Reconstruction of the Brocaded Tablet Woven Band B20 from Birka Grave 735

The following post is a copy of my documentation for my Trimaris Kingdom A&S Masterwork project from 2016, also presented at Gulf Wars XXVI.

Glossary

1. Brocading: Technique in which a second supplementary weft is passed across the warp and brought up through the warp threads such as to be visible in the front of the band to add pattern.
2. Brocade Weft: The secondary weft used during brocading.
3. Shed: An opening formed in the warp between upper and lower threads on a tablet.
4. Selvedge: The portion of a fabric which is at the edges. Since this is the location where the weft is turned in its pass back and forth during the weaving process, these edges are clean with no unraveling possible.
5. Structural Weft: The main weft passed back and forth along the warp of the band, which provides the band with structure and locks the weaving in place.
6. Tablet Turn: The basic motion of turning a tablet along its central axis to create the warp twining, illustrated below:
   
   
   
7. Tie-Down: In brocade, these are the background threads which are used to tie down the brocade weft in place and avoid any bucking and lifting which would get caught on objects and damage the band. In addition, they help create the pattern.
   
   
   
8. Twill: A textile weave where warp threads pass over and under weft threads in specific count in such a way that diagonal lines are formed.
9. Twine: The twist of threads with each other in either a Z or S direction.
10. Warp: The lengthwise threads in a weave structure.

1. Summary of Project

This project consists of a reproduction of one of the silver wire brocaded tablet-woven bands which were found in grave 735 at Birka. Specifically, the band reconstructed is labeled B20 by Agnes Geijer in her seminal work Birka III, Die Textilfunde aus den Gräbern [1]. I attempted to reproduce this band as closely as possible to resemble what the original band would have looked like in period. Wherever known or possible, period methods, materials, and tools were used. Wherever necessary due to lack of information or the deterioration of the original, assumptions were made which will be noted in this documentation.

Since the band was found in a lavish grave art Birka, which was known to be a center of trade where goods from the East were traded to the peoples of the Norse area, it is my conjecture that the grave represents that of a wealthy merchant couple, who would display their wealth on their clothing by having many richly decorated silver brocaded bands on their attire. This is the setting I kept in mind when completing this project.

2. Inspiration

On the island of Björkö, just 30 kilometers west of Stockholm, lies the Viking Age settlement of Birka. Birka was a main center of trade in Sweden during the 9th through 10th centuries, and as such, a vast amount of materials from the East passed through it. Strewn through the surroundings of the town are over 3000 graves which contain a vast range of grave goods. The grave goods range from a huge quantity of glass beads to many different designs of tortoise broches, and most importantly for the fiber arts enthusiast, a range of stunning silver brocaded tablet woven bands [Figure 1].

Figure 1: A range of grave goods from Birka. Clockwise from the left: scissor, horn comb, Arab coins, twill fabric fragment, belt hardware, glass beads, tortoise broch, and glass jar [3].

Birka was first excavated between 1871 and 1895 by Hjalmar Stolpe, an entomologist who originally came to Björkö to investigate a large amount of amber found on the island. The amber was not of a type which would be found in this part of Sweden, and was thus likely taken to Björkö via trade. It was during this investigation that the site of Birka was discovered, and the extensive cemeteries which contained the thousands of graves. Stolpe spent the next three decades excavating the site, even not being an archaeologist by training [4,5,6]. Later, in the 1930s, Agnes Geijer of Uppsala University wrote a comprehensive treatise on the textile finds at Birka [1]. It is this seminal work which is the main source of research and inspiration for this project.

A. Grave 735

One of the most fascinating graves from Birka, particularly for tablet weavers, is Grave 735. This grave contains the most impressive range of brocaded tablet woven bands from Birka, and perhaps from any Viking Age grave. This grave is the resting site of a man and a woman, along with a horse. All that remains of the man and woman are a handful of teeth while most of the horse’s skeleton remains. The grave is composed of a large stone chamber, 13 meters high by 2 meters wide, by 2 meters high. There is a partial wall separating the two human bodies from that of the horse [2].

