX . . TII 2 54 PKOCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MA.KC , 1874H9 .

10. The fragments of a large stone urn found in the ground, but with- cisty ou t "a an t, Orem's Fancy, e islanth f Stronsayn "di o , Orkney, pre- sentemuseue th o dt m187n i 0 r GeorghyM e Petrie, Corr. Mem. S.A. Scot. largovaA n a . ef l o 11 formston n ur e, 20f inche s e moutwidth t ea h in the longest diameter, and 18 inches in the shortest, narrowing to 15 inches acros e bottom7 inche1 th s d san , deep s founa cist wa a ,tn i d Orem's Fancye islanth f Stronsayn do i , r Petrie,M e d seny th b ,an o 1t t museu fragmentsmn i bees ha n t reconstructedI . figures i d pagn an ,o d e

1. Cist with Stone Urn, Stronsay.—a. Urn, seen in section, 17 inches deep. b. Burnt bones in the urn. c. Cist of flagstones, 2 feet square. d. Boulder stones supporting side cistf so . 2 and 3. Double Cist with burnt bones, close to No. 1.

539 along with the urn found at Stennis. I have here added a figure showing a section of the cists at Orem's Fancy, as explored by Mr Petrie. The stone nrn (a) "was found in a cist (c) about 2 feet square and the same in depth. It was covered by a piece of thin clay-slate, rudely dressed to a circular shape, and ,was filled to a depth of about half a foot with burnt bones (b). 12. Another urn nearly of the same size but thinner and more irregularly shaped, whic same founs th hwa en di same placth t eea time alss i , o in the Museum in fragments. 1 Proceedings, vol. viii. p. 341. VIKINRELICE E NOTETH TH F 3 N GSO S54 O PEKIOD .

19t n 131834y O . hMa , Professor Thoma . TrailsS l presentee th o t d Society 1fragment e "th sepulchraa f o s l urn verf o , y large size, founa n di small green tumulu e islanth Westrayf n si do , Orkney bottoe t Th i .f m o was broke a pick-axdiscoverye y th time b n f th o es t mout ea It d . han sides were then entire, but have since been broken. It measured 6 feet in circumference at the mouth. Its form was oval, measuring 2 feet in its widest diameter, and 1 foot 8 inches in another. The sides were 11- inch thick. The tumulus, near the surface of which it was found, is called "VVilkie's Knowe, and is the property of George Traill, Esq. of Holland. 13tn O h" April 183. 5 M Societye ther rear s th M o de wa t y b , Paterson, an account of the large sepulchral vase found in a tumulus at "Westray, Orkney, and presented to the Society by Dr T. S. Traill.2 moute th f Augusn ho I . 14 t 1863, when some excavations were being summie mad th hila n f eo l o t calle "e Meikldth e Heog " (Mikill Haug), near Havoldswick, in the island of Urist, Shetland, for the purpose of planting a flagstaff as a fishing signal, " the labourers broke into a place of sepulture bounded about with large upright flagstones enclosind an , ga large number of human skulls and bones." 3 The attention of the late r EdmonstoM f Buneso n s attractewa s o thit d s discovery d furthean , r excavation brough ligho t t t another " narrow chamber," similarly formed with upright slabs d covere an linte,a y b dl slab abou fee3 t t1 lond gan foot wide. Unfortunately e recordimensiono thern th f s ei o d f thio s s chamber t i wer n eI .foun humada n skulld ,an som , ox e e boneth f o s six "urns" or vessels of steatite. They were of different shapes and sizes, as follows:— 4 (1.) A flat-bottomed pot, with irregularly formed sides, 5| to 7 inches in height, rudely bulging, and having an unsymmetrical four-square outline. (This form is well know . Eoberts E Norway. n n. i G describeo r wh , M ) s these vessele th n si " Memoirs of the Anthropological Society," says of this one—" It is cracked and blackened externally fro actioe mth fireseemf d no an , havo st e bee ordinarn na y boiling pot of the tribe." . Minute Society'e 1MS th f so s Proceedings. 2 " Archseologia Scotica," . vol . App26 iv .. p . 3 In one of the graves opened on the Meikle Heog (but it is uncertain which) two beautiful circular bronze brooches of the Scandinavian form were found. They are now in the museum at Lerwick. * " Memoirs of the Anthropological Society of London," vol. i. p. 296. 544 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874.

(2.) A tolerably symmetrical four-square vessel, thinner and more carefully shaped, flat bottomed, with slightly bulging lip. It measures 5| inches in lengt 5 d width3n s ji i hJ an d inchean , s high, tapering bastile th le presentn sa area of 4^ inches in length and 3J inches in width. (3.) A rude thick vessel, of the same form, 6-5? inches long, 4J inches high, and same th widthn ei . (4.) A wide tub-shaped pot, oval in the rim, 4j inches deep and 4| inches | longinche3 y b , s wide. oval-shape(5.n A ) d vessel, 4J inches long inche3 , s f inchebroad2 d san , high. (6.) A neatly-shaped vessel measuring 4J inches in length by 4 inches in width 3d j an ,inche s deep, taperin2y |b inchesornas bas2 a i f o t o get I - . indentementeo tw y db d lines scored roun t underneatdi rime hth . 15. In February 1829, a portion of a vessel of steatite, found in a stone cist in a tumulus on the island of Uyea, Shetland, was presented to e Museuth y Williamb m Mouat Cameron s lette, M Esqo tli t rn eI . Secretary (read to the Society, March. 23, 1829), he states that the discover mads ywa n 1821 i e thad urnsx ,an si t , filled with human bones and ashes, were found in the tumulus. It is thus referred to by Dr Hibbert:1—"On landing at Uyea, I learned that a barrow bad been recently opened •which contained urns of an interesting description. One of indeed thesha eI d seen, whe Leisr visina I M wa Lunna f kn o o t st o . It was a well-shaped vessel, that had been apparently constructed of a soft magnesian e stonenature Lapisth th f f o ,o e Ollaris. e bottoTh m of the urn had been wrought in a separate state, and was fitted to it by mean circulaa f so r groove. When filles founwa d t di wit h bones partly, consumed by fire. The barrow was most probably of Scandinavian origin." 16. Fou fivr o r e pot r vesselso f stoneso , presumabl e samth f ey o for m and character, were foun t Quendalea d , Shetland n 1830i , , along with the silver armlets and Anglo-Saxon coins of Ethelbert, Athelstane, &c., as subsequently to be noticed. They were not preserved. 17. There are in the Museum a number of. fragments of steatite pots or

1 Hibbert's " Shetland," p. 412. Other two are described by Dr D. "Wilson in his '' Prehistoric Annals," vol. 205p portio . .A i . sculpturea f no d stone which covered e Museu th steatita Uyen i n i n ms ai e ur (see Proc. vol. vii foun. s 425)p . t wa d a t , i Stackaber n diggingi g e Manostoneth r fo sr Hous f Uyeaeo numbeA . steatitf o r e urns, containing burnt bones and ashes, were found.—Journal of ArcliiKol. Assoc., vol. xix. p. 312. VIKINE RELICE NOTETH TH F 5 X GSO SO 54 PERIOD.

vessels dug up in the island of Unst, as noticed in the communication by late r Thomath eM s Edmonsto f Bunes o nProceedingse th n si . ,p vol . ix . 284. They were found in two ancient burying places in that island called Bardle's (St Bartholomews?) Kirk and the Eunie1 of Valsgarth Norsd (froOl e mliraun,th heaa r cairn)po whed ,an n found were filled with burnt bones. These instances from Caithness, Orkney d Shetland ,an d hom ol e th , of the Scandinavian Vikings—may suffice to show the character of these peculiar stone vessels accompanying interments of the heathen time.2 Up to the time of my visit to Scandinavia, I believed that this was merel ya varietr Scottisou f yo h sepulture aftee crematioth re th f o n body whicn i , e clahth y urns , s usuawhicit e lar h accompaniments d ha , given plac thoso t e f steatiteeo , from local circumstances d beeha nI . puzzled, however, to account for the occurrence of these steatite "pots" e brochth anciend n i an s t burial mound Caithnessf so , where thero n s ei native steatite to be found; but, when I went to Christiania, I was sur- prised to find in the Museum there a large number of similar steatite urns, l filleal d with burnt bones, sometimes wit n iroha n sword bent threr eo four times on itself and laid above the bones. Many of these stone vessels had iron hanks riveted round their rims, and iron bow handles hooked into them exactly as the handles are hooked upon our culinary pots. I said to Professor Eygh, the Curator of the Museum, " these must have been culinar t theyye potsyd seean , o mhavt e been use s cinerara d y urns." " Oh, yes," he said, " we are constantly finding them so used in our grave-mound latee th f r so Vikin g period." I have noted from Eicolaysen's "JTorskePornlevninger" a large number of instances of their occurrence in Norway, of which it may be useful to cite the following :— 1. At Thorshof, in the parish of Gjerdum, and district of Akershus, there are many burial mounds. In one of these, in the year 1837, there were found a Compare with thi"e sth Eun e Pictoru chartee mth f "o r of Alexandee th f o . II r 1 land f Burgyno s , Morayshire e monkth o f Kinlosst ,o s , whic s glossehi s "thda e e Pechtth f o s m Fieldis,e RunetwetheCa th d e an "sam th f eo l charter.—Rcgist. Moravieiise, App. No. 4, and Records of the Monastery of Kinloss, Preface, p. xxvii. Many more examples might he adduced both from Orkney and Shetland. Mr 2 Petrinumbea s eha thesf o r e steatite urns with their content s collectiohi n si t na ICirkwall. Wallace notices one as having been found in Stronsay before 1693. 546 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874.

spear-head axe-headso tw , stirrupsbridle-bitso o tw ,tw a d f iron o d an , l an , al , vesse f steatitelo , wit remaine hth iros it nf so handle vessee ashed Th .ha l n si , it (Norske Fornleaningar, . 50.p ) e district Hofth 2A . n f i Hedenmarken,o t , roun e churcth d e severaar h l grave-mounds somn I .thesf eo e there were found 1842n i , , four axe-heads, three spear-heads, fragments of two double-edged swords, a pair of stirrups, two bridle- bits, ten arrow-points, a fire-steel, fragments of a shield-boss, a ring, a kind of pincers, and other fragments, all of iron, along with two vessels of steatite, the one having an iron handle, and the other containing burnt bones and oxidised iron fragments. (N. F. p. 57.) 3. In the neighbourhood of Gunnarsby in the district of Jarlsberg and Laurvik, there were found in 1859, in a small stone cairn, among charcoal and ashes, a single-edged sword, an axe-head, a spear-head, a shield-boss, and a double axe-head f irono l , al ,wit a hring-brooc f brasso h a ,bea f opaquo d e glass ornamented with yellow streaks . a vessep . d f steatiteF o an l , . (N . 200.) t Thioto4 A .districe th n ,i Nordlandf o t , there were found 1828n i ,stonea n ,i - chamber occupyin centre ggrave-rnoundth a f eo axe-hean a , spear-head an d f do iron, the skeleton of a man in a sitting position, and, at his feet, a vessel of long-shapef o steatite t se a f ,o wherei de dicon bonef y eo n la , with circular marks for the numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6 on the four long sides (see p. 547), and ten globular bone table-men, each having a hole bored from the under side to the top, and also an oxidised sword of iron. (N. F. p. 677.) 5. At a place called Kjsempenhaug (the grave-mound of the Kemp or Warrior, Eng. champion) parise th f n Sortlanhi ,o same th en di district, there were found in a grave-mound, in 1863, the skeleton of a man, with a two-edged sword and a single-edged sword, a knife, fragments of two other knives, two-spear heads, two axe-heads palstavea , a dagger-blade d an , f irono l , al ,fragment e swordth f o s- scabbard, and pieces of a vessel of steatite. (N. F. p. 691.) 6. In the parish of Stokke, district of Laurvig, there are two groups of grave- rnounds consistine on , f thirteeo g n larg d smalan e l circular moundse th d an , other, of eleven round and three long mounds. In one of these large long mounds therfouns wa e a brasd s brooch, having s uppeit r part expanded into an oblong quadrangular plate, rounded off at the corners, a bowl-shaped brooch o fragmentfe brassth d larga an , f o se vesse . 770.p . steatitef F o l ) . (N . circulaa n 7I . r grave-moun t Gaardenda , Ostre Aim, Hedenmark, thers ewa found an urn or vessel of steatite with remains of its iron handle, a two-edged sword contorted and broken into three pieces, a bent spear-head of iron, an iron axe-head, two shield-bosses of iron, a bridle-bit, a pair of stirrups, a strap-buckle iroo ntw tagsd an portioa , coma f nf boneo b o , pretty lontoothed gan d onln yo NOTES ON THE KELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 547

one side, mad f smaleo l piece f bono s e held betwee o slip ntw f bon so e rivetted together hemisphericao tw , l table-me f smalbonea no d an l, figur n bonn ei a f eo animal resembling a dog. In the urn lay ashes. (Foreningen for Norske Fortidsmindesnuerkers Bevaring, 1866, p. 88.) t NordbA . 8 y Sagbrug, Akershus, there were founa smal gravew n i dlo l - mound piecee bowl-shapea th , f so f steatiteo n dur inche7 , s diameter whicn i , h were ashe burnd san t bones alond ,an g wit two-edgea t hi d swor ironf d o blade ,th e 30j inches long, a spear-head, an axe-blade and other iron relics. (Foren. for Nonlie Fortids. Bee., 1867 . 49.p , ) 9. At Elset, in Solum parish, province of Bratsberg, there was found a bowl- shaped urn of steatite of the kind so commonly occurring in graves of the later Iron Age. It had an iron hank round the rim and an iron bow-handle, and was full of burnt bones. (Foren. for NorsTce Fortids. Bev., 1868, p. 115.)

