HOUSEHOLD TEXTILES IN THE VIKING AGE SCANDINAVIA
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 09/02/2021

Presentation Format: Oral “In the hall at Oseberg, bedecked for a banquet, we beheld a vivid contrast: On the benches, there were cushions matching the unassuming hangings on the lower walls, which were simple yet striking in appearance with an endlessly repeating pattern in a subtle check of at least three colours. But above the heads of the seated guests, there ran a banner with a frieze in a vivid variety of powerful colours showing a frenzy of adventures from the sagas and the myths”. (Hougen 2006, 169, translation Jane Malcolm-Davies 2019). This is a very vivid description of how a Viking Age hall could have been equipped but also one of the very few interpretations of this. When the Viking Age textiles are discussed, the focus is often on clothing and fashion while the need for sailcloth is only discussed in a few research projects. Yet, the use of and demand for household textiles are still lacking in the discussion of Viking Age textiles and textile production. One of the reasons for this is that only a few archaeological textiles have been found in settlement contexts. For textiles found in burials, the challenge is identifying which ones relate to clothing and which could be a part of the furnishing. However, information from Old Norse texts gives a clear indication that the houses were well equipped with different types of textiles. This provides researchers with an insight into how Viking Age houses could have been furnished and the role of textiles in this. In this presentation, I will discuss these issues including the variety of areas in which functional textiles could be found, from practical purposes such as bed linen and wall insulation to cultural practices such as storytelling and the preservation of collective myths.


Author(s): Andersson Strand, Eva (Centre for Textile Research, Saxo institute, University of Copenhagen)