The grave contains a wide range of goods, which include clay pots, an iron sword with traces of a wooden scabbard, tortoise broches, pins, the tip of a lance, amber and glass beads, and some textile fragments. The most interesting of the textile fragments is the remains of a tunic with several tablet woven bands.

Figure 2: Diagram of Grave 735. The location of the tunic fragments with tablet woven bands is outlined in blue.

The tablet woven bands from Grave 735, like most of those found at Birka, are primarily composed of silk, and brocaded in silver. Unlike most of the metal-brocaded bands found in Europe from this period, such as the 8th-9th century Anglo-Saxon bands from Maaseik, the 10th century Mammen bands from Denmark, or the 10th century St. Cuthbert bands from England, the Birka bands are not brocaded with a “spun gold” or “spun silver” in the western style (a technique where thin strips of very thinly beaten metal is wound around a fiber core to form a metal “thread”) [13]. Instead, the bands from Birka are, with a couple of exceptions, brocaded with a drawn metal wire. This technique is more difficult to work than the spun metal threads due to the limitations on the flexibility of such a wire. In some cases, bands woven in this way were beaten after weaving to flatten out the metal wire, but at Birka they were left intact [13,1].

B. The Garment

Lying in the middle of the remains of the man and woman are the remaining scraps of a garment which, for lack of a better word, is referred to as a tunic. Since the bodies are completely worn away, it is unknown which body was placed on top, and therefore the garment could have belonged to either the man or woman [1,2,4]. This garment has a variety of tablet woven bands crisscrossing it. There are a stunning number of twenty one tablet woven bands on this tunic, nineteen of them placed horizontally and two vertically. All of the horizontal bands are made of silk and brocaded with silver in a variety of patterns. Some have missing selvedges which were likely made from a vegetable fiber which has deteriorated away. Several of the bands share a pattern with each other, although a few are unique. The vertical bands are plain woven with a single warp thread missing which was probably also made of a vegetable fiber [1,2].

Figure 3: Agnes Geijer’s proposed layout for two of the larger fabric fragments.

The bands from Birka were separated into two groups by Agnes Geijer. Group I consists of bands that are simple in pattern and structure. The bands of Group I are simple in their weave structure because they were made by turning all tablets in the same direction continuously, and the brocade weft is tied down by single stitches. The patterns that can be achieved are therefore relatively limited. Group II consists of more complex bands. These bands were made with either a more complicated threading and turning pattern or used more interesting tie downs of the brocade weft to obtain more diverse and varied patterns. The bands found in Grave 735 consist of bands from both of these categories, but the band which is reconstructed in this project belongs to Group II.

The tablet woven bands on the garment are primarily attached to three large fabric fragments made from silk twill, which based on the relative positions of the band, were likely part of the same garment [1]. Various reconstructions of this garment have been proposed, including a fitted apron dress, a loose tunic, or an over-tunic. Since the majority of the garment has completely deteriorated away, only conjectures can be made about its structure. Geijer proposes in Birka III that two of the large fragments were connected by a vertical band. Fragments of this vertical band are still attached to the two garment fragments. Since this vertical band is common in structure between the two garment pieces, it is very likely that the band fragments were once part of one longer band [Figure 3, Figure 4].

Additionally, there is a third large fabric fragment, which has eight tablet woven bands attached to it. This fabric fragment could have also been part of the same garment as the other two fabric pieces mentioned in the previous paragraph. A reconstruction of the relative positions of all three large fragments proposed by Hilde Thunem is seen in Figure 4 [12].

Figure 4: Hilde Thunem’s proposed reconstruction of the positioning of the tablet woven bands in Grave 735 within the mysterious garment.

The main argument for the fabric fragments forming part of a fitted garment, as proposed by Inga Hägg, is that one of the fragments, as shown in Figure 5, has one of the bands tilted at an angle, and the fabric between this and the first horizontal band is composed of a gore. This could be evidence of a cut meant to follow the natural shape of the body.