The foregoing instances of the occurrence of these steatite vessels in Norwegian grave-mounds, wil e sufficienb l shoo t commotw who n they e detaile articleth th f d areo san s, found with them will serv illuso t e - trate the character and accompaniments of a Norwegian hurial of the Viking Period or the later Iron Age. (give4 . nNo above n steatite I finth e n w )di e pot, placefeee f th o t t da the warrior, sitting in his stone-chamber, one of the set of dice with which he beguiled his leisure. It is of peculiar form, hut a form which s characteristii f theso c e interments d belong Vikine an ,th o t sg time. dicf o f thi o et sse Parpeculiaa f o te collectioth r n fori s mi n froe mth Broch, or Pictish Tower of Burrian, North Bonaldsay, Orkney; presented Museue th o t m r bWilliayD mf theso Traill e hers ei On e . figuredd an , so close is its resemblance to those found Vikine inth . g grave-mounds of Norway, that there can he little doubt that it belongs to the period of the Norwegian occupation of Orkney. In the same Broch of Burrian, the fragments of a very . , . . , . , On ot ef dicse o fa e of the Viking time large steatite pot were found, which found in ^ Broch rf Bm.ri*n are now in the Museum. It differs (Actual size.) in no respect from those found in cists with burnt bone themn naturae si Th . l inferenc thats i elattee th , r 548 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874. though use cinerars da y urns firs,e werth t instancn ei e utensil domestif so c use. In the Broch of Mousa (which is recorded to have been twice occupied by Northmen1), thers founwa ea circulad r vesse f steatiteo l , andn i , a similar structure at Brough in Shet- land, there was found an oval pot of steatite with handlee endsn th A t .a s almost exactly similar pot of steatite also, with handles, is figured in "Foren. til Norske Fortids. Bevaring, Aarsberet- Stone Vessel foun t Breraghda , ning for 1871," plate iv. It was found Shetland. with a double-edged sword of the later (12 inches long.) Iron Age a grave-moun n ,i t Mogenea d s in Akershus. A vessel somewhat resembling the one noticed above, but probably e Museun TJnsti th d seno fp o an t u ,tlate mg ralondu dates gwa , with the urns obtained at Bardle's Kirk. It was found in what Mr Edmonston supposed to be the remains of an ancient habitation, and it is here figured as a specimen of a domestic vessel of steatite, for compari- son wit sepulchrale hth clears i t I , . however, that those found with burnt bone n themi s ,e wereth n i , first instance, vessel f o domestis c Ston Unstn i e p Vesseu , g du l use. Shetland. (17 inches long.) e Saga th e hav w sn I e historical evidence of the use of stone pots for culinary purpose e Vikinth n e i accounsg th time n I te . giveth f o n battle of Stiklestad (A.D. 1030), in the Saga of King Olaf the Holy, we are told of one of the warriors who was hit by an arrow, that he was brought to a nurse-girl to be tended, and her modus operandi is thus described:— d stirre"ha No e dw sh togethe r leek d othean s r herbd an s boiled thestone-pot,a f mn thes i o woundee gave th d o et sh o an et n dma eat. By this she discovered if the wound had penetrated into the cavity woune th belly d e gonf oi th d ha fdeepr o es fo ; , the t nwouli d smelf o l 1 See the " Archajologia Scotica," vol. v, p. 158. NOTES ON THE EEL1CS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 549

leek"—a rough ,e whole butth n ,a ratheo , r useful diagnosi .thosn i s e day rougf so readd han y treatment. Fro n examinatioma circumstancee th f no whichn i s , these stone urns ar eVikine founth n i dg grave-mound f Norwayo e relics th sd witan , h "which theusualle ar y y associated e conclusioI ,com th o t e n thae th t steatite poturnd san s foun Scotlann i d d (which t observedi e b , cone ar , - fined in that country to the area occupied by the Northmen), are probably Vikine oth f g time d the interestine an ;suggestivy s ar a s e u th o t gf e o existence of cremation in one portion of Scotland so late as between the close of the eighth and the beginning of the eleventh centuries. When I was in Orkney last summer, I saw, in Mr Petrie's collection, a fragment f theso e eo on furn s whic I hcoul d hav hesitatioo n e regardinn i s ga d stile remain ha iroe th whiclNorseg t th i nlu w f r hso fo bo , hele th d t rivetepo e odth f throug stonee hth . e grave-moundth n I f Norwao s y these steatite pote founar s d associated wit grouhthe objectof p s which mark Norsthe s e occupationof the north of Scotland, the peculiarly-shaped sword, tortoise brooches, bone dic f .ao e peculiar form t fro cu e middl, mth a sheep-shan f o e k bone, and long round-backed combs—all articles which only began to be brought over to this country by the Vikings in the end of the eighth century.

II. TOBTOISB OE BOWL-SHAPED BROOCHES.—This strikingly peculiar clas f speciaa relic o ss ha s l interes s illustrativa t e stylth f thao f e o e t purely Pagan art, which flourishe n Scandinavii d a even afte rese f th rto Europe had been leavened with the refining influences of Christianity. The following specimens have been found in Scotland:— fine eTh . brooch1 , paihera f reo founfiguree on t Castletown a ds i d , Caithness notices 1786i n lis ,e i donation f t o th I t .n Museud i e th o st m for the year 1787, printed in the Appendix to the "Archseologia Scotica," f severao e on l s articlevola , . 61 iii . sp . presente Jamey b d s Traill, Esq., among which were:—

" Two oval brooche coppef so r gilt, embosse decorated dan d with rich carvings, each surrounded with a double row of silver cord near the edge, with an iron tongue on the hollow side, much corroded ; the length of each brooch, 4-J- 0 55 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MAKC , 1874H9 .

inches, the breadth 3 inches. These were, in September last (1786), dug out of ruine Pictisa th f f so o p h to hous e th Caithnessn ei , lying besid skeletonea , buried .under a flat stone with very little earth above it." On f thieo s pai f broocheo r r Worsaaegives M swa o nt hin o s, visio t t Scotland, along with other Scottish specimens, in exchange for representative specimens of Danish antiquities; and I had no difficulty in recog- Museue casee th th f f so o t mCopenhagene a nisinon n i t gi . The notice of the interment with which these brooches had been deposited states that it had been made on the top of one of the mounds covering the ruins of a Pictish broch. This is what we should expect of

Tortoise or Bowl-shaped Brooch, found with a Skeleton at Castletowu, Caithness.

Norwegiaa n e buriaperioth f o dl whe "howa n mounr "o always dwa s selected or made for the interment. The specimen here figured belongs to a class of these oval brooches common in Norway, and still more frequent in Scania in Sweden. The pattern is nearly always the same, though with slight variations in the details. The centrbrooce th f eo s occupieh i bola y ddb ornament resemblin gcrowna , foue th r d ornamentaan l bosses shapee beloar t wi d like horses' heads. Th ee brooc bodth f yo doubles h i lowee th , r shell being highly giltd an , piercee th d upper parbees ha tn ornamented with silver chaine s th lai n di NOTES ON THE EELICS OF THE VIKING PEItlOD. 551

channels dividing the ornament into compartments, as is still seen in the case of the Tiree brooch, to be subsequently noticed. The " double row of silver cord near the edge," mentioned in the description of the brooch in 1787 longeo ,n r exists. thin I 1s cas broochee eth s were associated with an unburnt burial. 2. Another pair of these oval brooches from Caithness were found in a a moun f o f gravelp o dshor to e t, th ciscallen o tLonghillse dth littla , e below the Broch of Kettleburn, near Wick, in 1840. Though in a very fragile condition, they have been carefully preserved by James Hender- son, Esq f Bilbstero . whosn o , e far f Westerseamo t they were foundd an , by whom they were exhibite e Archfeologicath t da l Exhibition t Edinsa - burgh in 1856 and at Aberdeen in 1859. In consequence of my inquiries after them, through Mr John Cleghorn of Wick, Mr Henderson has generously presented them to the National Museum of the Society, in order to secure their permanent preservation as part of the series of relics

Tortoise or Bowl-shaped Brooch, found in a cist in the Longhills, Wick.

illustrative of this interesting period. They are both formed of double plates e uppeth , r being securee lowe th smaly b o rt d le rivetsth d an , twisted chains of fine silver wire which filled the channelled depressions

1 "Worsaae figures, in his "Nordiske Oldsager" (1859), fig. 423, a brooch of this oval form wit htwistea d silver cord roun edgee dth . 552 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874. pattere uppee th th n f i no r shel e stilar ll visibl n somi e e placese Th . brooche e differensar s similan e i patternTirei tth e eo t On rbrooc . h figure . 560othere p n Th do . , whic s herhi e figured, differse froth l mal Scottish specimen havinn si g eight bosse f opeo s n work arranged round centrae th l boss. singlA . 3 e brooce ovath f lh o bowl-shape d form foun grava n di n eo Linke th f Pierowallso , Westray presented an ,Museue th o t d Jun mn i e 1851 by Mr William Eendall. It is thus referred to in the Donation List: "bronzA e oval brooch, ring-brooch d variouan , s iron relics, includinga hatchet, spear-head portiod e umb an ,a shield,—alth f f no o l founn i d remarkabla on f eo e grou gravef Linke po th f n Pierowallsso o , Westray, Orkney; als omala e human skull fro same mth e grave."

Bronze Bowl-shape r Tortoisdo e Brooch foun an di grave t Pierowalla , "Westrav.

The interesting group of interments from which this brooch came, consisted of several graves surrounding a tumulus situated at some distance fro seae mth , nea heae rth Pierowalf do l Bay. (1.) In one grave, in a cist formed of large stones, there was found the skeleton lefe lyinn th t n sidema go oa f , witnorthe heae th h kneee th o dt th , s drawp nu to the chest and the arms crossed on the breast. At the head was an iron shield- lefe th t bossidn iroo n e sa ; n sword, nearl feey 4 length n i t whetstoneA . a , comb somd an , e glass beads were ciste founth .n di (2.) In another grave of the same group there was the skeleton of a woman, with the head to the south. On the breast lay a pair of oval shell or bowl- NOTES ON THE RELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 553

shaped brooches, and between them, but lower down, one of the trefoil or clover- blade-shaped ornaments whic commonlo hs y accompany these brooche Norn i s - wegian graves of the Viking time. thira (3.n I d) grav f thieo s group another pai f ovao r l bowl-shaped brooches were found, and also two long combs with semi-circular backs, one of which lay above each shoulder. These brooches and combs passed into the possession of Mr Crofton Croker, and were subsequently acquired by Mr Bateman, in whose museum, at Lomberdale House, Derbyshire, they are still preserved. (4.fourtA ) h grav f thieo s group contained, wit skeleton,e hth paia f ovao r l brooches, a bodkin, and a pair of long combs, one of which is here figured.

Comb found, wit Ovao htw l Brooches grava n i ,Westray n ei .

It is uncertain to which of these interments the brooch in the Society's Museum belongs, or whether it belongs to any of them. It may have been found in a subsequent excavation, of which we have no record. It , howeveris , very figurer Batesame e mucth M on ef y -h o e db styl th s ea man,1 and is formed of a single plate, as all the three pairs found in Orkney appea havo rt e been. The pooree yar design ri mord nan e coarsely finished than those found in Caithness and the Western Isles, and this seems to suggest that havy thema ye been manufacture n Orkneyi d , while th e other havy sma e been brought from Norway. Similar brooche singla f so e plate, however, are not unfrequently found in Scandinavia, and one of e samth e patter s thina s t OrkneSundala p u y , g oneNordmoredu , , Norway, is figured in the set of photographs of the Christiania collection presented to our Library by his Majesty the late King of Sweden, who was an Honorary Fellow of this Society.

1 Mr Bateman's figure is reproduced in Dr Wilson's "Prehistoric Annals," vol. ii. p. 305. 554 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874.

pai 4A f thes. o r e brooches were foun grava n di e near Dtmrobinn i , Sutherlandshire. The under shells of them are now in the Duke of Sutherland's museum at Dunrobin Castle. brooc5A . h foun t Ospisdalea d n Sutherlandshirei , possese th n i - s i , sion of Mrs Gilchrist, Ospisdale House.

