„Þorbjǫrn the Skald Carved the Runes“
On the creation of a runestone While browsing through academic publications, I accidentally came across an article that really interested me. Its title is „With Chisel or Pick Hammer : How were Runes carved?“ (Med mejsler eller pikhammer : Hvorledes blev runer ristet?) and was written by Danish archaeologist Ole Thirup Kastholm Hansen in collaboration […]
The Axe from “Falköping Museum”
Greetings! As you probably know, I am a huge axe fan and I collect all the information about Early Medieval axes. This time, I would like to present a fascinating axe, which is unfortunately not so well known by academia, yet it is a remarkable and noteworthy piece. Let’s have a look at it! The […]
The helmet from Tjele
I am very grateful to Mogens Larsen for his help. In 1850, an extraordinary find was discovered by a young farmer in the forest called Lindum Storskov, near Tjele, Denmark. The find consisted of a set of blacksmith equipment – two anvils, five hammers, three tongs, sheet metal shears, two files, a wedge, two nail headers, […]
Viking Age crampons
For my entire reenactment career, I have encountered the problem of slippery shoe soles. Some reenactors solve the problem with rubber soles or metal hobnails, but these are not period solutions. Leather soles are extremely slippery on the wet or frozen surfaces, especially when they are a bit used and scuffed, which means the problem has […]
Theories on Norse Padded Armour
Translated by Greg Rice from the Czech original. At the request of many reenactors, who are interested in early medieval warfare, my colleagues Roman Král, Jan Zajíc, Jan Bělina, et al. and I decided to write an article that would provide a comprehensive commentary on the use of padding under armor and fabric armor in […]
Petersen Type O sword replica
Bringing a thousand years old sword to life In this article, I would like to present the work of my friend and colleague, craftsman Jan Zbránek from Marobud group. With my cooperation, he made an excellent blunt version of the Petersen type O sword from Dukstad (B 1103). The start The whole project started […]
The helmet from Gjermundbu
On March 30 1943, Universitetets Oldsaksamling in Oslo gained the information that a farmer named Lars Gjermundbo found and dug into a huge mound on his land near the farm of Gjermundbu, Buskerud county, southern Norway. The place was examined by archaeologists (Marstrander and Blindheim) the next month and the result was really fascinating. The mound was […]
Interview with Rolf F. Warming
A few notes on Viking Age Shields Rolf Fabricius Warming is Danish archaeologist, whose studies have preeminently been on the subject of combat and conflict in the past, ranging from Mesolithic violence to organized state formation in the early modern period. He holds an MA degree in Maritime Archaeology and is currently finalizing his dissertation project […]
Two-handed axes
Introduction For all my reenactment career (ca. 10 years), I encounter so-called Dane axes, two-handed axes used in second lines on the battlefields. These weapons are very popular and terrifying and the same time. What the most problematic part of fighting with this kind of weapon is the fact that modern warriors tend to implement […]
Scabbard Chapes From Viking Age Norway
I would like to present my catalogue of scabbard chapes used in Viking Age Norway. The catalogue is based on Grieg’s, Paulsen’s and Androshchuk’s lists and an unpublished detector find. The catalogue is not complete and is supplemeted by a map, a graph and tables. Please, let me know if you find what I missed. Thank you. […]
Bag handles
Dear readers, let me present the text about bag handles (bag frames or bag closures) from Haithabu. Below the first picture, you can find the original German text and English and Czech translations. In the end of the post, you can find the table that we prepared for you and that maps Scandinavian bag handles. Correct […]
Typology of Fire Strikers From the Viking Age Norway
I would like to present my typology of fire strikers used in Viking Age Norway, more particulary 700-1000 AD. This typology is based on Jan Petersen’s book Vikingetidens redskaper (Petersen 1951: 433-438), the project UNIMUS and some new finds. The size of fire strikers varies from 4 cm to 14.2 cm. The most common lenght is between 7-9 cm. […]
Scandinavian helmets of the 10th century
In this article, we will have a short look at evidences of helmets used in Scandinavia during the 10th century. Pictures of modern replicas are added as well. Spectacle helmets: Gnëzdovo Gjermundbu Tjele Kyiv Nasal helmets: Middleton Prague Unknown types: Lokrume Birka Russian helmets in Scandinavia: Birka Conclusion Bibliography Spectacle helmets Gnëzdovo Object, context A head on the […]