Figure 5: Back side of the fabric fragment with the diagonal tablet woven band.

3. Analysis of Band B20

The most complex band found in grave 735 is the one labeled B20 by Geijer in Birka III [1]. This band belongs to Group II as defined by Geijer. This band is about 17mm wide, although there is variation in width visible along the length of the band. There are several band fragments which use this same pattern. The lengths of these fragments are about 17, 15, 12, 11 and 5 cm, as well as some smaller pieces. The band is woven with a warp composed of a very fine silk thread, at a density of 14 threads per centimeter. Additionally, there is significant evidence that there was once a selvedge composed of some vegetable fiber which has long since deteriorated.

Figure 6: Indentation in the fabric which indicates the presence of the now missing selvedge made from a vegetable fiber like linen.

The main evidence for the existence of this selvedge is an indentation on the fabric to which some of the fragments are attached. In addition, there are several locations along the band fragments where the silver brocade wire extends past the edge of the band, as if the location of the turn on the weft at the selvedge were part the apparent end of the remaining warp. The missing selvedge must have been made of a vegetable fiber, which usually deteriorates away after centuries of burial [1,9]. Since by far the most commonly used vegetable fiber in Europe during this time period was linen, this is the likely material of the selvedge [17].

Figure 7: Plate 18, 1-3 from Birka III, showing close-up views of some of the fragments of band B20. Image 3 shows the rear side of one of the fragments.

The band is brocaded throughout with a very finely drawn silver wire. The silver wire brocade uses a double width of wire for each pick. That is, two separate wires were used at the same time to brocade this band. The brocading is done in three different textures which are described by Geijer as “smooth silver, mottled silver surface with single silk stitches”, and “a tight silk surface” [1]. The “smooth silver” texture refers to areas where the silver wire brocade passes over several warp threads (tablets), such that large areas of wire are exposed. The “mottled surface” texture refers to areas where the silver wire passes over single warp threads to form a stippled or dotted pattern. These areas are mostly seen making a border along the larger areas of the “smooth silver” texture. Finally, the “tight silk” texture are areas where the brocade weft passes completely under the warp threads, so that that background silk weave is shown on the top of the band and the brocade weft is completely hidden. It is the interplay between these three types of structures, and the change from one to the other, which creates the striking patterns on the surface of band B20.

A. Weaving Structure

While the pattern of band B20 is very striking and shows an impressive amount of skill from the original weaver, the complexity of the band pattern comes from the brocading rather than the structure of the background weave. This however, should not be taken to mean that the weaving is simplistic in any way. In a different weaving method like 3/1 twill, individual tablets must be manipulated by turning them to form the pattern. The type of brocading used on B20 still requires individual manipulation of tablets in order to pass the weft above and below the warp threads. While some brocaded bands to exhibit some measure of a more complex weaving structure, this is reserved for bands where the exposed amount of brocade weft is limited, and thus the weaving structure can be seen from the front of the band and form part of the pattern. In cases where most of the front of the band is covered in the brocade weft, using a more complex weaving structure would be wasted since most of the work would be hidden on the back side of the band.

The interest in this band, however, does not come from its weave structure, but instead from the very striking brocaded pattern. There are two main geometric figures used in the pattern, one being a diamond with extended arms on either side. This portion of the pattern is interestingly enough off-center, which adds interest to the band and implies that the Norse people may not have been as fixated on symmetry as an aesthetic element, in the way that we do in modern culture. The second and larger portion of the pattern consists of a very complex geometric figure oriented along a diagonal, with extended arm at the beginning and end, and with a border on either side of the diagonal stripe consisting of dots and crosses. There is also a zig-zag square wave pattern along the center of the stripe. Most uniquely among the Birka bands, there is also a brocaded zig-zag border on either side of the band.

All in all, these patterns, as well as the changes in the three textures used on the band, lend it a look which is certainly the most striking and complex of all of the brocaded bands from grave 735, and indeed from the entirety of the Birka graves excavated up to this point.

