Early Roman Iron Age female grave goods in Denmark

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Erling Albrectsen

Fynske Jernaldergrave II: Ældre Romersk Jernalder, Einar Munksgaard,
1956

[Iron Age Graves from Fyn: Early Roman Iron Age]

Penchants

Berlocks of gold plate. These sophisticated small decorative objects
from women's graves are with respect to the Danish items described by
Sophus Müller, most recently by H. Norling-Christensen (Jernalderens
kunst, pp. 116-. - Acta Archaeol. XIII, pp. 340- and 354-). From
Müller's overview we learn that on Danish territory are found in all
40 pendants of this kind, to which later has come an additional small
number. Seen on the background of their rather numerous occurence in
North Europe and from small local differences in the workmanship,
they must undoubtedly be perceived as domestic products, but
typologically they rest on foreign models, which Müller seeks in
Etrurian gold objects, which were distributed to North Europe via
Bohemia [T: or from people on Lemnos or environs, assuming that style
follows language?] (Jernalderens Kunst, p. 122. - North Germany; E.
Blume, Die germ. Stämme, fig. 230. - Böhmen: Pic^. Urnengräber, LXXV,
23. Preidel, Die germ. Kulturen, p. 300, fig. 336-37. - Crf. O.
Montelius, SFT IX, pp. 205-).

As demonstrated by Müller, the berlocks can be divided into two
chronological groups (Jernalderens Kunst, p. 117). Oldest is a
minority , 7, of the same general type as T 14 and 40f; younger, on
the other hand are richly ornated pieces as T23j and 32f. On the
older ones the berlock body is made in one piece with gently curved
side and the surface only more sparely furnished with threadwork, at
the bottom 5 spheres, 4 alongside, 1 as a top on the others;
occasionally a small number of small spheres have been soldered in
among the larger ones. Of this older type are known 3 exemplars from
the Fyn-Langeland island group, viz in the finds Odense I,
Moellegaardsmarken grave 99, T 14, and Blandebjerg grave 1, T 40f
(Register no 47, 75 and 96). The two first may, by the compositin of
the finds, namely of fibulas as fig. 37c, be dated to period I.

A form, which as development phase lies between the older and younger
berlocks, is the T 30e reproduced object from Noerre Broby (84). The
articulate division of the body, the technique of the driven
[chiseled] out small buckles, and finally soldering on of smaller
spheres onto the larger in the cluster at the bottom are features,
pointing down in time to the younger, T 23j and 32f (A piece, which
in form and decoration is very close to the berlock of Noerre Broby,
has been taken up at Wotenitz, Mecklenburg, Mecklenb. Jahrbücher XXV,
1860, p. 257. - Cf. Asmus, Tonwarengruppen, p. 45, Abb. 59, Periode
II). On these the body is clearly divided into halves. The two ones
depicted, from Hoejby mark (61) and Nordenbrogaard grave 3 (105), are
richly ornated with plaited thread and ends in a "grape bunch"
consisting of 5 larger spheres each with 4 soldered-on small spheres.
From the area are known in all 5 exemplars in 4 finds (Register no 60
with 2 fragmented exemplars in an urn. 61. 69. 105.3). The two
depicted pieces, which are taken up with securely described finds,
point clearly towards period II and thus are in line with the
Juellinge finds and several others (Nord. Fortidsminder II, pl. III,
fig. 1-3. - Acta Archaeol. XIII, p. 335, fig 2, cf. the find list
ibid.. The 3 depicted there from Vester Mellerup probably, since they
lack the plating with gold thread, are to be considered as practice
works. - From East Prussia: Blume, Die germ. Stämme, Abb. 121-22. -
W. Petzsch, Greifswalder-Mitteilungen IV, 1930, Taf. III, Hiddensee).

