The Pitney Brooch was found in a churchyard in the English town of Pitney. It is made of bronze and is heavily gilded. The image displayed is that of two animals, a serpent and a mammal, locked in combat. The artifact was dated to around 950 CE based on the styles present on the brooch, but this estimate is slightly outdated.¹  The Pitney Brooch likely would have been used in a similar manner as all brooches of the times: as a decorative addition to men and women’s clothing or to display affluence.²  The excellent craftsmanship and heavy gilding on the brooch point to it being a fairly high-class item.

Brooches such as this one are important pieces of archaeological evidence for the Viking Age because they can tell us much about how, where, and when they were made. Brooches are also notable because they have been found in great quantity, allowing archaeologists a wide selection of examples to consider. They can be used to accurately date a hoard by matching the style of brooch to the time that style was prevalent and offer insight into the development of art in Scandinavian culture. This particular brooch is an excellent example of the later Urnes Style that was popular in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The Pitney Brooch also contains notable elements of English and Carolingian styles of craftsmanship.³  This conflation is present on a number of contemporary artifacts and hints at a greater convergence of Scandinavian and English culture during the time.

The Pitney Brooch conflicts with early medieval sources as it shows that Norse were settlers and craftsmen as well as raiders. The medieval texts do not include many mentions of the settlement and assimilation of the Norse people, though we now know these processes were critical to the development of later cultures. The inclusion of many artistic styles in the brooch shows us the cultural integration that many medieval sources omit.

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