Bronze Bowl-shaped or Tortoise Brooch found in Islay.

6. A pair were found in the island of Islay, and presented to the Society's Museum, in May 1788, by Colin Campbell, Esq. of Ballinelly. They are thus noticed in the Donation List:—" Two ancient oval brooches of brass, embosse decorated dan d with rich carvings e lengtth ; f eacho h brooch 4^ inches breadte th , h 2J heighte inchesth d ,an , 1|- inch."

Bronze Pin from Tiree.

7. One of a pair found in the island of Tiree was presented to the Museum, in June 1872, by the late Eev. Dr Norman Macleod. Nothing furthe s knowi r n concernin e circumstanceth g f theio s r discovery than VIKINE RELICE NOTETH TH 5 F N GSO S55 O PERIOD.

that they were founa grav n i de along wit e peculiarly-shapeth h d an d massive bronze pin here figured. (See also p. 560.) Statisticad notices i "e Ol t I th n di l Accoun f Tireeo t " that digginn i , g at Cornaigbeg, there were found, at different times, human skeletons, and nigh them the skeletons of horses. Swords were found diminished with rust; silver work preserved the handles; there were also shields and helmets, wit brasha s spear. This brooch measures 4^ inches in length, 2f inches in breadth, and i1 inc height n doublehs i i t I undee . th , r part havin wit flagm a ri hta ban f lacertino d e ornamentatio n panelsi n e plaiTh n. portioe th f o n under shell has been gilt. The upper shell has a raised boss in the centre, pierced with four openings. Two similar bosses are placed at the extremities of the longer and shorter diameters of the oval, and half way between each pair of these bosses there are spaces for beads or studs, four numbern i , which have been fastene rivety b whicf n f brasso dso o e hon , still remains in situ. From the central boss to the other bosses there are channelled depressions in the metal, in which are laid three rows of a small silver chain, formed of two strands of a very fine wire twisted together, and forming a double diamond figure on the oval surface of the brooch. On 15th March 1847 notica ,simila a f eo r brooch, foun Tireen di s ,wa broocSociete e reath th d o t h y an exhibite Johr Si ny d b Graha m Dalzell. Itdescribes ,i s "resemblinga d minutenesso t , , severaMuseum,e th n i l " and, as these brooches usually occur in pairs, it was probably found with presentee on e Revth r y Macleoddb D . . 8. A pair were found by Commander Edge in a grave-mound in the island of Barra. The mound had a bauta-stein, 7 feet high, standing on e skeletoTh westy e wit . e nd la heaalonth it hth f an ,o t do g p to e th iron a ns swordwitwa t hi , with remain e scabbardth f o s a shield-boss, , and remains of the shield, a whetstone, the two brooches, and a comb inche8 s long. 9. A single brooch, one of a pair, closely resembling those from Piero- wall "figuree s i , Vetust th n i d a Monumenta," vol . piii .. xx.:—s wa t "I found, togethe brasra witd s h brasan a needleeacn o n hspi e sidon , f eo a skeleton, in the isle of Sangay, between the isles of Uist and Harris." It is stated that " the fellow of it is in the British Museum." 10pairA . , t KildafounS e preserven i dar e , Andersonia th n i d n 556 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAECII 9, 1874.

Museum, Glasgow. One of these is figured in a paper by Mr J. J. A. Worsaae, entitled " Nordeuropas Tidligste Bebyggelse og Kulturudvik- ling" in the "Aarboger for Nordisk Oldkyndighed" for 1873. 11. Two oval howl-shaped brooches, now in the museum at Lerwick, were found at Clibberswick, in the north end of the island of Unst, Shetland, along wit a htrefoi l brooch, ornamented with dragons, whose feet twist under and grasp parts of their bodies. The trefoil brooch closely resemble foune son n Denmark i d figure d e "an , Memoireth n di s e led Societe Eoyal s Antiquairede e u Nordd s r 1840-44fo " . Along with them were found a plain silver bracelet and two glass beads, ornamented with twisted streak f whito sd bluean e . This pai f tortoiso r e brooche e usuath d l sha mar e insidinne e f clotth kth o n f reo ho shells . A notice of them by James T. Irvine, F.S.A. Scot., is given in the "Journal of the Archaeological Association," vol. xix. p. 313. Martin probably mentions another pair in the following notice:— " There was lately discovered a 'grave in the west end of the island of Ensay (between Barra and Harris) in which was found a pair of scales made of brass and a little hammer,"—probably a " Thor's hammer."— Western'Islands, . 1716. ed 50 . ,p Thus we have notice occurrence th f so fourteef eo n pair thesf so e brooches Scotlandn i , viz. paie Shetlandn i ,on r , thre Orkneyn e i Caithness n i o tw , , two in Sutherland, and six in the Western Isles,—twenty-six specimens alln i whicf ,o h only eight have foun Museume th do t theiy . rwa e Museum have th W n i e , however e specimeon , n from Norwayg du , up from a grave in Hankadal near Christiania, one from Denmark, and one from England Englise Th . hpaia specimef re o founth e n on o ds n i breasa skeleto f o t n which 'was discovered near Bedale, Northallerton, Yorkshire, some years before 1848. The other brooch of the pair is engrave e "Archaeologicath n i d l Journal r Novembefo " r 1848 (vol. . s ther221)i p t . I v e. describe havins a d g been founr do onle on y two feet belo e surfacewth , wit a hskeleton e breasth , whicf o t d hha been transfixed by a long spear-head. No other remains were found with it. n NorwaI y these tortoise brooche e associatedar s ' wit e urnth f ho s steatite formerly mentioned d witan , h buria y cremationb l s wela ,s a l with unburnt burials. It may be interesting to' cite a few examples of NOTES ON THE RELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 557

their occurrence in connection with cremation as illustrative of the pre- valence of this mode of burial to the comparatively late period -which is characterised hy this peculiar for brooch:f mo —

pai(1.A f )ova ro l bowl-shaped brooches a clover-blade-forme d an , d brooch, and two bronze bracteates, were found in 1870, in a long grave-mound in Torn- bek Gaard, along with the fragments of a steatite pot or urn of the usual form. The oval brooches were double-shelled, having a large knob in the centre, and aroun foudit r othershapthe animalsesof in ' heads broocheThe . s see havmto e e firebeeth . n i n (Foreningen r Norskefo Mindesmaer Jeer's Bevaring, 1870, p. 80.) n ova(2.A ) l bowl-shaped brooc f bronzeho , double-shelled founds ,wa , with some small articles of iron and burnt bones, in a small round grave-mound n Eomsdai l parish, Hedenmarken. (Foren. r Norskefo Mindes. Bev., 1873, p. 69.) steatitf o usuae t th on rf po elur o latee forn th (3. A f rm) o Iro n Age, whicd hha been clamped with iron, and an oval bowl-shaped brooch double-shelled, were found in a round grave-mound at Bringsvaa in Nedenes, with the bones of a horse. In the stone pot were burnt bones and a dozen round brass knobs like buttons. (Foren. for Norske Mindes. Bev., 1873, p. 73.) (4.) In case 96 in the Museum at Stockholm, there are six oval bowl-shaped or tortoise brooches, each of a single plate, and one pair of double-plated brooches, which were found in 1866 along with fragments of clay urns and burnt bones, and among them two spear-heads of iron and some glass beads, in a grave-mound t As-Husba Upplandn yi , Sweden. same th en i Museum casn (5.0 I )e 10 , ther paia thesf s ei o r e oval broochesa , trefoil brooch, and three spear-heads of iron, which were found, in 1855, among ashes, charcoal burnd an , t bones a grave-moun n i , t Tannoa d , near Jonkoping, Sweden.

These instances are sufficient to show the association of the oval brooches with the custom of cremation, though they are much more frequently found with unburnt burials. The brooches themselves have, moreover a technica, l interesthe to t student accounn e o ,stor th f yo t they e havancien th o tel t ef o l t pro- cesse manufacturef so . e materialth e havo t d firs analyseo W s n ea Scottise . An t th f o s h specimens, but in Scandinavia it has been found that the metal of which they are composed is not bronze but brass. It is characteristic of the o 2 VOL . PARx . T n. 8 55 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1874H9 .

relics of the earlier bronze period, that the alloy of which they are composed is one in which copper and tin are the principal ingredients. It is characteristic of the Iron Age, that much of the bronze-like metal that was then used so abundantly for decorative purposes, is not the older alloy of copper and tin, but a new alloy in which copper and. zinc form the principal ingredients. It is, in fact, not bronze but brass, though differing considerabl proportione th n yi constituens it f so t elements from brase th morf so e modern times. This change compositioth n ei e metath f nlo from tin-bronz zinco et - bronze usefua s i , l distinctio notee b o considerinn t di f relic o e sag e gth which are of bronze-like metal, " Zinc," says Morlot, " is never present bronzee Bronze th th n i f so e Age ,impurity.n evea s na researchee Th " s of Gobel have also shown that zinc is absent even from the Greek bronzes,- whic composee har copperf do , leadtind an , . Zinc only begin appeao st r ingredienn asa Koman i t s onlni t alloysi y towardd an , commencee sth - Christiae menth f o ta tha er nt begini te presen b o t them.sn i t 1 .The commencement of the Iron Age in Central Europe is pretty well defined e occurrencth y b f leaf-shapeo e d sword f iroo s n with flat handle-plates, which are actual copies in the new metal of the older form of bronze sword—a form quite unsuite e malleablth o t d e material, though excel- lently adapte e cas b bronzen i to t d . These have been found associated with relics dated approximately as of the third century before the Christian era. It is only after the commencement of the Iron Age that we meet with zinc bronzes, so that the presence of this ingredient in the metae ag proos i e l th fo t tha objece t th tno d t belongan Iroe e th nAg o st of bronze, evefora e mnb y whicthoughma ht i otherwise would have been assigned to the bronze age. For instance, there is in the Museum at Stockholm, a leaf-shaped bronze sword, found in 1868 at Qvie, in s Gotlandfouna ston wa n i dt eI cis. fee2 t t (Swedish) square, among burnt bones. Along with it an iron axe was found, showing it to be a bronze sword of the Iron Age. But if the iron axe had. completely dis- appeared through oxidation e compositioth , nmetae oth f f thio l s bronze

Morlot'e Se s observation papea n si r entitled Metaus '"Le x employes dans 1'age du1 Bronze," in the Memoires de la Societe des Antiquaires du Nord for 1866, P. 29. . ' See also a series of analyses of ancient bronzes in Kruse's " Fecro-Livonia." VIKINE KELICE NOTETH TH 9 F N GSO 55 SO PERIOD. sword would have conclusively establishe s perio it dIroe th thas n a df o t and not of the Bronze Age.' Its analysis gave— . .85-4 . Copper . 5, Zinc, .... 12-00 . . 1-5 . 9 Tin, The metal of which these brooches were made seems to have been always n alloa f veryo y variable composition, often containin a ggoo d deaf o l judgo t e d oxidatione ar e an th e frolead e n effecte w i m ag f th t i , f bu o ,s absenc f analyseo e s impossibli t i s o speat e k with certaint n thio y s subject. examinw no thesw s u ho ee t broocheLe s were made t I wile . b l observed that the separato formee yar tw n i d e pieces, whic t like hfi eon inverted bowl placed over the bottom of another. The upper shell is pierced with open work e unde unpierceth ,e on r t richlbu d - y in gilt e th , tention being thagildine th t g should show throug openingse hth . These upper shells appear to have been cast in moulds of hardened clay. The e undeinsidth f ro e shell, however, present n appearanca s f peculiao e r interest mosn I f the . vero s ti mt yi distinctly marked with imprese th , - sion of coarse linen cloth. Close examination reveals that it really is an resule impressioth f t corrosio o te metalno th d n ni an , n contac i t with cloth. Tha seee b somn t o ny s alsappearanc f themit eo ma ot bu , s ei different lons gwa I puzzle. accouno t d thir fo ts peculiar appearancf eo the inside surface of these brooches, and the explanation suggested by some of the Scandinavian archaeologists, to whom I mentioned my difficulty, viz., that they were cast on pads of cloth, did not remove it. But when I mentioned the matter to Mr John Evans, he suggested an explanation, which seems to me to be in most cases, probably, the true one. These under shells were cast in stowe-moulds, prepared in this way:—the moule sidth f eo d correspondin convee th o gt x surface wit ornamentas hit l n sofi t t borderstonecu s thicknesA t wa .clot, s thewe hwa f n so fitted into it corresponding to the thickness of the metal, and over this a lump

Similarl yplata f unmanufactureo e d bronze-like metal whice founs th hwa n di Broc1 h of Carnliath, Dunrobin, along with a number of relics of the later Iron Age, was founds analysiit n o , Dy sb r Stevenson Macadam composee b o t , d of—copper, 82'25; zinc, 15-84; tin, 1'46; lead, 0'21. PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARCH 9, 1874.

