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The Viking World

A History in 100 Objects

Austin Mason, Hannah Curtiss, Liza Davis, Jane Kelly, Kerim Omer Kadir Celik, Adante Ratzlaff, Leah Sacks, Kai Matsubara-Rall, Quinn Radich, Madeline Cosgriff, John Kennelly, Claire Jensen, Alperen Turkol, Jordan Cahn, Peter Hanes, Sarah Wang, Nick Carlsen, Ari Bakke, Phineas Callahan, Lauren Azuma, Justin Berchiolli, Rowan Matney, Ben Pletta, John Scott, Nick Cohen, Sophie Bokor, Authors
Alperen Turkol, page 3 of 4

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Pin with Chain

This is a pin with chain, which is currently held in the Walters Art Museum1. It is a unique piece in a sense that it is a very detailed piece of ornament. It is made of silver, so it holds a high economic value. The pin has a polyhedral-shaped head, and it is attached to a silver ring with a chain. It is claimed that another pin was attached to the ring at the end, forming a pair of pins, but that second pin is missing. This piece was made in Sweden, but discovered in Dunshaughlin Crannog, Ireland in 1867. It is originally from 10th century. Considering that similar pieces were found in Swedish Viking burials, we can infer that this piece was of high economic value to the people of its time; that it was a sign of wealth2. However, this unique piece tells us about more than just the types of ornaments used during the Viking Age: the location of creation and the location of discovery are different and far apart, and this suggests some sort of interaction between the people of the two places.
This situation raises a question: How might this piece have been transported to Ireland from Sweden? Some reasonable assumptions can be made to answer this question. This object might have been transported to Ireland from Sweden through marriage and gift-exchange as a result of a marriage; during the raids from Sweden to Ireland by the raiders; or it might have been given away as a means of trade during an economic transaction. However, it is not quite possible to know for sure how and why this pin with chain was transported to Ireland from Sweden.
This item is a high-value item as an ornament, but the real question that this item brings up seems to be focused more on the issue of the relationship between the people of its homeland, and where it was discovered. In conclusion, it appears that this item helps us ask questions rather than come up with answers to the questions we already have about the different types of relationships between the Irish and the Norsemen.
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