The Salme Ship Burials

Abstract

With the help of experimental reproduction of archaeological artefacts, it is possible to study how and from which materials that objects might have been made in the Iron Age. Reproductions are carried out with items such as weapons, accessories, jewellery, buildings, food, ceramics, tools, working methods, and many others. This reproduction aimed to determine the smithing methods of one iron fibula from the 12-piece collection in the Salme II Ship Burial on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia. Fibula no SM10602:325 from the distal end of the right femur of skeleton IV (F) was selected for the work (See Figures 1 and 2). Various fibulas were made in the Iron Age using various techniques, mainly from bronze alloys and precious metals. At the beginning of the Viking Age, iron fibulas were forged mainly from bloomery iron. These type 7th and 8th century fibulas have been found in archaeological excavations in Nordic countries, south-western Finland in Ostrobothnia, and Häme provinces (See Figure 4). One fibula was found in Latvia, but none in Estonia, before the archaeological excavations of the Salme ship burials.

Keywords

• metal working
• jewellery
• viking age
• iron age
• estonia