Bronze Needlecase with Chain
The chain on this item implies it would have been carried on a woman’s clothes or otherwise on her person. This fact in turn implies that sewing could be done on-the-go or could be done outside of a domestic setting, whenever and wherever the woman needed to act. Because of this highly used and highly mobile nature, it seems logical that this is an item that would have been deposited accidentally rather than intentionally discarded. Likewise, it is too plain to have been buried on its own.
The exact locality of this artifact’s discovery is unknown; however, we can place it within Gotland and within the viking age. However, as stated above, this was likely an accidental loss. This find is significant because it shows that the role of women extended what would otherwise be considered “domestic” tasks into the world beyond the home.