Rare Viking Embroidery Found in 1000-Year-Old Grave in Norway

Ancient Origens ^ | 13 JUNE, 2021 - 18:07 | RUDRA BHUSHAN

[BenLurkin]

A piece of textile fabric from a grave, dated to the Viking Age, has been found in southern Norway, dated to 850-950 AD. The grave of a woman was uncovered at Hestnes in southern Trøndelag county, during a spate of excavations in 2020, along with textile tools and a wool comb. The evidence suggests she was a textile worker. The dull brown 1000-year-old wool Viking embroidery fabric was found preserved on top of a turtle brooch.

“Those of us who work with textiles are happy if we find a piece of fabric that’s one cm by one cm. In this case we have an almost 11 cm textile remnant. Unearthing embroidery in addition is completely unique. Embroidered textiles from the Viking Age are something we know only from a few opulent graves, like Oseberg and Mammengraven in Denmark,” said archaeologist Ruth Iren Øien.

The grave of the deceased woman was found in a wooden burial chamber, called a chamber grave. The grave was below a long mound, which was rather unusual for central Norway.... “Chamber graves are mainly widespread in Birka in Sweden and in former Danish areas – Denmark including Scania... south-eastern parts of Norway, and Hedeby in today’s Germany,” said Raymond Sauvage, archaeologist and project manager for the excavation.

The grave goods included textile tools , a three-lobed brooch (most commonly found in Denmark), and several hundred miniature pearls. Miniature pearls have only been found previously in a handful of Norwegian graves. “The pearls were concentrated over her right shoulder, but we don’t know if they were a pearl necklace or something else. A find from Hedeby with similar pearls has been interpreted as being pearl embroidery in one form or another, and it’s plausible that the same is the case here.”

[21twelve]

All of my grandparents came over from Norway. This gal might very well be related!

My grandmother used to do some sort of needlework - but instead of sewing she would REMOVE the threads to make holes/patterns in the item.

[BubbaBasher]

[gleeaikin]

Thanks for your response. However, the image I referred to (incorrectly) is the last one (third?) in the article, that is over a thousand years old. The one at the top is modern embroidery.