Cite this as: Heen-Pettersen, A.M. 2021 Evidence of Viking trade and 'Danelaw' connections? Inset lead weights from Norway and the western Viking World, Internet Archaeology 56. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.56.10
This article presents and discusses the use and itineraries of inset lead weights from Norway and the wider Viking world. The weights, which are mostly inset with decorated metalwork, coins and glass are likely to be of 'Insular-Viking' manufacture, which developed in the late 9th and/or early 10th century. While the Norwegian corpus has generally received attention for its 'Irish' style of metalwork and therefore Irish affiliation, this article demonstrates how some of the material may rather have travelled to Norway via England. Here, they were extensively used in Viking milieus and the Irish-style insets were probably carried eastwards from Ireland by some of the historically attested groups who joined the Viking armies in England. The alternative route suggested for the weights which ended up in Norway has several implications, especially for providing potential evidence for integrated contact between the Danelaw area and Norway.
The article also investigates fragmented mounts, a material phenomenon found in Viking and Norse contexts on both sides of the North Sea. While these mounts are often regarded as one group, the article identifies different practices in the fragmentation of this material, based on morphological details. It is suggested that 're-fashioned' pieces, i.e. those carefully cut into pieces and reworked into dress ornaments can be separated from 'hack-bronze' – those that appear to have been fragmented in the same manner as hack silver and other metals intended for reuse as scrap or as bullion.
Corresponding author: Aina Margrethe Heen-Pettersen
aina.pettersen@ntnu.no
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim
Figure 1: Distribution map of inset weights from Norway (Map by Aina Heen-Pettersen)
Figure 2: Lead weights incorporating T-shaped and square mounts of likely ecclesiastical origin. A: Husabø, Stavanger (photo: Anette Øvrelid, AMS); B: Hopperstad, Vik (photo: Svein Skaare, UiB); C: Kvistad. Ørsta (photo: Olav Espevoll, UiB); D: Hurum, Berg (photo: Lennart Larsen, National Museum of Denmark); E: Håland, Vindafjord (photo: Olav Espevoll, UiB)
Figure 3: Weights incorporating circular metalwork of likely ecclesiastical origin. A: Tjora, Sola (photo: Terje Tveit, AMS); B: Missingen, Råde (photo: Birgit Marxnier, KHM); C: Solstad, Skaun (photo: Ole B. Pedersen, VM)
Figure 4: The inset on the weight from Sandtorg, Harstad (A) has close parallels in a number of finds from Britain and Ireland including those from Longtown, Cumbria (B) and Ulgham, Northumbria (C). Other enamelled examples include the finds from Setnes, Rauma (D), Kvistad, Ørsta (E) and Torland, Hå (F). (Photos by Julia Dammann, UiB (A); Portable Antiquities Scheme/Trustees of the British Museum (B and C); Ole B. Pedersen, VM (D); Olav Espevoll, UiB (E); Svein Skare, UiB (F))
Figure 5: Zoomorphic weights from Norway. A: Hopperstad, Vik (photo: Svein Skaare, UiB); B: Kaupang, Larvik (photo: Eirik Johnsen, KHM); C: Setnes, Rauma (photo: O.B Pedersen, VM); D: Hurum, Berg (photo: Lennart Larsen, National Museum of Denmark); E: Kaupang, Larvik; F: Aalgaard, Lillestrøm (photos E and F: Eirik Johnsen, KHM)
Figure 6: Examples of weights incorporating fragments of Insular metalwork. A: Hol, Sunndal; B: Kaupang, Larvik; C: Mære, Steinkjer; D: Guildford, England; E: Asker Østre, Asker. Several fragmented pieces of metalwork from England, such as the example from Guildford (D, SUR-569A64), may have been prepared for use as settings on weights. (Photos by Åge Hojem, VM (A and C); Eirik Johnsen, KHM (B); Birgit Maixner, KHM (E); Portable Antiquities Scheme/Trustees of the British Museum (D))
Figure 7: The mounts on the weights from Håland, Vindafjord (left) and Gisburn, Lancashire (right) are nearly identical. (Photos by Terje Tveit UiB and Portable Antiquities Scheme/ Trustees of the British Museum)
Figure 8: Distribution of inset lead weights from Britain and Ireland. The dotted line represents the border established between King Alfred of Wessex and King Guthrum of East Anglia in the later 9th century. This is generally used to mark the southern border of the Danelaw (Map by Philip Wood)
Figure 9: Two inset lead weights recently discovered in Hedeby by metal-detecting. (Photo: The Archaeological Museum Schloss Gottorf)
Figure 10: A selection of 're-fashioned' mounts from Norway. A: Uncertain location, Norway (photo: the author); B: Votne, Lindås (photo: Svein, Skare, UiB); C: Alstad, Levanger (drawing: Per Rasmussen); D: Orre, Klepp (photo: Svein, Skare UiB); E: Torske, Sunndalen (photo: Åge Hojem, VM)
Figure 11: Fragmented pieces of Insular metalwork from Norway, probably used as scrap or bullion. A: Skånes, Levanger (photo: Terje Hellan, VM); B: Sve, Vågå (photo: Birgit Marxnier, KHM); C. Nes, Fauske (photo: Yang Koh, UIT); D. Kaupang (photo: Erik Johnson. KHM)
