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
Copper Plate Brooch
12017-05-10T09:43:36-07:00Elise McIlhaneyef48481634ff342c8b43c9d56f678b2d3562fb69164562Round copper alloy plate brooch decorated with cruciform patternsplain2017-05-10T09:51:39-07:00Foreman, Martin. Brooch. Still Image, September 9–15, 2015. PUBLIC-NLM29917. The Portable Antiquities Scheme. https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/741616.900-1000PUBLIC-NLM29917CC BY53.5845095,-0.8555334Copper AlloyPortable Antiquities SchemeNorth Lincolnshire, EnglandEarly MedievalElise McIlhaneyef48481634ff342c8b43c9d56f678b2d3562fb69
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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1media/NLM29917.jpg2017-05-20T20:13:48-07:00Copper Plate Brooch6object pageplain2017-09-20T19:58:54-07:00This distinctly decorated copper alloy brooch was discovered in England near Lincolnshire in 2015. Little context is given as to how it was found or if it was found with anything else. It once had a hinged pin attached that has since been lost. Its dimensions are 4.3mm thick, 5.95g, and 25.5mm in diameter. It dates from 900-1000 CE. The brooch resembles the basic shape of a common Anglo-Saxon brooch but with its own distinct twist that could have been meant to show off the wealth and status of the owner. The brooch is circular with radiating arms, each tipped with a drop of colored glass. In colored enamel in the center is a cruciform pattern, which may represent the Christian cross, indicating the owner’s religion.[1]
In shape, this brooch resembles a collection of Anglo-Saxon brooches known as the East Anglian Series in that is it flat rather than convex, unlike many other Anglo-Saxon brooches that imitated Scandinavian styles.[2] However, the East Anglian Series was of English manufacture but Scandinavian art design, and this brooch resembles the Series in shape only, and takes on its own decoration that catches the eye with its color and possible Christian imagery. East Anglian Series brooches, as well as many other kinds of round brooches, were mass-produced.[3] Someone clearly paid money to have this one made in a distinct style and wanted to show off that they’d been able to pay enough money to have it made specifically for them. If the cross, in this case, does symbolize the owner’s Christian faith, they wanted to make it apparent with this visible item of decoration.
Due to the brooch’s proximity to the Danelaw and its date which puts it there after the Danelaw had been established, it is possible that the brooch belonged to a Danish person or other viking who had settled there or whose family had settled there. Though it is not clear if the pattern in the center is definitely Christian imagery, the possibility coupled with the idea that it had belonged to a former viking or descendant of a viking suggests that the vikings of the Danelaw had begun to convert to Christianity.