of tough clay was rammed hard, and left to harden sufficiently. The clay cove thes clote nwa r th lifte hd removeddan , thus leavin e gcavita th r yfo metal. The clay became one side of the mould and the stone the other, and when the metal was run in it took the impression of the cloth retained

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2. Tortoise Brooch found'in Tiree. 1. Under Shell of Brooch, Gilt. 2. Upper Shell, of Pierced and Chased Work.

upon the backing of clay. Sometimes, however, as in the case of the single plate brooch from Pierowall, Orkney s evideni t i , t thae ornamentath t l brooce th sid f s ecaso i h t fro mclaa y impression, madpattera y t b e cu n in wood. It becomes apparent on examining the details of the ornament that they have "bee t witcu n a hknife r gravero , n les, whicru s s ha h smoothly wherever it has turned to cross the grain of the wood. The NOTES ON THE RELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 561

marks where it has slipped, are sometimes even discernible. But whether the matrix in which the metal was cast may have heen hardened clay or stonee inne th e e sameproces e th th ,moulr d th s sids an ,f swa o edwa forme sofn di t clay rammed ove necessare th r y thicknes f clothso . Thus presentee wear d with casting textile metan si th f o le fabrice eightth f so h and ninth centuries, showing the thickness of its threads, the method of weavinge generath d an l,e fabric finisth f o h. s regardThaa s i e t th s cloth used in the preparation of the moulds in which these brooches were made. But there is a still more singularly interesting circumstance connected with these brooche e perioe clotth th f ho d d san whe n they were made and worn. In some instances they have not only preserved its impression in the metal, but have actually preserved small portions of the dress in which they were wornt leasta , whicn i or ,, h they were fixed when they were committed to the tomb with the body of the wearer. It is a pecu- liarity of these brooches that they have all had large thick pins of iron, hinged at the one end, the point fitting into a hooked iron plate or catch projecting fro e undemth r surfacbrooche th usuallf w o eno , y enveloped in a lump of oxidation. In this one from Tiree, and the one I brought from Haukadal near Christiania I ,hav e ascertaine carefua y db l examination of this lump of oxidation, that it has inclosed and protected from deca minuta y e portio f puckereo n d cloth whic d beeha hn caughn i t catce th betweehd whean thice poine n broocth e nth nkpi f th s o t wa h last fastened e dressonth I hav. e been abl removo t e mound an er fo t microscopical examination some small scraps of this cloth. So far as I can s judgappearancit f o e e unde e microscopeth r t seemi ,linee b o nt s cloth, wit hpartiaa l admixtur anothef eo r fibre whic hemp e hI takb o et , detecn an ca materia o dI n t l difference betwee specime e clote th n th n hi n from Norwa thad yan t wester n fro islane ow m th r nTiref dou o coast n eo . These, then, are actual specimens of the linen manufacture of the Viking time. Let us now look at the range and distribution of these brooches. As they mar e Vikinth k g period they also indicat e rangth e f territoro e y frequented or conquered by the Northmen. In the Museum at Stock- holm I saw about 400 of them, in Christiania about half that number, and a large collection in Copenhagen. They are found with the charac- 562 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874. v teristic Viking, remain n Livoniai s , wher e Northmeth e n establisheda Eussian kingdom; in Normandy, which they made their own; in Iceland, associated with Cufi ce tentth coin f ho s century n Irelani ; d with characteristic swordVikine th f so g timet Lamea s a , , Kilmainhamd an , Island Bridge, and in the Phoenix Park of Dublin; in England, in York- shire and Lancashire; and in Scotland, in Orkney, Caithness, Sutherland, the Hebrides, and even in remote St Kilda. Then as to their associations. In Norway and Sweden they are found both with burnt and with unburnt bodies. An Arab writer states that they wer ebreaste worth n f femaleso no s theid an , r being foun thin i d s country in some instances along with combs, needles, and spindle whorls, seems to prove the Arab right. In other cases, however, they are foiuid with swords, shield-bosses armoud an , menf ro . Thisuggesy sma t either that they were worn by men as well as by women, or that in these instances a woman was slain and buried along with the man, either by the chance f warn accordanco si r ,o e wit e horriblhth e rite f immolatioo s n described by Ibn Fozlan1 as practised among the Northmen so late as tente th hn i century.

III. CHARACTERISTIC WEAPONS OP THE VIKING PERIOD.—The interment Orkneyn si whicn i , warriore hth , though unburned accompanies ,i d in the grave-mound by the bones of his horse and his dog, and by the remains of his iron-mounted shield, his iron axe, and his long iron sword, e heatheth f o n l ar al Vikine g time numbeA . f exampleso r , chiefly

narrative th Fozla n e Proceedingse Ib 1 Se th f eo n i , practic . 520vole p . Th ..ix e of cremation existed in these northern regions long after Ibn Fozlan's time. Gruber, s "Origineihi n s Livonise," states that n 1225i , e Esthonians,th , whose heathen customs were akin to those described by Ibn Fozlan, relapsed into paganism after a brief nominal conversion to Christianity, took back the wives they had given up, exhume beed ha ndeae o buriedth dwh Christian di n cemeteries mort "e e paganorum pristine cremaverunt, burned an " d the mpagad ol aftee fashione th rtimesth f no . In Dreger's " Codex Diplomaticus Pomeranise," there is a deed of contract dated A.D. 1249, between the converts and the brethren of the Holy Cross of Livonia, in which the converts come under obligation "quod ipsi et heredes eorum in mortuis com- burendis vel subterrandis cum equis sive hominibus, vel cum armis, seu vestibus, vel quibuscunque aliis preciosis rebus, vel etiam in aliis quibuscunque, ritus gentilium de ceter n servabuntono mortuod se , s suos juxta morem Christianoru cemiteriimn i s sepelient et non extra." . VIKINE RELICE NOTETH TH F 3 N GSO SO 56 PEKIOD. fro islane mth f Westraydo Orkneyn i , , case wil seeth e e b l n i ndevote d findo t s from these graveMuseume th n si . Swords.—A large numbe thesf o r e interesting weapons have been found from time norther o th timt e n i westered an n n part f Scotlando s t bu , such "rusty bits of old iron" had no charms for antiquaries of the old. school. The Eev. Mr Pope records a remarkable find of Scandinavian weapon t Haimara s , near Thurso n Caithnessi , d remarke an ,th f o s swords, that " they were odd machines of rusty iron resembling plough- shares." We have specimens in the Museum of both forms of the Scandinavian sword of the Viking time; the earlier with larger blade, short, square guard, and massive square or triangular pommel; and the later with lighter blade, recurved guard d trilobean , d pommele Th . following details of the occurrence of Norse swords in Scotland, meagre as they are, will show how very rarely these fine weapons have been properly cared for even when they have been found :— finese Th t. specime1 Vikine th f no g sword tha bees ha t n preserves di one whic recentls hwa y presente Museue representativee th th o dt y mb s late oth ef Professor Thoma . Trail]sS , through . EevOmondE . G . , F.C. ministe Monzief ro Felloa , f wthio s Society. This swor onls dywa known to me by a drawing of it which is preserved among the collection of drawings in the Society's Library, and which had been made apparently with a view to its publication in the Society's Proceedings, although never engraved. I find from the minutes of the Society's meetings, that in May 1834 this sword was exhibited at one of the Society's ordinary meeting Professoy b s s mosri t Trailli t d likelthin o an , s s y thawa t i t occasion that the drawing was made. Through the good offices of Eev. r OmondM swore th , dcollectioe th itself n i t , nwhicno s previouslwa h y presented by the representatives of the late Professor Traill,1 is now added to the Society's collection, and I am enabled to add the accompanying representatio , alonit f o ng wit a figurha simila f o e r sword of the Viking time, ploughed up near a grave-mound at Vik in Flaa Sogn, Norway, in 1837, and figured in the series of photographs of the Christiania Museum. From a note-book of Professor Traill's, which contains a drawing of the sword, with a short note of the circumstances of its discovery, it appears Proceedingse th e 1Se , vol. viii 389. .p . 564 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MAECH 9, 1874.

plouge th turne s y tlin hb thai ewa p t du yeati r 1826 t Sweindrow,a n i , Eousay, " near the spot where the unfortunate Earl Paul Hakonson, of Orkney, was seized hy the famous Orkney Viking, Swein Asleifson, and carried off by him to Athol." " On this field," says Professor Traill's note, " there are many graves, in one of which the fragments of an iron helmet were found several years lettea ago. n I r" addresse Professoo dt r Trail Williay b l m Traill, Esq f Woodwick.o f dato , e Octobe , 183617 r , h esatisfactio e referth o t s anticipatee n th feld whicn i tha e hh d visif o t Professor Traill to Orkney, with the view of opening some of the tumuli at Sweindrow, and adds, " the place where the sword was found I have t touchedye I t inten s no a ,reserv o t dr you fo rt e i appearancee Th .

Fig. 1.

Fig. '2.

Viking Swords. . Swor1 d ploughe t Sweindrowa p du , Eousay, Orkney. 2. Sword ploughe t Vika p d,u Norway.

sword canno bettee b t r tha youn ni r senpossessionw dno I som d ean , remains of what appears to me to be a helmet found in the immediate vicinity, to keep the sword company." The supposed "helmet" is referred to in the minute of the meeting in 1834, at which the sword was exhibited as " the boss of a baldrick" which was found near the sword. It is now in the Museum, having been one of the articles in the collection of the late Professor Traill, presented by his representatives in 1870. It n mani s i y fragments t is bu ,easil y recognisabl e iroth n s a a ebos f o s VIKINEELICE E NOTETH TH 5 F N GSO 56 SO PERIOD.

shield of the Viking period, and precisely similar to other two shield- bosse thn si e Museum, whic alse har o from Viking grave Orkneyn si . From Professor Traill's notebook I have copied the following notes and measurements, made when the sword was more perfect than it is now:—

Feet. Inches. 3 3j . Extrem e. lengtsworde th f ho , Length of the Wade, ... 2 8 Breadth 1 blade ofth ince 1 0 h fro pointe mth . , Do. at 6 inches from the point, 0 If Do. at 13 inches from the point, 0 2 Do. at 22 inches from the point, 0 2| Length of the cross-guard, . . .05 0 l£ . . Deptcross-guarde th f ho . , 0 3j . . Lengt. h o. f grip, 0 4| Width of pommel, Height of pommel, ...3 0 .

blade "bees Th eha n two-edged. Ther remaine ear woodea f so n scab- e hilbarbees th f bonha t do nd hornr adherineo an , ,it ornamenteo gt d wit ha meta l whic hn allo a appear f coppee o yb silverd e o t sran Th . swor brokes plouge th dwa y nb h into four pieces. " The boss of the baldrick 1 (shield-boss) is 4 inches in diameter, 2-£ inches deep, and 7-J- inches over its centre." Th mann i e w swory hile no pieces stils th s di i t t goon i l bu , d preservation. It shows the massive triangular pommel and straight cross-piece with convex sides, characteristi thesf co e Viking weapons e bladTh s i e. double-edged, tapering obtuseld an , y scab e s pointedbeeth ha -n ni t I . s deposite timit th barf o bladd et a dd conscabbaran w , an eno -e ar d verted int omasa f oxidationo s e scabbarTh .s beeha d n mad f thio e n laths of wood, covered with some substance, probably leather. There are now but slight remains of the plates of bone or horn which covered the grip of the handle; but the metallic mounting,1 which adorned both ends gripe oth f , still remains t I look. s lik emuc o s bras s i h st i gilt t bu ;

A similar mounting remains on the grip of one of the Norse swords (of the same 1 form as this one), dug up at Island-bridge near Dublin, and preserved in the Museum Royae oth f l Irish Academy, Dublin "e Wakeman'Se . s Handboo Irisf ko h Antiqui- ties, . figur167a . " p r it f fo , eo - 566 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874.

altere oxidatioy db n that s difficulii t determino t t charactee th e e th f o r e ornamen metalfore th f mTh o a serie . s i f tanimals so ' heads, having some resemblance to the dog or fox, and is suggestive of the heads adorn- fine th e g silvein r brooches subsequentl referree b o yt . to d Barry describes the place where these remains were found, as follows:— shoree plai"th A n n,o abou quartea twes e mila f Westth o tf o ero t - ness (in Eousay), has on it immense piles of stones, evidently the ruins of some ancient structures^ around which are to be seen graves formed with edgestonesomn n i o s t a e, sse othe r name placesth Sweindrowf d eo an ; , whic t hbearsi , point t outsi , with great probability e e scenth th f s o ea , capture of Earl Paul, by Swein, the son of Asleif, and the slaughter of his attendants." l The exploit of Swein Asleifson here alluded to,2 as detailed in the " Orkneyinga Saga," was the seizure of Earl Paul, in 1136, as he was otter-huntin heaa stonen f po o n gs me witbeneat s hhi hheadlana e on t da end of the Island of Eousay. The " Saga" says, that Swein's party killed losd nineteean t sixn me n. Professor Traill thought that this sword might probably have belonged to some of those who fell in that conflict, and possibly to Earl Paul himself. All that we can say of it with certainty, however, is that it is a sword of the Viking period, and that, judging from its form, it may be one or even two centuries earlier than Earl Paul's time. 2. There is in the Museum another fragment of a sword of similar form, with short square guar d square-shapedan d pommel, also from s founOrkneywa d t I alon. g wit ha spear-head , much corrodeda n i , e islangravth f "Westrayn do i e presented an , Museue th o dt 1863n mi , by Colonel Balfour of Balfour and Trenabie, F.S.A., Scot. 3. I have received from Dr Arthur Mitchell a note and pencil sketch of another swor f thido s form t witbu , a hmor e rounded pommel, which was in the possession of Walter Denison, Esq., Brough, Sanday. The blade (whic brokens hi inche5 2 s i ) s lon 2-Jd -gan wide double-edgedd ,an , the guard being 4 inches long, and of the usual straight form with square ends. A note attached to the sketch says, " This sword was found in a tumulus at Sties."

