Susan Möller-Wiering - War and Worship: Textiles from 3rd to 4th-Century AD Weapon Deposits in Denmark and Northern Germany

Published by
oxbow Books, oxford, UK

oxbow Books and the individual authors, 2011 ISBN 978-1-84217-428-9

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mller-Wiering, Susan.

War and worship : textiles from 3rd to 4th-century ad weapon deposits in Denmark and northern Germany / Susan Mller-Wiering.

p. cm. -- (Ancient textiles series vol. 9) Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-84217-428-9

1. Thorsberg Site (Germany) 2. Textile fabrics, Ancient--Schleswig (Germany and Denmark) 3. Water-saturated sites (Archaeology)--Schleswig (Germany and Denmark) 4. Excavations (Archaeology)--Schleswig (Germany and Denmark) 5. Schleswig (Germany and Denmark)--Antiquities. I. Title.

NK8907.3.M65 2011 677.00943'512--dc22

2011011462

Front cover: Shield boss XFN from Illerup daly with two layers of different textiles. Photo: Susan Mller-Wiering.
Back cover: Drawing by Catrin Ueker. Susan Mller-Wiering.

Ancient Textiles Series Editorial Commitee:
Eva Andersson Strand, Margarita Gleba, Ulla Mannering
and Marie-Louise Nosch

Printed in Great Britain by
Short Run Press, Exeter

CONTENTS

Lise rder Knudsen

LIST OF FIGURES

All photos and drawings by the individual authors unless stated otherwise in captions.

LIST OF TABLES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The present study describes the results of the research project Textiles for War. It would never have been successful without the generous support of many people and institutions providing material, information, comments and, above all, financing for the entire project. I am most grateful to, in alphabetical order:

Eva Andersson Strand, Centre for Textile Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

Archologisches Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen, Schleswig, Germany

Marie-Louise Bech Nosch, Centre for Textile Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

Lise Bender Jrgensen, Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet, Trondheim, Norway

Ruth Blankenfeldt, Archologisches Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany

Marianne Bloch Hansen, Centre for Textile Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

Carlsberg Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark

Centre for Textile Research, The Danish National Research Foundation's Centre for Textile Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Claus von Carnap-Bornheim, Archologisches Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany

Martin Ciszuk, Hgskolan i Bors, Bors, Sweden

Joanne Cutler, Institute of Archaeology, University College, London, United Kingdom

DressID, a project financed by the EU

Carol van Driel-Murray, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Forskningsrdet for Kultur og Kommunikation, Forsknings- og Innovationsstyrelsen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Roberto Fortuna, Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen, Denmark

Karin Frei, Centre for Textile Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

Margarita Gleba, Centre for Textile Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

Karin Gbel, Archologisches Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany

Lena Hammarlund, Hgskolan i Bors, Bors, Sweden

Jrgen ilkjr, Moesgrd Museum, Moesgrd, Denmark

Iron Age in Northern Europe, a project financed by the Carlsberg Foundation

Nina Lau, Archologisches Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany

Ulla Mannering, Centre for Textile Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

Vibe Maria Martens, Centre for Textile Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

Suzana Matei, Archologisches Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany

Moesgrd Museum, Moesgrd, Denmark

Cherine Munkholt, Centre for Textile Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

Nationalmuseet, The National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark

Anna nrgaard, Vikingeskibsmuseet, Roskilde, Denmark

Xenia Pauli Jensen, Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen, Denmark

Lise rder Knudsen, Center for Bevaring af Kulturarven, Vejle, Denmark

Andreas Rau, Archologisches Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany

Flemming Rieck, Vikingeskibsmuseet, Roskilde, Denmark

Irene Skals, Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen, Denmark

Julian Subbert, Universitt Hamburg, Germany

Ingrid Ulbricht, Archologisches Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany Jrgen Wiering, punctum saliens, Rendsburg, Germany

Gabriele Zink, Archologisches Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany

GLOSSARY

The glossary encompasses textile-related terms mentioned in chapters 1, 7 and 8.

2/2 twill: see twill.

Balanced: the thread count of the warp is rather similar to that of the weft, e.g. 18 x 14 threads per cm.

Basket weave: weaving type like tabby, but with two parallelly used threads instead of one both in warp and weft.

Braid: at least three strands of fibres or other flexible material are intertwined into a rather long, but relatively thin structure.

Breeches: here trousers reaching only to the knees (not necessarily as a riding-garment).

Broken twill: see twill.

Cashmere: very fine wool of the Kashmir goat.

chevron twill: see twill.

clasp: fastening device for clothing consisting of two parts, here of hook and eye.

cloak: loose, sleeveless outer garment worn around the shoulders.

cord: here several threads twined together and used as one.

Cuff: end of a sleeve around the wrist.

Diagonal twill: see twill.

Diamond twill: see twill.

Fabric: here a woven piece of textile.

Fibre: the smallest unit in a thread and thus in a textile. Here most often a single hair.

Finishing border: border at the end or bottom of a fabric, fastening the loose warp threads by plaiting or tablet weaving? typical on fabrics woven on the warp-weighted loom.

Gold tinsel: here thread made of a gold strip wound around a core of other fibres.

Goose-eye twill: see twill.

Grain: lines or pattern visible in a fabric based on the weaving type.

Gusset: triangular insertion into e.g. a tunic in order to enlarge or widen a certain part of it.

Hair: here in general the fibres growing on the skin of animals; in particular, rather thick animal fibres while the thin ones are called wool.

Half basket weave: weaving type like tabby, but with two parallelly used threads instead of one in either warp or weft.

Hem: edge of a fabric fastened by folding and stitching, e.g. as the lower end of a shirt. Leg wrap: here long, broad strip of fabric