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
Early Viking Toilet Article
12017-05-21T15:53:14-07:00Clara McCurdy9aec76477d0b55f9c685c47330d6786ec98182e1164563An amuletic figurine from the pre-Viking era in England associated with women and hygiene.plain2017-05-21T17:35:44-07:00Daubney, Adam. Toilet Article. Still Image, October 2016. LIN-756E6A. Portable Antiquities Scheme. https://finds.org.uk/images/adaubney/medium/LIN756E6A.jpg.675-700LIN-756E6ACC BY53.370788, 0.024082Copper alloyPortable Antiquities SchemeEast Lindsay, United KingdomEarly MedievalClara McCurdy9aec76477d0b55f9c685c47330d6786ec98182e1
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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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12017-05-21T21:15:03-07:00Early Viking Toilet Article5object pageplain2017-09-14T09:49:45-07:00In 793, Vikings attacked a monastery at Lindisfarne, England in what became the first recorded Norse contact in the British Isles. Yet, it is clear that Scandinavian settlers had reached England before 793, though little is known about their lives.[1] The artifact featured here is a landmark find from an era of Viking activity that was the quieter prelude to the invasions that started a century later.
Though the exact purpose of this object is unknown, it appears to be associated with women of status and their personal hygiene. Standing at about 6 cm tall, this object is a figurine of sorts. It has a head whose facial features are mostly corroded away but the oval chin and nose are still visible. Below the head is a flatter piece with a hole in the middle which is then connected to a hollow square shaft. As it was found with other objects that hang from the waist, this object was probably also hanging, explaining the hole in the middle.
On its own, the figuring is an interesting find, but objects buried with it imply that this was a woman’s burial, which is comparatively rare in England. The number and variety of objects found have indicated that this is an example of a burial of a woman who held high status. Along with the object described already, there were two sets of hanging bowl mounts, part of a copper-alloy hanging bowl, a pendant with precious metals and stones, two buckles, and several iron tools.[2] The toilet article has a strong association with women; similar items have been found in Scandinavia in burials where the woman’s body is still present. Meanwhile, the presence of tools found at the same location indicate a purposefulness to the placement and has some object similarity with another early Viking woman burial referred to as the Adwick-le-Street burial.[3] Taken together, these objects imply a late seventh-century burial, a glimpse into the life of a pre-Viking Age Scandinavian woman in England.
A handful of objects parallel to this one exist, scattered along the eastern coast of England and some from Scandinavian countries. In Uppåkra, for example, a full body carving of Odin has been found that is similar is style and shape to the toilet article.[4] Though that example has legs, Brundle has grouped all figurines of this type into the wider group of Norse personal amulet-type totems.[5] This object, in particular, serves a dual purpose of something to do with personal hygiene, the religious importance still stands because of its size and thus, portability. It has been suggested that they were not necessarily meant as an outward demonstration of status, but as an amuletic stand-in to the gods, important to the woman and her beliefs.[6] Secondly, the presence of these statuettes in both the Scandinavian and English contexts shows that they traveled. The fact that this figurine comes from the pre-Viking era also means there wasn’t an established Scandinavian presence in England and thus very improbable that it was produced in England. It was most likely made in Scandinavia and thus demonstrates a connection to the homeland that was relatively unchanged even when in a new land.