1 Barry's " History of Orkney," Kirkwall edition, 1867, p. 64. Orkneying2e "Th a Saga," Edinburgh, 1873 . 105,p . NOTES ON THE EELICS OF THE VIKING PEEIOD. 567

4. Pennant, in the second volume of his " Tour," plate xliv., figures an iron sword of this type, with short square guard and pommel of the same e onlform e worTh yth . referenckn i seemt i o t es e descriptionth n i e plates th e h f o s,o t whert i e notices i s "parda a rud f o et iron sword founn i d May." 5. Of the later form of sword of the Viking time, with curved guar trilobed dan d pommel e havw , a e fin e here on eexampl e figuredth n i e , whics wa h foun makinn di a gcuttine Strathspe th n o g y Kail- way, at Gorton in Morayshire, and was presented to the Museum in February 1864 as Treasure Trove. This sword is 35 inches in length, of excellent workmanship, damascened along the centre of the blade, while the pommel and recurved guard are beautifully inlaid with silver. The blade is fully 2£ inches in e breadthgri th s 3pi J d inchean , - re s e longTh . curved guard, whic inche5 s i hlengthn 1 i s d an , inch wide, havin gthicknesa loose w f inch f no so , s i , havin openinn ga centre th n egi through whice hth tang of the sword-blade passes. The pommel is trilobed middle ,th e knob being imperfect enlargen A . d figure of the hilt of this sword is given on the next page, showing the inlaid ornamentation. Swords with recurved guards, similarly inlaid with silver, are frequently found in the grave-mounds of Norway of the later Iron Age.1 6. A fragment of a sword consisting of the hilt and part of the blade dug up in 1824, from a depth of six or seven feet in gravel, in the village of Ballaugh, Isle of Man. presented E . an ,e MuseuJ r th M o d t y mb

1 Examples of these are engraved in the " Foreningen ( I for Norske Fortidsmindesmaerkers Bevaring, Aarsberetning" for 1868, Plat . figevi . 35d "Aarsberetningan ; r 1869fo " , Sword foun t Gorda - . ton, Morayshire. Plat . fig e. v .26 568 VKOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9; 1873. Oswald, in September 1824. From a paper communicated to the Society by Mr Oswald at that date, and preserved in the Society's MS. Communi- cations t appeari , s tha swore spear-heaa th t d dan d (whico hn seeme b o st longe n existencei r ) were found togethe a smal n i rl gravelly mound. The paralley yla o eact l he grave otherth somr d fo l an ,e distance round the markes ma darwa y dkb discoloration e spear-heaTh . remaind dha s of the wooden shaft in the socket, and Mr Oswald remarks, that " there are also some appearances of oak on e handle swordth th f s o welea , s a l some remain bladethe son , that would indicate it to have been sheathed in a scabbar progrese f yew.Th do "f so e oxidatioth n whic ofteo hs n destroys such relics s thoroughlha , y removed these interesting e gritraceth p f o s and scabbard from the sword, and it is now merely a thin film of iron, re- taining, however blad e fore th th ,f m eo handled e grie lengtan th Th p f .o h s i 3-j- - inchesre e e lengtth th , f o h maining portio blade th inchesf en8 o . It is double-edged, and 2 inches wide. The guard is recurved, 1 inch wide, 3-|- inches long, and f inch thickt I . han ovaa s l openine centrth n ei g through whic e bladth h s passedi e . Hil Gortof o t n Sword. Enlargeo dt e same pommeth Th f eo for s i ls ma show ornamentation. the guard, but wants the terminal ornament, which seems to have fallen off. 7. A portion of the hilt end of a sword similar to the last,1 which was

sworA d precisel laso yt tw simila describee th e ban e founo th s rt th f kdo wa n d i Twee1 t Norhamda isd figuree "an , th Archaeologica n i d l Journal," vol. . xxiv80 . p . thers i t I e assigned "with much probabilit e thirteentth o yt h century evenr o , s a , some have supposed n earliea o t , r period. e sworTh "d represente e cointh n so d called Peter's Pennies, which were struc t Yorka k durin Scandinaviae rule th gf th e o n kings in Northumbria, is of this form. NOTES ON THE RELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 569 dug up in the churchyard of St Maughold, Isle of Man, and presented Museue toth Septemhemn i . OswaldE . J r r. M 1824y "b , Thi s sword," say Oswaldr sM , writin churchyare th 1824n g i n i t S p , u f "wa do g sdu Maughold, many years ago, and re-discovered in a manner rather singular, d whic s necessari an t i h n o relatevidenct ya e relis th a e cf o ebein g genuine. About eight years ago I ,heard that suc sworha beed ha dn found d afte an ,a goor d dea f inquiryo l , learne dsupposes thawa t i t o t d have been thrown with other rubbish, soon afte s disintermentit r , beneath clerk'e th seae f th church)o e st th des n k(i . Havin t admissioggo n into the s churchgreahi o tt I directe,e h e place e clerth d th do an t k , astonishment, discovered it without difficulty." Besides these l takeal s undoubtedl,e n a b whic y hma y Scandinavian, we have in the Society's collection of drawings, -water-colour sketches of an iron sword, with short straight guard and pommel of similar form, a shield-bos f iro o sf semi-globulao n ra spear-heaform d an , f irono d , which are preserved at Eossdhu Castle. These sketches were made by a Fellow of this Society, Hope J. Stewart, Esq., and exhibited in illus- tration of an interesting communication which he made to the Society Februarn i y 1853.relice Th question si 1 n were foun Aprin i d l 1851n ,i the top of a mound called Boiden, near the Lower Bridge of Froon. They were abou fee2 t t belo altogethey e surfacewla th d an , r withia n spac f aboueo t 2J feet square e swordTh . , whic s greatlhi y bent5 3 s i , inche lengthn i s e bladth , inchee2 widtn i s d double-edgedhan r ba e th , at the end of the hilt is nearly equal in size to the guard, and in general character it much resembles the "Westray sword in the Museum. The spear-hea inche1 1 s i dn length i sinche2 d an ,s broadshield-bosse Th . , which had a broad flat rim, is 6-| inches in diameter and 2 inches deep. In the MS. Communications to the Society, there is an account of the discovery of a grave at Ballindalloch in Morayshire, in 1829, containing a number of iron relics, which seem also to be of this period. The grave contained a human skeleton along with the skull and bones of a horse, and in it were a quantity of rings and bits of iron, one of them a great hoop— in all probability the iron rim of the shield. Mr Stewart obtained the bridle-bit, which consisted of two bronze (brass V) rings joined by a double- e givelinh iron f k d o sketcs a an , f whaho calle h t s "a curious little iron 1 Printed in the Proceedings, vol. i. p. 142. 570 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MA.EC , 1874H9 . cup found in the grave," which will be at once recognised as the boss of a shield.1 If these last-mentioned relics are Scottish, I know no others like them. They are so similar to the weapons from Viking graves in Orkney and Irelandn i , tha tI woul d have felo n t hesitation in assigning them to the Vikin t seemeno gd dperiodha t i f i , possible that they may have belonged Earle th yo t instead Late e ofth r Iron Age. It is suggestive of this, that e sculptureoth n d legionary tablet found at Bridgeness, and now in the Museum e squarth , e shielde th f o s Caledonians are represented with bosses, whic- h de (allowin e th r fo g ficiencie sculpturee th f so ) seee b mo t not unlik e Eossdhth e u example, Compartment of Legionary Tablet while the sword hilt on the sculpture foun t Bridgeuessda . same th f e o for s i thas ma t delineated r HopbyM e Stewart. Shield-bosses.—We Museu e havth en i m fragment thref so e shield-bosses, of semi-circula entire r on form ed onean , , foun differenn di t part Orkneyf so . e shield-bosth s i No 1 . s e cis fount Pierowallth a t n i d , Westray, wit e tortoishth e brooch previousl- yde scribed, and the spear-head and axe-head e subsequentlb o t y noticed d prean , - sented to the Museum in 1851 by Mr William Eendall. It consists of two fragments forming rather more than the half of the boss, which has been 5-|- inche diameten si d 2-Jan r inches high Shield-bos Ironf so , foun Cisa n di t in the centre, having a flat rim J- inch Pierowallt a , 5J inches diameter. in breadth, with small rivet-holes for fasteninshielde th o t , t gi Danier D l Wilson, describing this find, suggest represeny s thama tomt e i t th t b 1 o"Charioteer,a f " th eshield-bosse forth f mo thinkse h , , suggestin Auglon a t i r -gfo NOTES ON THE RELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 571

No. 2 is of the same form, and seems to have been of about the same founs t wa Sweindrowda t sizeI Nos . a , 1 . Kousayn i , , Orkney, wite hth sword figure . 563 p presente d t a d,an Museue th collectioe o dt th mn i f no late th e Professo mann i w y rno fragments Traills i t I . . smallea s Noi 3 . r shield-boss, more conica shapeentires n i i l d t an ,bu , somewhat unshapely, from the masses of oxidised incrustation attached to it. It measures 3£ inches in diameter, and 3 inches high. This shield-boss also formed par f Professoo t r Traill's collection nota d n ei an , his handwriting inserte informt i founn s d i "a tha s howwa n su di t ti n "i Orkney. Spear-heads.—Iron spear-head have rare w esar d e onl witan , y hus fou r in the Museum that may be considered of this period. 1. A spear-head found in a cist at Pierowall, Westray, Orkney, with the oval bowl-shaped brooch formerly described, an axe-head, and the shield-boss above figured d presentean , Museue th r Willia o M t d y mb m Bendall in 1851. It is much decayed, the socket part being almost entirel e bladyth gone ed mucan , h corrode d split t an dI measure . 8 s inche lengtn si 1d ^h an inc n greateshi t breadthbees ha n t considerbu , - ably larger. 2. A spear-head found inWestray, with the sword previously mentioned, and presented to the Museum by Colonel Balfour. It is 10 inches long and 1-|- inch wide in the widest part of the blade, but is broken and corroded. spear-headA . 3 inche0 1 , lengthn si , r closfouno , ein d beside cisa , t at Watten, Caithness. It is of peculiar form, long, narrow, and almost lozenge-shaped in section, and has a spur-like projection at the widest bladee lona parth d gf an o t,slende r neck betwee blade nsocketth d ean . e unclose th sockee f o Th s di t form, whic alss hi o characteristi Anglof co - Saxon spears. 4. A fragment of the socket portion of a large spear-head found in a cis t Dunrobia t n Castle, Sutherland a remarkabl s e ciswa tTh . e one,

Saxo remarkabla s ni t origini , addsd so ean ,e ,b indicatio that i f presence i t th f no e e Pagaoth f n Saxobeyonr fa o e limitmoste ns th th d f so northern kingdoe th f mo heptarchy 'e ' greath t t Bu hoo. p " which suggest chariot-wheee sth mors i l e likelyo t fora umb mshieldof the the whicois hav of Scandinaviaand , ehwas rim bee nthe n as well as Anglo-Saxon. It may have been Scoto-Scandinavian. 572 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1873H9 . and is thus described in a paper by Dr Boss, communicated by Mr John 1854:y StuarMa —n i t abou s cise " wa tfee Th 8 t t long directioe th ,lengts it f o nh being about from south-wes e side north-easto th t t built s a witwa n i t t hI thre. e flat piecef o s sandstone, and regularly paved on the bottom with similar pieces; below this sane pavinth ds mixegwa d with round shingly stones e ,foune th suc ar n s dho a

Sculptured Stone found covering a Cist at Ihmrobin Castle.