Closely related with the just mentioned group of true berlocks is a
number of gold pendants consisting of gold plate stamped out in a
spherical shape and is appended in a small eye of pearled thread. An
exemplar, fram the Espe find, is depicted T 11c, where it is seen
that the shoulder ridge is ornated with small soldered-on spheres
arranged in pairs. The piece seems to be assembled at the middle rom
two halves, the diameter only approx. 1 cm. A similar, somewhat
damaged exemplar comes from an urn find on Dyssebjerg, Saaderup mark
(66); the diameter is 2 cm, the body spherical and smooth, only with
a single girding gold thread on the top. Neither of the two ornaments
can be dated with certainty, as the find inventories may consist of
mix-ups. The finds from Fyn then do not provide a secure foundation
for dating.

Capsule-shaped pendants. As the last group of metal ornaments with
appending eye may be mentioned two exemplars of the type which by an
older desination are called bullae: small circular capsules of metal
plate, T 20m. The depicted piece of jewellery of silver is only 7 mm
across and not ornamented. It was found on the grave place Favrskov I
(37) in grave 2 at the chest of the deceased near an S-shaped mallet
of silver, a gold pearl and som glass pearls and so was part of the
woman's everyday necklace (H. Norling-Christensen. Acta Archaeol.
XIII, p. 353, fig. 11. - A piece from the end of period II is
depicted Nord. Fortidsminder, IV. 2. pl. 59, fig 16, from Bulbjerg
grave 110. Pendants of the same kind are known also in Germany:
Blume, Die germ. Stämme, Abb. 116-18). The other one is taken up in
the urn grave no 157 on Moellegaardsmarken (75), depicted Sehested,
Archaeol. Undersoegelser, pl. 15, fig 2b. It is of silver-mixed gold,
1 cm wide, on one side plated with concentrically soldered-on pearl
threads- The same goes for the eye. Both graves can be dated by the
find inventory to a late part of period II.

...

Pearls

From no Pre-Roman find is the glass pearl known as jewellery. In
Early Roman Time as mentioned gold and silver pearls of domestic
processing along with berlocks are coming into use, just as glass
pearls of Roman or Provincial Roman provenance by and by become
utilized, demonstrable for Fyn, however, not until period II, and
then in Late Roman Iron Age becoming exceedingly common.

A metal type, which with respect to technical production is related
to the penchants of gold plate as T 11c, is thin gold plate pearls
without eye [oesken] as Müller, Ordning III, fig. 84. Such spherical
pearls are decorated with horizontal lines of small buckles driven
out from the inside. Only one item, damaged at that, is known from
Fyn, coming from an undescribed urn find taken up on the grave place
at Fravde (60). That the type belongs to period II, can be clearly
seen from the occurrence of such pearls in Jutland, eg. in the Vester
Mellerup find. On Sjaelland they have been taken up only nce, but
here in 19 exemplars excavated at Froeslev, Stevns [peninsula],
together with 4 late berlocks as T 34j and other pearls (See S.
Müller, Vor Oldtid, p. 479 and Norling-Christensen's compilation i
Acta Archaeologica XIII, pp. 354-, cf. ibid., fig. 9.). Especially
popular the type seems to have been on Bornholm, where it is present
in a number of finds.

Of gold are further small meticulously made, slightly flattened gold
pearls as Müller, Ordning III, fig 82, cf T 20n and 23a. A small
number is known from the country in general, except Bornholm (S.
Müller, Ordning III, fig. 82 and p. 14. - Acta Archaeol. XIII, pp.
354-). Some are made of spiral thread (Norling-Christensen, Acta
Archaeol. XIII, p. 341), on which is plaited threadwork as on T 20n;
others are made of gold plate with soldered-on gold nodules, T 23a.
From Fyn is known only the two depicted pieces, the first taken up in
grave 2 on the grave place Favrskov I (37), the second in an urn
grave at Martofte, Hindsholm [peninsula] (50). The inventory of both
finds is from perod II. In the same direction point the other known
finds, eg. the find from V. Mellerup (Ibid. pp. 332-).