Figure 12: The insets on these two weights from Water Newton, Cambridgeshire and Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire, found over 200km apart, comprise identical circular mounts which may derive from the same parent object. (Photos: Portable Antiquities Scheme/Trustees of the British Museum)
Figure 13: Distribution of Anglo-Saxon swords and lead weights. The distribution of swords is based on Aksdal 2017: catalogue A, with the addition of C13595, C3619 defined as L-types by Androshchuk 2014, 67. This number does not include Aksdal type IV and other specimens which may be locally produced copies. (Map by Aina Heen-Pettersen)
Figure 14: Anglo-Saxon sword from Hoven, Sunndal: one of 26 examples known from Norway. (Photo by Ole Bjørn Pedersen)
Figure 15: Coin inset weights from a male burial at Vik, Fjære which are the only examples of this type recovered from Norway. (Photos by Lill-Ann Chepstow-Lusty, KHM)
TS15216: Lead weight from Sandtorg, Harstad (2.2cm x 2cm); inset with an enamelled (now gone) harness fitting. Photo: Julia Dammann, UiB
T28144_2: Lead weight from Mære, Steinkjer (2cm x 1.9cm); inset with a T-shaped projection of a harness mount. Photo: Åge Hojem, VM
T1047: Lead weight from Tønnøl, Bjugn; partly capped by a plain copper-alloy mount. Cautiously regarded here as possibly belonging to the group of inset lead weights of 'Insular-Viking' manufacture, but this is uncertain. Photo: Ole Bjørn Pedersen, VM
T3213: Inset lead weight from Solstad, Skaun (Dia. 4.3cm). Photo: Ole Bjørn Pedersen, VM
T27510: Inset lead weight from Hol, Sunndal (1.9cm x 1.6cm). Photo: Åge Hojem, VM
T18198c: Inset lead weight from Setnes, Rauma (Dia.2.6cm). Photo: Åge Hojem, VM
T18198d: Lead weight from Setnes, Rauma; inset with zoomorphic metalwork (L. 3.4cm). Photo: Åge Hojem, VM
B11131d: Inset lead weight from Kvistad, Ørsta (Dia. 3.7cm). Photo: Olav Espevoll, UiB
B11131e: Inset lead weight from Kvistad, Ørsta (2.0cm x 1.7cm). Photo: Olav Espevoll, UiB
B4511i: Lead weight from Hopperstad, Vik; inset with a T-shaped mount (2.7 x 2.1cm). Photo: Svein Skaare, UiB
B4511k: Lead weight from Hopperstad, Vik; inset with zoomorphic metalwork (3m x 1.7cm). Photo: Svein Skaare, UiB
S1982: Lead weight from Håland, Vindafjord; an open-work copper-alloy mount of uncertain origin (3.2cm x 3cm). Photo: Olav Espevoll, UiB
S12591_1: Inset lead weight from Tjora, Sola (Dia. 3.5cm). Photo: Terje Tveit, AMS
S14112: Recently discovered inset lead weight from Husabø, Stavanger (3.3cm x 2.9cm). Photo: Anette Øvrelid, AMS
B1856: Inset lead weight from Tårland, Hå (Dia. 4.5cm). Photo: Svein Skare, UiB
C52507/67k: Zoomorphic copper-alloy weight from Kaupang, Larvik (L. 3.5cm). Photo: Kirsten Helgeland, KHM
C52507_plo: Inset lead weight from Kaupang, Larvik (Dia. 2.1cm). Photo: Kirsten Helgeland, KHM
C52517_419: Inset lead weight from Kaupang, Larvik. Illustration by Bjørn Rygh, KHM
C52517_2168: Lead weight from Kaupang, Larvik; inset with a bird-shaped copper-alloy mount (L. 2.6cm). Photo: Eirik Johnsen, KHM
C52517_812: Lead weight from Kaupang, Larvik; inset with plain copper-alloy metalwork of uncertain geographical origin (L. 2.5cm). Cautiously regarded here as possibly belonging to the group of inset lead weights of 'Insular-Viking' manufacture, but this is uncertain. Illustration by Bjørn Rygh, KHM
C52517_1893: Lead weight from Kaupang, Larvik; inset with plain copper-alloy metalwork of uncertain geographical origin (L. 2.5cm). Cautiously regarded here as possible belonging to the group of inset lead weights of 'Insular-Viking' manufacture, but this is uncertain. Illustration by Bjørn Rygh, KHM
C52519_15228: Lead weight from Kaupang, Larvik (Dia. 0.9cm); inset with glass. Photo: Eirik Johnsen, KHM
C52517/828: Lead weight from Kaupang, Larvik; inset with plain copper-alloy metalwork of uncertain geographical origin. Cautiously regarded here as possible belonging to the group of inset lead weights of 'Insular-Viking' manufacture, but this is uncertain. Illustration by Bjørn Rygh, KHM
C58678_233: Lead weight from Heimdalsjordet, Sandefjord; inset with glass. Photo: Christian Rødsrud, KHM
C62821: Lead weight from Aalgaard, Lillestrøm; inset with zoomorphic copper-alloy mount (Dia. 2.5cm). Photo: Eirik Johnsen, KHM
NMD-CMXXb: Inset lead weight from Berg, Hurum (3.2cm x 3.8cm). Photo: Lennart Larsen, National Museum of Denmark
NMD-CMXXi: Zoomorphic copper-alloy weight from Berg, Hurum. Photo: Lennart Larsen, National Museum of Denmark
C59480_13: Inset lead weight from Asker Østre, Asker (L.1.7cm, W.1.5cm). Photo: Birgit Maixner, KHM
C7826: Lead weight from Vik, Grimstad; inset with Anglo-Saxon styca (Dia. 1.8cm, H.1.9cm). Photo: Lill-Ann Chepstow-Lusty, KHM
C7827: Lead weight from Vik, Grimstad; inset with Anglo-Saxon styca (Dia. 2cm, H.1.3cm). Photo: Lill-Ann Chepstow-Lusty, KHM
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