The Viking World: A History in ObjectsMain MenuGallery viewA galleryTag Cloudtag cloud pageThemesA path of thematic categoriesAuthor IndexExplore the collection by authorWorks CitedReferencesAdam Bigelow3afa9c7ecebf516bba6609664b1b12f79c54bf77Caitlin Donahue61b7e986e7c71d400e5c803912ed83c0cf65252fCaroline Harvey1783f21a5882b5b4d3d0b6c174d058052a5ff7eaEdward Hershewee701ef220480b51ca728fc9c719bc094cf813655Martin Hoffmana1fd203afd9a84ee8db567e188cf6ed1d269386eTyler Hruby23493f763b312110686cfafc62578fd0ab5f3833Brittany N. Johnsonc1c1763339f8fa953e3c907c6bb8a3bad0c28b2cCarlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01Moira McConnell710633400590ea38533ea3412c01fc5056288180Clara McCurdy9aec76477d0b55f9c685c47330d6786ec98182e1Elise McIlhaneyef48481634ff342c8b43c9d56f678b2d3562fb69Cameron Meikle669a5682bfbfd603130a26e25628f24eb07e6295Alexander Christopher Newkirk019c2f5b38c043507251d1789e2fdf47e61c3b7fBenja Reilly816c23aa0d444213fb2d1ef33555a15617e08228Oliver Statenc625ae8c3926f5e1a4268bc91d6a6f4cdb1e7fb6Liam Sullivanaa3a1dccb90c7fe4646b61c4af594abbb0c5574aRead Wilder31bf4715220144a665996f2e6cae80a1a8611eadAliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707dea
12017-05-24T10:09:20-07:00Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707deaMap ViewAustin Mason2An interactive map of all the objects in the collectiongoogle_maps2017-05-24T11:39:30-07:00Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707dea
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12017-05-22T09:39:20-07:00Bridle Bit4A copper-alloy bridle bit from the Viking Age, found in Hampshire, Englandplain2017-09-21T17:20:11-07:00Bridles were used by the vikings to ride horses, however horses were not exclusively ridden for travel. This is an incomplete cheek piece for a copper alloy Anglo-Scandinavian bridle. It dates to the 11th Century AD. It has a flat triangular plate that extends to a rounded tip, which suggests it would fit to an animal snout. It is engraved with opposed spirals, which is a common motif in late Viking art, as well as an engraved border, while the reverse side has no decorations. It was found in Hampshire, England via metal detector, in a depth less that a quarter of a meter.[1]
Bridle bits were used to control the movement of the horse’s head, pressing on four of seven pressure points on the horse’s head. Thus forcing the horse to move the way the rider wants. Horses were mostly used for transportation, but in some viking communities, like in Iceland, horses were also used for entertainment. While racing was one form of entertainment, horse fighting was another. Racing was, like it is now, a source of pride for the owner of the winning horse, and a source of money. Bets were placed for the fastest horse. Horse racing was commonly referenced in sagas and was used to gain political support and to settle civil disputes. Whosever horse won, would win the argument. The horses were provoked towards the other with a stick or whip while a man held its tail. The goal of the fight was to get the horse to knock over the man holding the tail. Evidence of horse fighting appears in Icelandic sagas, these forms of entertainment aren’t as apparent in other viking societies. Since this bridle bit was found in England, where there is less evidence of racing and fight, it was most likely used in transportation, for raiding and also travel.[2]
