Jelling Brooch
Featured here is a disc brooch of the Jelling-style found in Norfolk Britain, featured as evidence in Jane Kershaw's article, Culture and Gender in the Danelaw: Scandinavian and Anglo-Scandinavian Brooches. It dates to circa 875-950, during the height of Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon interaction. Such a brooch would probably have been worn by a woman, perhaps of middling social standing. The brooch has a variety of elements, leading to a confusing narrative explanation of its use. The copper alloy was not a particularly high status material, although apparent gilding on it suggests a degree of luxury. Additionally, the disc style of brooch was usually worn more conservatively by Anglo-Saxon women and tended to have less prestige. Its origin, however, appears to be from Scandinavia based on its construction and the Jelling-style designs on its face. The motif of two beasts eating their own tails while grasping each other appears frequently in the Jelling style, which is characteristic of Scandinavian brooches. A brooch like this demonstrates the cultural exchange occurring between England and Scandinavia during the Early Middle Ages, and how their interactions led to not just political change, but cultural mixing as well.[1]
The account of Ibn Fadlan, a Muslim diplomat interacting with Norse merchants on the Volga, describes brooches in great detail. He marks that all women wore a brooch of some sort, of varying metals depending on their husband’s wealth. His observations indicate that copper might have been of higher status than many other metals, like iron. Fadlan’s account opens new avenues through which Kershaw’s argument can be applied to the wider Norse world. Brooches could act as a status symbol for both men and women, not just in England, but even as far as trading communities in Ukraine.[2]
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