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Appearance in Bronze Age Scandinavia as Seen from the Nybøl burial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Sophie Bergerbrant ,
Lise Bender Jørgensen  and
Sølvi Helene Fossøy
Sophie Bergerbrant*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Lise Bender Jørgensen*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Sølvi Helene Fossøy*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
*
[email: sophie.bergerbrant@ntnu.no]
[email: lise.bender@ntnu.no]
[email: solvi.fossoy@ntnu.no]
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Abstract

The objective of this article is to study cloth and appearance in the Bronze Age based on the evidence from a previously overlooked oak-log coffin find, the Nybøl burial. The textiles have been investigated and our results compared with cloth from four well-known oak-log coffins: Muldbjerg, Trindhøj, and Borum Eshøj graves A and B. Our analysis demonstrates that this burial contained the coarsest cloth on record to date from the Scandinavian Bronze Age, and that it included some cloth items that are not previously known from the above-mentioned graves. The items of clothing the different textiles may have derived from are discussed, as well as the appearance of the deceased in relation to Bronze Age society. We conclude that this burial contained a previously unknown costume type, but that it is a variation of the others rather than an entirely new category.

Cet article étudie les tissus et l'apparence de l'Âge du Bronze en se basant sur les preuves provenant du cercueil en chêne de la sépulture de Nybøl, une découverte négligée jusqu'alors. Après examination des tissus, nos résultats sont comparés aux tissus de quatre cercueils en chêne bien connus: Muldbjerg, Trindhøje et Borum Eshøj tombes A et B. Notre analyse montre que la sépulture de Nybøl contenait le tissu le plus grossier documenté pour l'Âge du Bronze scandinave à ce jour, et comprenait plusieurs pièces de tissu qui ne figuraient pas dans les tombes mentionnées plus haut. Nous considérons ensuite de quels vêtements les différents textiles pourraient être issus, et l'apparence des défunts par rapport à la société de l'Âge du Bronze. Nous concluons que cette sépulture contenait un genre de costume inconnu auparavant, et qu'il s'agit d'une variante plutôt que d'une catégorie tout à fait nouvelle. Translation by Isabelle Gerges.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Das Anliegen dieses Beitrages ist die Untersuchung von Kleidung und Aussehen in der Bronzezeit auf der Basis eines bislang unberücksichtigten Baumsarg-Fundes, dem Nybøl-Grab. Die Textilien wurden untersucht und unsere Ergebnisse mit den Stoffen von vier bekannten Baumsärgen – Muldbjerg, Trindhøj sowie Borum Eshøj (Gräber A und B) – verglichen. Unsere Analyse zeigt, dass dieses Grab die bislang gröbsten dokumentierten Stoffe der skandinavischen Bronzezeit sowie einige von den zuvor genannten Grabbefunden unbekannte textile Objekte enthielt. Die Stoffobjekte, von denen die verschiedenen Textilien herrühren könnten, werden ebenso diskutiert wie das Aussehen der Verstorbenen im Verhältnis zur bronzezeitlichen Gesellschaft. Wir schließen, dass diese Bestattung einen bislang unbekannten Trachttyp enthielt, der jedoch eher eine Variation bekannter Formen als eine völlig neue Kategorie darstellt. Translation by Heiner Schwarzberg.

Keywords

textilesclothingDenmarkgravessocial significancetextilevêtementsDanemarktombesignification socialeTextilTrachtDänemarkGrabsoziale Signifikanz
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , 2013 , pp. 247 - 267
Copyright
Copyright © European Association of Archaeologists 2013 

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