neighbouring sea-beach grave beethred y Th b e. ha np e covere to fla e t th slab n do s of stone towardo tw , foote sth , common piece sandstonf so e like those encircling the sides, and one larger and thicker towards the head, and having the emblems showaccompanyine th n ni gs uppe it woodcu n o r t surface cu tstone Th e. itself is irregular in shape, and quite devoid of any sculpture on its edge. The bones NOTES ON THE EELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 573

cise founth t n consistedi f portion do separato tw f so e skeletons, bot f adulo h t e skeletobonee on men Th f o s .n were hard, n whitegooi d d an ,preservation . Those of the other were darker in colour, and very much decayed. It seemed peoplo tw d bee af ha sei n interre same th en d i grave , wit hvera y considerable interva timf o l e between." Mr Stuart remarked "that this sculptured stone was one of a class which, frequently appeared as erect pillars along the north-eastern coast of Scot- land; and it was most probable that in the present case it had been diverted from its original purpose to form along with other slabs a cover for the cist. From the locality, which was frequented, and for some time possessed by the Norsemen, there was a likelihood that the cist was Scandinaviaa n one." Axe-heads.—The axe was a favourite weapon with the later Vikings, as it was in earlier times with the Franks. The only axe-head in the Museum of the Viking period e cisfoun e Westrayth n i t on n di e th s i , wit speare hth - head, shield-boss tortoisd an , e brooch previously noticed, and presented by Mr William Eendall in 1851. It is no wmera e fragment, having spliscaled an t d off tile lth blade is quite thin, but enough remains to show that it was precisely similar in form to those that are characteristic of the later Iron Age in Norway—the " Skjaegb'x" of the Sagas. A fragment of one similar to the Westray specime e s figurei "Foreningenth n i d r Norskfo n e Mindesmaerker's Bevaring" for 1870, plate iv. fig. 23. It was found with a two-edged sword, spear-head, and a 1. Sheath-mount- pair of oval bowl-shaped brooches, each of a single ing found in a plate,—formin ggroua relicf po s identical wit groue hth p grave in West- from the Westray cist. ray, Orkney. 2. View of Knob Sheath-mounting.—A sheath-mountin r smalgo l scab- of do. bard-point of a form not uncommon in Scandinavia is amon e gravee objectth th g f Westray,n o i s se founon n 1i d associated with objects that leave no doubt of its Scandinavian character. It measures If inc lengtn hi hal d incn h a fan diamete n hi r acros sockete sth . 1 Seethe Proceedings, vol. ii. p. 158. VOL. x. PART II. 2 p 574 PROCEEDINGS OP THE SOCIETY, MAKCH 9, 1874. a silvegrotesqus i s t I rha giltd e an , figura hitma f o e n face upoe nth rounded knob. Iron Sickle and Key.—The iron objects found in this grave were a knife, a sickle, and a key. This is the only example we have of the sickle, so commonly foun n gravei d f thio s s perio thin a Norwayi d s ni t I . curved blade, 5^ inches in length. Nicolaysen notices upwards of sixty instance e occurrencth f o s f thio e s sigdblade Norwegiath n i n grave- mounds Vikine . th f Thio g y stim ke exampl alss ei e oth uniquf eo n ei simplese th f Scotlando s i t formt I . , being merely 'an iron rod J,5 inches long, having a loop at one end for suspension, and a squarish hook-like termination, somewhat similar to that of a modern pick-lock.

froIroy mVikingrave na Ke th f eo g tim Westrayn ei , Orkney.

An iron key exactly similar to this one is figured in the series of photograph f objecte o Christianis th n si a Museumfouns a wa n i d t I . Viking grave mound at Gudbrandsdal in Norway. Another of similar form, but having two projections at the base of the hook, is also figured fro grav* ma e moun n Gudbrandsdali d . The e commoyar n accompaniment f intermento s .thif o s s perio n Norwayi d , about thirty instances being given by Nicolaysen. Similar keys are also found in Anglo-Saxon graves in Kent.

. HOARDIV SILVEP O S R ORNAMENTS.—On e mosth f to e characteristic features of the remains of the Viking period, whether in Scandinavia or in Britain, is the frequency of the occurrence of hoards of silver ornaments and silver coins, presumably the hidden plunder of Viking rovers, or the concealed store traderf so s derived fro e proceedmth s of these plundering expeditions. Silver appears only in the Iron Age. It is^ never found in connection with hoardBronze th f so e Age r doe ,e no barrowt i occusth n i r s either of the Stone or Bronze period. The silver hoards of the period- of which we speake lateth r r o , " Iron Age, characterisee "ar certaiy db n peculiari- VIKINRELICE E NOTETH TH F N GSO SO PERIOD. 575 ties which sufficiently distinguish them from e thosearlieth f eo r period, usualle ar d yan associated with Cufic, Anglo-Saxon, and other coins, datinr abouo e n th i gt tenth century. 1. Hoard of Broodies, Neck- rings, Bracelets, $c., Skaill,at Orkney.—The most remarkable discover relicVikinf e yo th t so g period ever made in Scotland was that of a hoard of silver ornaments, ingots, coins, &c., found in the month of March 1858,between the parish church of Sandwick and the Burn of r froe shorfa th m Eint f eo no , Skaillf parise o th y n h,i Ba e th of Sandwick and mainland of Orkney e discoverTh .s wa y chasiny bo mad a grabbiy a e b t into a hole, and finding a few of the fragments of silver which had been unearthed by the rabbite moutth t f theia so h r burrow. The news of the discovery havin t abroadgo g a , number f o peopl, e froe th m neighbourhood joined in the articlese searchth d thes an ,a , y were unearthed, were speedily disperse n varioui d s quarters. Owing to the prompt and zeal- ous exertion r GeorgM f o se Petrie, one of our Correspond- Bulbous Ring-Brooch (No. 1) found at Skaill, ing Members, to whom the 15 inches long. Societ undeys i r lasting obligations foservices rhi thin mand si san y other 576 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARCH 0, 1874. matters, the whole was recovered for the Exchequer as treasure trove, ultimately deposited in the Museum. The aggregate weight of silver amounte Ihs6 1 . o davoirdupoist t I . consists of nine large penannular ring-brooches, fourteen twisted neck ringsm anar d , twenty-three solid armillEe of penannular form, eleven ingots and bars of silver, and a quantit fragmentf yo s of brooches, armlets, &c., which had been cut or chopped up into small pieces. There were also three Anglo-Saxon coins, seven Cufic coins of the Samanian, and three of the Abbasido caliphs. The e th f o e e coinon latesth s i f so t Abbaside series, struc t Bagdaka n di A.D. 945. As this importan beet tno nfins dha described in our Proceedings,1 a somewhat detailed noticmore th f eeo remarkable objects may not be out of plac thin ei s paper. mose th Nos ti complet1 . e th f eo large ring-brooches. It consists of a plain penannular ring of silver, J inch thick, and 6J inches diameter, terminatin bulbouo tw n i gs knobs, having a strong resemblance to thistle heads. These knob 1e Jar s inc n hi Bulbous Ring-Brooch (No, foun5) . t da Skaill, with ornamen reverse th 1 e01 t diameter, One-half of their surface is of the bnlbs. perfectly e smoothotheth rd halan , f has a pattern of lacertine knot-work, deepl boldld yan y incised e accompanyin sees th a , n ni g figureacuse Th • ,. which has an ornamental head' of the same bulbous thistle-like form and 1 An inventory by Mr Petrie is given in the Donation List of the Proceedings, vol. ' . 247p . . iv NOTE THN SO E VIKINE RELICTH F 7 GSO 57 PERIOD.

ornamentation inche5 1 s n lengthi ,i s swelld an , s slightl middlee th n yi , where it passes from a cylindrical to a squarish section, and tapers gradually, like a large nail to a flattened point. No. 2 is a similar brooch, wanting the acus. It is a penannular ring. of silver, £ inch thick 6d § ,an inche diametern si , havin bulbous git s ends unornamente e bulbs th t e portionincise th n bu , o d n o d s betweee th n bulbs and the termination, with a T-like ornament and chevrony bands. similaa s Noi 3 .r brooch, consistin rina f go J inch thick d 6-£-an , inche diametern si e heath t dwants I stil.acusha e t sth l bu ,remainin g hea e ringe o furnishenTh s th di . d wit acue hpointa th s d musan , t have had a socket to fit on this point, to which it may have been soldered or tightly wedged on. The bulbous extremities and head of the acus of this brooch are ornamented with lacertine knot-work on the one side, and a prickly-like ornamentation, as if in imitation of thistle heads, on the other. a simila s Noi 4 .r ring-brooc f strongeo h r make t similas bu it , n i r ornamentation formes i t circula a I f silverf o .do r ba r, H inch thicd kan inche8 n diameteri s , terminatin n bulbougi s ends 1-J- inc diametern hi , circumference halth e havinf on o f e gth e covered with prickly ornamenta- othee th rn i tion hald circulaa fan , r ban interlacef do d work. a massiv s i d ver5 an eyo N handsome ring-brooc same th f eh o form , with bulbous ends, havin characteristie gth c prickly ornamentation boldly rendered. The ring is a solid bar of silver, J inch in thickness, and 5J inche n diameter i sl thes al bulbse n ei Th broochess .a , hollowe ar , d an ; the attenuated ends of the ring, which pass through the centre of the terminal bulbous ornaments, are hammered to a rivet head to prevent their slippin ge ornamentatio offTh , reverse th f no e prickle th sid f eo y bulbs is shown below the figure of the brooch. (See the fig. p. 576.) These bulbous ring-brooches are unknown in Scotland, except in connection with this hoard. One with plain knobs, having a flattened circle on one side, similar to No. 5, and similarly ornamented, with a segmental pattern clumsily executed, was found in ploughing a field at Casterton, near Kirby Lonsdale, Westmoreland engraves i 1846n i d , an , voln d. i vi . of the " Archaeological Journal," p. 70. It is 5|- inches in diameter, and wants the acus. Another specimen, of similar form but of extraordinary size, the ring measuring 8J inches in diameter, and the acus 21 inches in length founds wa ,1785n i , t Newbiggina , , near Penrith, Cumberlandt I . 578 PROCEEDINGS OF .THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874. is figured in the " Gentleman's Magazine " for that year, p. 347. The weight of this gigantic brooch is 25 oz. avoir. The smallest specimen I know is one found in Antrim, Ireland, the acus of which is 6 inches long, and the ring only Z\ inches diameter. They are not common in Ireland, though several specimens have been found. e otheOth n r hand, these brooches have been found singly botn hi England and in Ireland, while the most recently discovered example was associate t witno dh object f foreignf so distinctivel o t bu , y native manufacture. I allude to the interesting discovery at the Eath of Reerasta, County Limerick 1868n i , f a,,o magnificent silver chalic whicn i e h were four silver brooches. Three of these brooches were of the usual Celtic penannular form, ornamented with interlacing work. .The e finesth f o t three is gilt on the upper surface, which presents no fewer than forty-four panel f exquisitelo s y beautiful interlaced work, similae thato th t r n 'o Cadboll brooch, to which it also presents an interesting similarity of design in the raised bird's-head ornaments, bending over the raised border odepressea f d space fille witp du h triquetras fourte Th h. e broocon s hwa of those styled thistle-headed brooches. The chalice is elaborately ornamented .with interlaced work in panels, and is assigned by the Earl of Dunraven ninte th tentr ho o t 1 h century. Here ,instanc e thenon s i , n ei which a brooch of this form is found associated with objects of Irish art of this period, and with them exclusively. The large size of these brooches answer e ancienth o t s t description ornamente th f o s f Iriso s h chiefs. We have no specimens of the ordinary penannular brooch to matc descriptioe hth thaf no t wor Midiry nb greae th , t Tuath Danaae ad n chieftain,2 " which, when fastene breasts hi n do , reached from shouldeo t r shoulder," -or. with pin o falt o lon s ls a gunde r that sectioe th f o n BrehonLaws, which provided for safety in a crowded assembly by enact- ing that, " Men are guiltless of pins upon their shoulders or upon their breasts, provided they do not project too far beyond it, and if they should, adjudgee b crimina e o case t th th s ey i db l law." In Denmark these bulbous brooches only occur occasionally. Worsaae figures two specimens in his " Danske Oldsager " (1859), figs. 410, 411. specimenMuseue w th fe n i A mt e Stockholma s ar , among .the hoardf o s 1 Transactions of the Irish Academy, vol. xxiv. p. 452. 2 0'Curry's Lectures, vol. iii. p. 162. NOTE THN SO E VIKINE EELICTH F 9 GSO 57 PERIOD.