Yet different from the just mentioned are 9 disk-shaped pearls of
thin gold plate decorated with complicated diamond-shaped markings, T
30d. They are taken up in the find from Noerre Broby and so
determined to be from an earlier part of period II (see p. 158).
Finally, of noble metal is a pair of simple disk-shaped pearls as T
32g. One is of silver, 7 mm across, from Moellegaardsmarken grave
304, depicted Sehested, Archaeol. Undersoegelser, pl. 17-. It is
dated by the other objects to a late period II. A similar exemplar,
of gold, is taken up in grave 3 on Blandebjerg (96); a fragment of a
fibula as fig. 37m (Almgren 68-69) fixes this pearl in period I.

In the finds, along with the metal pearls also pieces made of glass
or just clay are taken up. The clay pearls a quite few, generally not
fixed in a period, except for a sinle one, which was taken up in an
urn fire pit, grave 29, on the grave place at Korup (51), a rounded
flat-ish exemplar as T 40b. This grave is with an early eye fibula
dated at period I. A similar one is found in grave 34 on the same
grave place along with a clay pearl as T 40j, the strange shape with
4 drawn-out points. A pair of similar ones have been found at
Haastrup (87), T40j and at Bohoejgaard (110), but these can no more
than the piece from Korup grave 34 be closer fixed in time based on
finds on Fyn. Furthermore at Korup in grave 35 a double conical clay
pearl has been taken up as T 40., but without stamped-on markings.
The pearl T 40 is from Korup grave 47.

...

Also amber pearls, not to be confused with spindle weights (p. 177),
are present in the finds, but very rarely. A 2 cm wide piece, as T
40i, although with a more curved side, has been taken up in the find
from Espe (81). Another one, from Bohoejgaard (110), is depicted T
40b. The period dating is uncertain.

...

Mirrors

In Danish finds have been excavated 4 mirrors of Roman provenance.
One was excavated at Sakskøbing [island of Lolland] (Nord.
fortidsminder II, p 39), the other one in a find at Stilling,
Hjelmslev Herred, Jutland (C 22722-42), both square, while the two
others are from Fyn, found at Kerumgaarde (41) and at Noerre Broby
(84). The oldest, the mirror from Kaerumgaarde, is only preserved
piecewise, yet so much that the diameter of the originally circular
bronze plate can be set at approx. 18 cm. The plating of silver or
other white metal is still so well preserved that it reflects. Along
the rim are found three concentric grooves, see the reconstruction
drawing Acta Archaeologica XII, p 163, fig 13. The mirror is dated by
the composition of the find to the 1st century [CE]. Later, from
period II, is, however, the second mirror from Noerre Broby, Fyn, T
31 e. It is considerably smaller, only 8 cm across, better preserved.
A concentric rim groove defines a rim flange with round perforations.

From large grave finds in North Germany similar metal mirrors are
known. This goes for two of the richly furnished graves at Lübzow in
Pommerania and the grave at Poggendorf in the same province (Lübzow,
Eggers, Der röm. Import, p. 106, no 690 and 691. - E. Pernice,
Prähist. Zeitschr. IV, 1912, p. 140, fig. 8, round with indented
edge. - Poggendorf: Eggers, Baltische Studien XLII, 1940, p. 20-21,
of square shape, cf. Prähist. Zeitschr., p. 23, 1932, p. 251.). One
of the mirrors from Lübzow is from period I, the other from II.

...

Boxes and Shrines

In Nordiske Fortidsminder II Sophus Müller gave a detailed
description of a small wooden box, the contents of which of toilette
articles it has been possible to make inaccessible to intruders by
means of a locking mechanism. As in this grave from Juellinge there
have been uncovered in a very few examples traces of similar boxes.
Among a number of unprofessionally excavated objects from the grave
site at Nyboellegaard (85) is found an iron mounting, one end of
which was turned at right angles and hammered thinly into a point.
This piece has probably been used as a mounting on a wooden box.

Torsten