A find of Viking age Cloth in Sweden
Pictures by; Lothar Sempel, Goran Ström, Per widerström and Peter Fagerström.
When digging in a church situated in Bro parish on the island Gotland in the Baltic sea, one of the more
exiting artefacts that was found are some pieces of cloth. The cloth is either from a cloak or from a shroud (a
winding sheet). BUT- there are two different types of cloth on two of the lumps. One seem to be a finer
cloth and the other some kind of cover like a cloak or a shroud.
Bro Parish, Gotland, Sweden
Whats so exciting with these is the fact that we can date them because of the fittings! These fittings are quite
common in male graves from later part of the viking era and they are found in graves both of the pagan kind
and of the early christian kind. Maybe I should explain here that the swedish people started turning from
pagan to the christian belief during the Viking period. As soon as I find out more from the preservation
people I will let you be the first to know. It it's been a little stir about it here as well with national TV showing
a minute and a half from the excavation! That is quite a lot of time on the national news! Cloth is a rare find
from this period. But as I said- you guys will be the first to know more about it
The cloth is about a thousand years old. It It's from the later part of the viking era, a period that rightly could
be called early medieval period. It It's been preserved because of some substance falling out of the copper
that helps preserving organic materials. This is one of the biggest pieces ever found from this age in Sweden.
At the moment it it's in a laboratory for analysis. If we are lucky, skilled people can even see colours in it, as
well as manufacturing techniques and material (wool, silk, linen etc.). It was not found that deep. About 30
cm below the surface, beneath the floor in the nave. It it's likely that somebody did destroy a viking age
grave when digging a crypt for a new grave in the church during the 18th century. Taking no notice of the
cloth they have thrown these lumps aside with the spade while digging. Still it was kept in stable conditions in
dry sand. The church is situated on a sand ridge which has helped preservation a lot.
The fittings are as I said common, and I'm sure Lothar the man from Australia found similar if not this very
type of items himself. The heart shaped fitting are 15 mm wide and 12mm high. They are between 2 and 3
mm thick with a small spike for attachment. The ones shaped like a family coat of arms are a little bit smaller
(10mm wide and 12mm high) but I'M not yet sure if there where any of these on the cloth. The fish shaped
ones are bigger, maybe 30 mm high and 15 mm wide.
I have not got a scale but they are made from a poor quality silver which allowed the copper to leach
through and makes them greenish.
Why were the fittings on the cloth? That is a question to which it is not that easy to give a straight answer!
We know that they used to wear them on clothes in the Baltic countries. I have not yet seen that in Sweden.
We have always believed that they were wearing these as adornment or decoration on leather, mainly on
belts but also on for example horse equipment. Now I think it would be appropriate to say that these fittings
are mainly found on belts etc, but could also be fitted direct on to the clothes.
I think this might be some of the very few indications of the existence of an older church in Bro. If thats so, it
was probably a wooden church. The other day, we also found a dresspin, also from the late viking age or
maybe the earliest medieval era. The pin was broken in half when found but it shows earlier activity than we
previously knew of in the history of the church.
Per Widerström
per.widerstrom@gotmus.i.se
Arkeolog
Länsmuseet på Gotland
Mellangatan 19
621 56 Visby
Tel. 0498- 29 27 61