silver ornaments found with Cufic coins chiefly in the eastern provinces of Sweden. There are also several specimens in the Christiania Museum, which have been foun Norwan di y under similar circumstancesf o e On . these, whic founs hwa t Vallumd a , near Trondheim exactls i , y similao rt the plain variety in the Skaill hoard. With it there were found a number nece oth f k ring d braceletsan f twisteo s d wires, whic e alshar o exactly similar to those found at Skaill. The Scandinavian archaeologists agre ascribinn ei theso gt e broochen sa Oriental origin, concluding that they have been imported from the East by the Vikings. Bror Emil Hildebrand Anglo-Saxoe s workth hi n n i ,o 1 n coins found in Sweden, say . xi.):s(p — Cufie "Th c coins (foun n Swedei d hoardsn i n , along with coin f Angloo s - Saxon, German, and Danish moneyers), are generally associated with hoards of silver ornaments, for the most part large rings for the neck or the head, formed of wires twisted together; smalle re arm th ring r , fo spartl f wireyo s twisted together, partly made of a single thin piece of silver, of which the ends are made into fastenings wit ha beautifu l knot; bracelets, sometimes with patterns made with a punch ; ingots, both complete and broken ; lumps of silver, and broken pieces of the ornaments, mostly beaten together and rolled up for convenience of transport, or cut into small pieces to be used as bullion-money in exchange. doubo n e Therb t than ca et these ornaments, ingots lumpd an , silvef so r were brought wit e cointh h s from Asia, where silve mors ri e easily obtained than ni the northern parts of Europe, even if we suppose that the little silver which is to be found in the mines in the mountains of Scandinavia was known and worked at the period we speak of. This view is confirmed by the fact that somewhat similar ornament stile sar l wor somn ni e part Asiaf so . " If these objects had been manufactured in Europe we ought to find them throughou countriee th t whico t s e coinhth s that accompany them belongt bu , they are only rarely found in the countries bordering on the Baltic. The Cuer- dale hoard in England is an exceptional instance; the treasure was doubtless carried from Swede r Denmarno Franceo kt thed Englando an ,t n , s wherwa t i e secrete e groundth n i d , augmente a quantit y db f Frencyo d Anglo-Saxohan n money. The museums of the towns in the valley of the Ehine have none of these objects, thoug e moneth h f thesyo e town abundans si e hoardth n i t s discovered by us. If we should wish to draw the conclusion that these ornaments " .Anglo-Sachsiska Myn i Svenskt a Kongl-Mynt Kabinettet, funn i Sverige'a s Jord. 1Brof A "r Emil Hildebrand. Stockholm, 1846 . cix, xi 4to, . pp 580 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 9, 1874.

were manufactured in Sweden, it would be necessary to show whence they obtaine silvee d th their rfo the y r manufactureywh discontinuey sa o t d an , d both the manufacture and the use of them in the eleventh century, for they are not found with mone latea f yo r date than face thattTh tha. t these ornamente sar so very frequently twisted together without the least regard to their appearance as ornaments broker o , intp coinne u o th bit ss sthemselve(a s often are), shows that bot e valuornamento h th n e coin ed th wit ha speopld e hth sposan o e-wh sessed them here, except the intrin- si ce metalvaluth f o e. Weighing scale alse sar o frequently found with these hoards d weightan , s which correspond wite Byzantinth h e weight soliduse th , aureus, solot-r o nik, of the Russians, equal to 4'266 grammes. These objects, also, very frequently bea marke rth cuta f s-o ting instrument by which they have been tested, without - doubas o t t certain their purit d intrinsian y c value. This reveal e traffickerth s , and not the warrior, who carries off s spoihi l withou sucy an ht careful examination." Besides these bulbous brooches, ther s i anothee r for f ringmo - brooc f whico he th h s i No 6 . best example t I differ. s from those previously described, in. havin s extremitieit g s slightly Ring-Brooch .(No. 8) found at Skaill, with orna- flattened and expanded, instead ments of reverse and top of its bulbous head, of swelling into the bulbous silvef o r r ba rin e forma gs Th i . J inch thick and 5 inches diameter. The acus has an ornamental head of the same form as E"o. 1. This specimen is remarkable on account of its -having a well-defined cross within a circle as the central ornament of the

bulbous ;head of the acus. The cross is again repeated on the top of the acus s e emaishowa , th n li n fig . belo e e brooce figurth wth th f n o eo h acuse righth f .o t NOTES ON THE RELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 581

No. 7 is a brooch, of the same form as No. 6, but smaller. The ring is -} inch thick, and 4-J inches diameter. The ornamentation on the expanded ends is dragonesque interlaced work slightly engraved with a very fine point. e acuflattenee flattenes th Th i s tope d th an d,t a dpar t bent rouns a o ds to form a loose collar grasping the ring of the brooch.

Neck-King (No. 10) found at Skaill. . (5J inches diameter.)

similas ~No.i 8 precedine for n th t i rsmaller acue mo bu t th e sd gon an , bens i t int fore hooka o th f m o . alss JSToi f similao9 o . r for t wantinmbu e acusgth . No. 10 is a neck-ring of twisted wires 5J inches inner diameter, and forme f threo d e double twists spirally twisted togethe d intertwineran d with a double strand of very small twisted wires which lie in the inter- e largesticeth f ro s plaitse largeTh .r wires taper slightly towarde th s extremities, where the weldee yar d into solid flattened ends whice har 582 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARCH 9, 1874.

ornamented with triangular markings, with a single dot made by a punch. One of the ends terminates in a hook which fits into an eye on the opposit orden i fasted o t r een t wheni n worn. Nos. 12o 1t 1 inclusive similae ar , r ring f twisteso d wires, intertwined with plaited or twisted strands of very small wires. Sometimes the whole of the wires are simply twisted spirally, and in other cases they are first twisted separately in double strands, and then twisted all together.

Armlet (No ) foun.23 d at, Skaill. (3j inches diameter.) a larg s i e 2 -neck-rin2 . No f twistego d wires with recurved ends terminatin n spiralsgi e centraTh . l portio e twisteth f no d par weldes i t d into a solid knob. arm-rinn a s i No r 3 braceleto g2 . , 3£ inches inner diameter f vero , y elegant design, forme numbea f do f doublo r e strand f wireso , whice har first twisted together, and then the whole of the double twists are inter- VIKINRELICE E NOTETH TH 3 F N GSO 58 SO PERIOD.

twined spirally round each other. The wires are welded together into solid ends terminatin dragonesqun gi e heads. No. 24 is a flat arm-hand of thin metal, 2-J inches inner diamater, tapering at hoth ends, one of which terminates in a hook; the other end is imperfect ornamentatioe Th . thin no s bracelet consist impressen a f so d stamp made by a small punch of triangular form, with two raised dots in e triangle fielth e f th do . This styl f impresseeo d ornamentatio s comni - monly found on the silver work deposited in hoards of this period. Some- times there is one dot only in the field of the triangle, and in other cases s beetw r ha threeno t I suppose. maro dt Orientae kth l origie th f no silver-work, of which it is the characteristic ornament; and I noticed that

Flat Arm-Band (No foun) . 24 t Skaillda . (2f inches diameter.)

this triangular impressed ornament with three dots in the field of the triangle uses preciseld,n wa i same yth e manne modera n ro n silver anklet from Algeria , Soute inth h Kensington Museum. othee Butth n r o ,hand , it occurs on a thin flat silver ring, dug up in the Island of Bornholm among burned bones d associatean , d with earle relicth f yso Iro n Age;1 hoarde th f o s e founon an n Denmarkn di dlittli e th ef o e , on ther s ewa amulets known as Thor's Hammers (not likely to be of Oriental origin) marked wit same hth e ornament.2 This peculiar styl f ornamentatioeo n commonls i y associate silvee th n rdi hoards, wit allien ha d styl squarf eo e impressed markings arrange shorn di t rows, precisely simila ojnae th -o t r mentation on the Irish Crannog pottery of the later Iron Age. No. 25 is an arm-ring or ankle-ring, penannular in form and triangular n sectioni d ornamentean , d with impressed triangles, with three dotn si 1 Bornholm's Aeldre Jernalder, in the Aarboger for Nordisk Oldkyndighed for 1872, plate i. i>. 25. 5 Worsaae's Afbildninge Danskf a r e Oldsager, 1859 . 469No .. 4 58 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1874H9 .

the field of the triangle. Eings of this form are the commonest of all the personal ornaments of this period, and they are constantly alluded to Scaldie th n i c song Sagasd specimee san Th . n here figureonle th ys i d one in the hoard which bears, any ornament. Twenty-five others of the same form were found in the hoard, but they are all plain. 2. Silver Armlets found at Stennis, Orkney.—Wallace, descrips hi n i - tion Orkney,f o , mounde 1 th state f o e s neathaon circle n i trth standf eo - ing stones at Stennis, there were found "nine silver fibulas of the shape ohorse-shoea f t round.bu , figuree f themo H "e ,on s from e whicar e hw abl identifo et claso t forme d syth thean , m wit e otherhth belongins sa g to this period.

Arm-Pang (No. 25) found at Skaill. (3J inches diameter.)

3. Silver Armlets found at Caldale, near Kirlcwall.—A number of penannular silver armlets were found at Caldale, near Kirkwall, in 1774, along with a horn containing about 300 silver coins of Canute the Great. On f theseeo , figure Eichary db d Goug s " hi Catalogu n h i Coine th f so e of Canute," e samth f eo fors 2i thoss ma e foun t Skaillda . . Silver4 Armlets found t Quendale,a Shetland.—In November 1830, six or seven armlets of silver, of this form, were found at Garthsbanks, Quendale, Shetland,3 along wit ha hor n fulf Anglo-Saxoo l n coinf o s Ethelred, Athelstan, Edwy, and Eadgar. They were found in the ruins 1 An Account of the Islands of Orkney, by James Wallace, M.D., London 1700, p. 58. Catalogu e Cointh f Canutef o so e , Kin f Denmargo Englandd an k Eichary b , d Gongh2 , London, 1777, 4to. 3 MS. Letter in the Society's Library. NOTES OK THE RELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 585 of a built structure, and with them there were four or five "broken stone basons," or steatite pots. 5. Silver Armlets found at Kirk o' Banks, Rattar, Caithness.-—In 1872 some workmen n cuttini , ga drai n throug ancienn ha t enclosure e onth southern shore of the Pentland Firth, in which there is an. old chapel called " Kirk o' Banks," near the mouth of the Burn of Eattar, came upon a small cist, the cover of which was about 2 feet long by 18 inches wide, anabouy dla inche6 t s unde e surface filleth rs cise wa tTh d .wit h earth and small stones, among which eight penannular silver armlets of the form here figured were found.1

Penannular Silver Armlet, found in a Cist at Kirk o' Banks, Caithness. inche3 ( s diameter.)

The discover mads wa ye knowe Procurator-Fiscath o t n t Thursoa l , by who armlete mth s were secureExchequere th r fo d subsequentld an , y five of them were presented to our National Museum by the Lords of H.M. Treasury, through Stair Agnew, Esq., Queen' Lord san d Treasurer's Eemembrance Scotlandr e remaininfo r th d an , g three were depositen di the Museum at Thurso. These armlets have a general correspondence in size, form, and weight with greae thosth tn e i hoar t Skaillda thet bu ;y differ slightl hayinn yi g their extremities hammered flat, and rounded off at the ends. If we are to accept the Scaldic stanzas in the Saga of King Hakon Hakonson in their literal sense, it would seem that in 1263 King Hakon, then on his wa Largso yt , levie dtributa "ringsn ei " from Caithness. 6. Silver Armlets found in STtye.—There are in the Museum two silver 1 See communication by Mr Camptell, schoolmaster, Dunnet, in the Proceedings, vol. ix. p. 422. 6 58 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MAKC , 1874H9 .

penannular armlets of this form, with broken fragments of four more, which were found in. a sepulchral mound in the island of Skye in 1850, and presented by Dr Daniel Wilson in June 1863. 7. Silver Armlet found Kirkcudbright.—n i The flat silver armlet found with an amber bead in a cairn at Blackerne, Crossmichael, Kirkcudbright, ornamented on the flat side with parallel markings made by a chisel- shaped punch s preciseli , y simila characten ri somo rt f thoso e e fount da Cuerdale, and probably belongs to this period, although there is nothing to connect it decisively with the Scandinavian incursions into Galloway. . Silver8 Mounting a Drinking f o Horn found at Burghead.—The silver mounting of the end of a drinking horn, here figured, 'v^hich was foun t Burgheaa d d excavatione e coursinth th f formatioe o e th r sfo f no the new town of Burghead previous to 1826, is so similar in character to the very common relics of this kind in Scandinavia, that there need be no

Silver Mountin Drinkina f go g Horn foun t Burghead.da . (2| inches diameter.)

hesitation in assigning it to the Viking period of the Northmen. Burg- head is in the parish of Duffus, the Dufeyrar of the Orkneyinga Saga,1 and was at an early period a fortified settlement of the Northmen.

. BEAKEV R or GLASS, FOUN GRAVA N I DWESTBAY.—BeakersN I E f "o t rar no n glasScandinaviaei e sar n grave-mound earle th yf o sIro n Age, though the perhape yar s more commo Anglo-Saxon ni n gravesoute th hn si of England. The Anglo-Saxon forms, however e differenar , t froe mth Scandinavian, and mostly belong to an earlier period than the Viking Orkneyinge th e 1Se a Saga, Edinburgh, 1873 . 114pp , , 123. NOTES ON THE RELICS OF THE VIK1SG PERIOD. 587

.time. The specimen in our Museum is a very thin milky-coloured glass vessel, with plain lip and sides, and a flat bottom, ornamented with a double raised moulding round the centre. It was presented by the Rev. Dr Brunton in March 1827, and is described as having been " found in a stone coffi Westrayn i nonle th yd specimean , n hitherto discovered."

