Ring-mail cap from Iron Age Denmark

[Palle]

Before I reply to Dan's question, let us get the Chronology of the Iron Age in Scandinavia sorted shall we? Cause well... seems people apparently need that and any discussion would be moot without it.

~500 BC - ~200 BC: Ældre Førromersk Jernalder/Ældre Keltisk Jernalder/Older Pre-Roman Iron Age/Older Caltic Iron Age.

~200 BC - ~1 BC: Yngre Førromersk Jernalder/Yngre Keltisk Jernalder/Younger Pre-Roman Iron Age/Younger Celtic Iron Age.

~1 AD - ~200 AD: Ældre Romersk Jernalder/Older Roman Iron Age.

~200 AD - ~400 AD: Yngre Romersk Jernalder/Younger Roman Iron Age.

~400 AD - ~600 AD: Ældre Germansk Jernalder/Older Germanic Iron Age.

~600 AD - ~800 AD: Younger Germanic Iron Age.

~800 AD - ~1100 AD: Viking Age.

This is how archeologists like to see it, though they like to debate the exact years; we historians know that such is moot anyway and that all is part of history's great stream.

Anyway; Dan is inexact, but since I know he is asking in connection with EB2, I know he means the Younger Celtic Iron Age. The answer is that when I last went over the sources two years ago, there was no mention of it anywhere. The only mail mentioned in that period is the one from Hedegårde and that is, as far as can be determined, part of a mail shirt and- what is interesting- locally made.

My own theory is that there was "mass production" (for the time and place) of weapons and mail at a site W. of Silkeborg that some of my archeologist friends are excavating where a lot of ovens, etc has been found. It is the ideal location for such, for several reasons. But they themselves say nothing on the matter yet.

Dan, I will check with them for finds and reply in our own forum or on FB.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

So much for RAT being a sharing forum....how about letting us all know the answer to Dans question? :-)

[Palle]

So much for RAT being a sharing forum....how about letting us all know the answer to Dans question? :-)

I am not often here. I only popped by to see the picture. But I am certain that Dan will pass what I uncover on.

[Douglas]

Could that have been a reproduction? It doesn't look very old.

[Medicus matt]

Could that have been a reproduction? It doesn't look very old.

You've not seen the incredibly well preserved 'Younger Roman Iron Age' mailshirts from Vimose and Thorsbjerg bogs then?

[attachment=3984]denmail1.JPG[/attachment]

[attachment=3985]denmail2.JPG[/attachment]

[attachment=3986]denmail3.JPG[/attachment]

[Medicus matt]

Came across this site http://www.archive.org/stream/denmarkine...t_djvu.txt

A lot of text and the pictures are missing.
Ring-mail is mentioned, but no ring-mail cap

You can download the full text with illustrations here:- http://archive.org/details/denmarkinearlyir00engeuoft

[garrelt]

Thanks Matt
Downloading now.


Is there anything more known about this object since the initial post?

[Palle]

I had a cup of coffee with Kaj and Merete yesterday and they confirmed my statement. As far as they know, nothing like that has been found in Denmark. They are both prehistoric archeologists at Silkeborg Museum, which has a large emphasis on the Iron Age as it is where the Tollund-Man lies.

[Ingvar Sigurdson]

I originally bought this to Dan's attention, sharing the photo stream link with him, amongst which was the mail cap.

Unfortunately the stream also provides little information,the cap is also pictured in one volume of the three books published in the German language to commemorate the battle, the book titled '2000 Jahre Varusschlact Konflickt' published by Theiss shows the cap on page 77. Tantalisingly I can not find any text that refers to the full page image but it used to illustrate the beginning of the chapter 'Der germanische Kreiger'

best
Ingvar

[Harjaz]

Palle got back to me and told me that he spoke with some Danish archaeologists, and they said that nothing like that had been found in Denmark. However, another Germanic reenactor friend of mine told me that a a mail cap had been found somewhere in the Germanic area recently(he said that it could have been Denmark, but I guess he was wrong). I will post more info once I find some.

[Ingvar Sigurdson]

Perhaps your friend means this mail cap Dan, I can't imagine the cap been placed on display and published in a book accompanying the commemorative exhibit without a sound provenance, what that provenance is though remains an enigma!

best
Ingvar

[noxia]

Hi Ingvar,

i looked it up in the book "2000 Jahre Varusschlacht, Konflikt" The reference is on Page 426 and it says:
"Kettenkappe von Vils Høj, Dänemark; copyright Dänisches Nationalmuseum, Kopenhagen / Laila Halsteen"

So you would have to ask a collegue from the national museum for further information.

For anyone who is interested in a close-up of the Vimose mail have a look here:
http://natmus.dk/historisk-viden/danmark...ra-vimose/

"The only mail mentioned in that period is the one from Hedegårde and that is, as far as can be determined, part of a mail shirt and- what is interesting- locally made"

I am not so sure about the local production. I remember reading an article of Joutijärvi, where he states: "Hedegaard mail-shirt’s origins
By analyzing the tiny elements of slag embedded in the iron, it is possible to give a well-substantiated estimation of which geographic area the iron originates from (3). A slag inclusion analysis of the rings in the Hedegaard mail shirt shows that they contain so much phosphor that the
Scandinavian peninsular and the south of –Germany can be ruled out. The low CaO content also rules out the eastern part of Denmark and the Baltic Sea coastline, The analyses match best the north of Germany (VII), but the west of Jutland cannot be excluded. Fig 7."

For the full text, have a look here:
http://home.armourarchive.org/members/an...%E4rvi.pdf

[Harjaz]

Wow, thanks for the info! I searched it online but couldn't find anything on it. Would any of you happen to have pictures of the Hedegaard mailshirt?

[Dan Howard]

However, another Germanic reenactor friend of mine told me that a a mail cap had been found somewhere in the Germanic area recently

Probably the Tofta church coif (13th century).
http://www.arkeologiuv.se/cms/showdocume...22_gal.pdf

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Is that the actual artifact in the photo or a reconstruction?
I only ask because it looks like butted mail?
Which brings me to my next question, was butted mail used in this period?
But then I guess you are looking for the answers too!
Interesting! mile:

Actually all the links are butted in the photo, so it doesn't look genuine
Artifact! Must be a reproduction!