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
Icelandic Iron Needle
12017-05-22T08:22:16-07:00Alexander Christopher Newkirk019c2f5b38c043507251d1789e2fdf47e61c3b7f164562A sewing needle made of iron approximately five centimeters long uncovered in northern Icelandplain2017-05-22T08:24:02-07:00Kendall, Aaron. Icelandic Iron Needle. Still Image, 3–13, 2016. 402475. The Digital Archaeological Record. http://core.tdar.org/image/402475/hrh05-30.800-1100402475CC BY65.449,-17.238IronIceland Institute of ArcheologyAkureyri, IcelandViking ageAlexander Christopher Newkirk019c2f5b38c043507251d1789e2fdf47e61c3b7f
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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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1media/Needle.JPG2017-05-22T08:42:12-07:00Iron Sewing Needle7Object Pageplain2017-09-21T23:00:00-07:00This is an iron sewing needle, excavated in 2005 from a site southeast of Akureyri in Northern Iceland. The artefact is a single, irregular piece of dark grey or brown metal that tapers to a slight point on one end, showing significant signs of corrosion and a buildup of accreted material. Iron needles stand in contrast to the more traditional bone or wood needles. While iron needles were superior for sewing as well as more durable, iron was more scarce than both wood and bone. Additionally Iron needles were less useful than their bone or wood counterparts for the older practice of naalbinding, a needlework similar to crochet involving passing a free end of thread through the looped opposite end.[1] However the durability and versatility of iron needles made them invaluable when carried. This needle gives us some precious perspective on what the responsibilities and experiences of women in the Norse world, as the needle for a Norse woman is analogous to the belt-pouch of the norseman.
These needles were harder to come by than wooden or bone needles, and were useful beyond direct sewing. There is some thought that extra needles were used to secure clothing and garments. Having a needle on hand allowed for on demand garment construction, embellishment and repair, all vital tasks. Further, iron needles were crucial for the practice of sail making, as the thinner but overly brittle wood or bone needles could not navigate the thick wool canvas well. The needle provides us a glimpse of what a woman in the Norse world would equip herself with daily.