VI. SCOTTISH OB CELTIC BROOCHES, &c., POUND IN VIKING GRAVES IN SCANDINAVIA.—I n interestina e b t i f g illustratio e earlth f yo n relation s of the Northmen with this country to find these peculiarly Scandinavian

Silver Brooch, with Interlaced Work, found in Sutherlandshire. (In the possession of K. B. M. Macleod of Cadbpll, Esq.)

relics in Scotland, associated with their Pagan burial customs, it is no less interestin o fingt d thar Celtiou t c brooche e occasionalln ar si p u g ydu Sweden and Norway, and sometimes associated with the Pagan custom of cremation. The art of these Celtic brooches of this particular form and style is, I think, as clearly Christian1 as that of the tortoise brooches is 1 Sometimes, as in the case of the brooch found in King's County (Arch. Jour., xxx. 184), the cross appears as one of its ornamental decorations. In the Museum we hav evera y remarkable bronze brooc f thiho s clas se cros whicth s combineha h d wit penannulae hth r forbi'ooce pars mth a f o th itself. 8 58 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARCH 9, 1874.

Pagan. Their styl f ornamentatioeo n (whic s welhi l showe ex-th ,n i n amples . figure587-8pp n do thas )i t beautifullo whics s hwa y elaborated, e Celtith firs n ci e t7th MSSth h centuries f ,9t o 8th , d subd ,an an ,- sequentl e sculptureth n o y d stone d monumentaan s l n crosseso d an , the metal-work—the shrines, bell-covers, crosiers, &c.—of the early Celtic

Silver Brooch, with bird's head ornaments, found in Sutherlandshire. (In the possession of E. B. M. Maeleod of Cadboll, Esq.)

Church, as well as on the personal ornaments of the .rich and great of the time. It is not my purpose to trace the development of this style of art, or to establish the sequence of its application to the work e graver pene chiselth e o th fth ,d s exemplifie a ,an , MSS.e th e n i th ,d memorial sculptures e metal-workth d t an tha, e perioBu th t .f thio d s NOTES ON THE RELICS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 589

work upon brooches and personal ornaments is that of its latest develop- menby e inferredtma I think, , fro mconsideratioa naturae th f no l circum- s perfecte e wa scribe th t y ar b d s stance e casee s beforTh th wa f . t so ei adopted by the sculptors and jewellers. The elaborate intricacy of detail, which is one of its most special characteristics, could never have been developed in stone or metal-work. Its most complicated designs, flowing easily fro e penmth , migh e e morcopieb tth en i ddurabl e materialt bu , they could scarcely have originated, and certainly they would never have arrived at such perfection, if the artists by whom they were elaborated had been merely worker stonn si r metalEare o Dunravenf Th lo . , describing the Ardagh brooches (which were found in the magnificent silver chalice before allude say, dto s :—" Judging fro mcomparisoa datee th f sno already fixed of MSS. and metal-work, it would seem that the art of the scribe precede e jewellerd th tha f o whetd e lattean ; nth r reached its highest development, the former was already declining." On this view, the best periometal-wore th t f beedo no nd reachekha d befor e ninteth h century, which bring e approximatth s e dat f theso e e magnificent brooches quite within the Viking period. Accordingly, we find them occasionally appearing in connection with Yiking remains in Scandinavia. In the Stockholm Museum there are two specimens of these Celtic Gothlandn broochesi p u g du ,. The e describey ar r Montelius M y b d n i , his "Brief Description of the Museum,"1 as "having been brought over from Scotland perhapsr o , , rather made afte Scottisa r h pattern." suggestivs i t I imitatioe th f eo Scandinaviay nb n artistwore th f kf o s o the Celtic school, that we sometimes find both the Celtic and the Scandi- navian styles combined, as in the case of the magnificent sword found in the grave-mound of a Viking at Ultuna, Sweden. The circumstances of its discovery are thus related by Dr Oscar Montelius, in his newly pub- lished work on Prehistoric Sweden:—2 mose th f t o remarkabl e "On e discoverie e middlth f o se perioe th f do Iron Age3 was made in 1856, in a tumulus at Ultuna, near Fyrisa, to the

Statens Historiska Museum, Kort Beskrifnin l Vagledinti g dr egfo Besb'kande, 1 af Oscar Montelius, Stockholm, 1872, p. 55. Sueda L e Prehistorique r Oscapa , r Montelius, Stockholm, Paris, and Leipzig, 2 1864 . 114p , . Mouteliu. Dr s divide f Swedeo Iroe e sth nAg into three periods, styled respec- 3 Q2 VOL . PARx . T il. 0 59 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1874H9 .

south of Upsala. The tumulus contained the remains, still distinctly visible shia f whicn p,o i hwarrioa d beeha rn entombed along wits hhi arms and two horses. The iron nails which fastened the planks together were still visibl thein ei r places e vesseTh . l appearegallea e b f y o o t d greao n t size, carryin ga singl e mast. Alongsid bodye th f e,o whics hwa unburnt, was found a sword, the blade of iron, and the splendid hilt (which is here figured) of gilt bronze is decorated with interlaced patterns of extreme beaut eleganced yan . Eemain woodee th f o s n s sheatit d han gilt mountings were also found helmeA . iroalsf s to onwa found, having a cres r ridgo t f bronzeo e , containin gIngredient—thn a zin s a c e only helme pagae th f no t perio Sweden di n hitherto known. There were also foun magnificenda t umb bosr oo f a so shield iron i , n plated with bronze, d adornean d with pattern f interlaceso d work handle-oe th , shielde th f , nineteen arrow headsbridleso bite tw f th ,s o paia , shearsf irono rn i l al ;, thirty-six table-men and three dice, in bone. Besides these there was an iron gridiron and a kettle of thin iron plates rivetted together, with a swinging handle s alsa , o bone f swinso geesed ean , probabl e remainyth s of the funeral feast. The burials of this period, however, have usually the remains of the incinerated bodies." I have figured here one side of this splendid specimen, and it will be see comparinn no detaile gornamentatios th it f so n wit hScottise thath f o t h brooch figured on p. 588, that the style is identical, and the patterns are even somo t e exten samee th t , whil t ealsi o exhibits traceScandi-e th f so navian style, and on the opposite side has a pattern which is purely Scandinavia styl n ntreatmenti d ean Scandinaviae th f I . n archaeologists are right (as I think they are) in calling this a style of art imported from Scotland e archaeologicath , l interese facts th s distinc a f , o t t from the artistic, lie thin si s imported styl f Celtieo c Christia t beinnar g founn di Scandinavia associate de accompaniment witth l hal f heathenismo s d an , specially wit custoe hth crematiof mo deade th f n.o

tivel Earlye yth , Middle Lated an , r division Iroe th nEarlf e so Age Th y. Iron Age, commencing with the Christian era, reaches to A.D. 450 ; the Middle Period extends from A.D. 450 to A.D. 700, and it is to the close of this period, or the seventh century, whico t h this pagan interment, with remarkabls it referrede ear workt ar f ; so while Latee th r Iron Age, extends froelevente close th th mf e o o t A.D 0 h century70 . s i t I . to this latter period that our Scandinavian relics belong. VIKINRELICE E NOTETH TH F N GSSO O PERIOD. 591 Iii the Christiania collection there is also a most beautiful example of a Celtic brooc f thiho s period n forI .t m i resemble e Hunterstoth s n Brooch, brooc e bode th th 1f yo h being closed instea opef dpenano d nan -

Sword hilt foun Grave-mouna n di t Ultunada , Sweden. nularNorwegiae Th . n archaeologists describ t i esomewha t happils ya "padlock-shaped. s ornamentei t I " botn o d s beeht ha sidesse n d an , with glas amberr o s photograpA . gives i e serie t 758th i C n ( f n si ho ) 1 See the figure of the Hunterston Brooch in the Proceedings, vol. vii. p. 462. 2 59 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH . SOF , MARC , H18749 ; presented to the Society by His Majesty the late King' of Sweden and Norway, which. I now exhibit. I find from" Nicolaysen's '" Norske Forn- levninger" that it was dug up in the glebe of the parish of Snaasen, in North Trondheim before thad 1836an t , several tortoise brooches were found abou same th t e place, but, unfortunately ,mor o thern e e ear precis e descriptions of the circumstances of the find. The brooch, however, will speak for itself, and there can be no doubt as to its identity with the Scottish, and Irish forms. Museue th n I t Christianima abouaI alsw sa o t twenty fragmentf o s similar workmanship l exhibitinal , same gth e character d obtainean , a d promise from Professor Eygh to give us electrotypes of them, with notices circumstancee oth f whicn si h they were found,—a promise whic htrusI t wile h l liv fulfilo egeneran t I . l terms tole thae h , dm t they were found Vikinn i g grave-mounds d tha t considean ,t no thed di yr e theb mo t of native origi workmanshipr no . I find also in the Annual Report of the Society for the Preservation of the Ancient Monuments of Norway at Christiania, an account of the ex- ploratio numbea f no f smalo r l round grave-mound t Nordrsa e Gjulemn i Kakkestad. In one of these there was found, in 1866, among ashes and burnt bones bronza , e brooc f unusuaho l f exquisitform,o d an 1 e workmanship, along with one of a set of the bone dice so common in Norse graves. "This brooch, for"e 7 say whicth f mreport e 42 o f . sth o hs No "i , "Worsaae'n i s Oldsage examplen a s ri . [Brooche thif so knowt s forno e mnar in Scotland, but the form occurs in Ireland adorned with Late Celtic ornamentation.] t commoTheno e y ar Norway n ni . Beside presene sth t specimen there is one in the Bergen Museum, and two in the collection Scientifie oth f c Societ f Trondheimyo . l ornamenteTheal e yar e th n di same peculiar style—a style which, doe t seesno m nativ Norwayo et t bu , may have been brought over from Scotlan r Irelanddo , wher founs i t ei d alike on personal ornaments and on sculptured monumental slabs and crosses." It is suggestive that in the Irish example, which bears the closest re- semblanc thio t e s Norwegian havonee w ,combinatioe a peculiae th f no r

ornamentation characterised'b e divergentyth . spira trumpet-patternr o l , 1 Only fou f theso r e brooches have been foun n Norwayi d . Foreningen, 1870 p. 50. . . NOTES ON THE KELIOS OF THE VIKING PERIOD. 593

and known as " Late Celtic," with, the interlaced ornamentation, characteristi (latere th f co ) Christian Celtic period have W eIrise . thuth hn si example the hleading of the two styles of the ornamentation of the Celtic metal-work e earlieth , f whico r h never appear n Scandinaviai s , while the later style, which is most characteristic of our Christian MSS., monuments, and metal-work, is found as an importation into Scandinavia, adopted by Scandinavian artists, and adorning the weapons deposited wit e honehth f heatheo s n Vikings. Trace f thio s s peculiar art are found abundantly in the later Christian period of Norway, in the splendid wood-carvings which decorated their churches; while, singularly enough t survivei , n Scotlandi appliee e ornamentatiob th o dt o t d f no Highland shields, dirk-handles, and powder-horns. In closing this paper I must plead guilty to a greater amount of diffuse- ness and discursive treatment than I had anticipated before addressing myself to its details. This, however, is unavoidable in the case of a first attempt to group together the relics of what may be termed the Heroic Ag f Scottiseo h history—a perio singulaf do r interest alik connection ei n with its history, its archaeology, and its art. It seems to me, also, to .have an important bearing on the chronology of Scottish archaeology if I have been able.to show tha certain i t n area overlappinn s a ther s ewa f go the heathen burial customs within the Christian period, and that, consequently distinctioa , n mus e observeb t d between this intruding crema- oldee th rtiod crematioan n native th f eo n heathenism I thins i . t i k conclusively establishe facte th sy dthab I havt e adduced, tha custoe tth m of cremation was not extinct (as it is usually represented to have been) whe Norsemee nth n were settlin northerr ou n go n shores, establishine gth earldom of Orkney and the kingdom of Man and the Isles, and found- ing the dynasties of the Hy Ivar in Limerick and Dublin. An dI canno t conclude without expressin hope gth e tha Iroe e th tn Ag of Scotland (which is so much less worthily represented in our Museum than any other period) will receive a greater share of the attention of our active archaeologists d thae mosan th ;t t interesting specimen f thio s s period, among whic I hwoul d speciall splendiyo notictw e dth e brooches exhibite Heitor M y f Darnicknb o d Felloa e ,Societ th f wo y (whic1 h regret that I have been unable to engrave), and the still more magnificent brooches now called of Hunterston and Cadboll, may yet be brought out 4 59 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1874H9 . of their comparative obscurit becomo yt e prid th eornamend ean r ou f o t National Collection, and representative examples to all future ages of a styl f artistio c workmanship unrivalle country'r perioy ou an f dn o di s history.

Bronze Brooch in the Dnnrobin Museum.