Background weave

Agnes Geijer includes the presence of a more complex weaving structure as one of the reasons for including a band in Group II. However, she does not mention any special weave structure for band B20 in her description of the band in Birka III [1]. Luckily for the weaver, she does include an image of the back of one of the band fragments. It is apparent from this image, that this band has a plain weave structure, with all tablets moving equally in the same direction with one quarter turn of the tablet for each pass of the weft. Figure 8 shows a comparison between this band and the back of another band from Birka which was woven in a more complex structure.

Figure 8: Rear side of band B20 (below) showing no clear variation in twining direction, compared to another band from Birka (above) which clearly shows variation in twining direction.

It can also be noted from Figure 8 that band B20 has all warp threads twined in the same direction, and it can be seen that the tablets must’ve all been z-threaded. If there were an alternation of s and z-threading, a subtle zig-zag pattern would be visible on the back of the band, but no such pattern is seen. Geijer does note that there are a few locations where tablets appear to have switched places, but attributes this to weaving mistakes rather than an intent to create any sort of variation in the structure of the band [1]. Unfortunately, she did not include any images of this and thus, it cannot be reproduced.

Brocading method

The method of brocading used on band B20 is not mentioned by Geijer in her otherwise exhaustive treatise in Birka III, but can be surmised from the images included by her in that book. We should be very thankful that she had the forethought to include so many images of this band, more than of any other of the bands from Birka.

Figure 9: The two types of brocade weft turning found on band B20, turning before the selvedge warp threads, and turning after the selvedge. Schematic view at right [13].

Analyzing the images of the band leads to the conclusion that band B20 used two different types of brocade structure. Type A has the brocade weft turn along with the structural weft at the linen selvedge; this is marked by a blue arrow in Figure 8. Type B has the brocade weft turn before the linen selvedge; this is marked by a blue arrow in Figure 8. It is interesting to note that Type B brocade structures are more difficult to achieve, since to create them, it is necessary to pass the brocade weft down between the silk and linen border tablets and allow it to idle during the tablet turn before making the turn of the brocade weft. This could also lead to a more irregular look of the silver brocade at the turn direction due to the stiffness of the drawn wire resisting the turn. While both methods seem to have been used, method A seems to be more prevalent. It is not possible to determine whether the two methods were used on the same warp, or if they were used in separate warps.

Another interesting feature of the brocading on this band is the fact that in three different locations, which likely indicate the beginning and ending of the weaving, there is a section of about 1cm in length where there is no brocade at all, followed by a length of about 2cm where the brocade is present, but made from a double width of silk rather than the drawn silver wire. Since there are three of these locations, it can be deduced that the band fragments labeled B20 are composed of at least 2 separately woven bands.

B. Structural Weft Analysis

Agnes Geijer includes a reconstructed pattern of band B20 in Birka III which contains all of the motifs used on the band. While the pattern is accurate, it uses a 1:1 ratio between the warp thread width and pick length. This leads to a more “squat” pattern. The pattern created for this project attempts to use a ratio closer to 1:2, which more closely matches the original band. From this fact, it can be surmised that the original band used a weft that was about as wide as the warp thread. If the structural weft were wider than the warp threads, it would lead to a more elongated pattern, and if it were thinner (for example horse hair), it would lead to a pattern more closely resembling Geijer’s draft.

Figure 10: A: Agnes Geijer's proposed brocading pattern. B: The author's thinner brocading pattern. C: Image of one of the fragments of band B20 showing the original pattern scale.

What cannot be known, however, is what material the structural weft was made from. Unfortunately, Geijer does not mention in her description of the band what the material of the weft is. This could be due to a couple of reasons, either a) the weft is made from linen same as the selvedge and has deteriorated away or b) since the weft is not visible through the tight weave of the band, its material could not be determined in the 1930s when she analyzed the band. Alternatively it could’ve just been an accidental omission in her description. In her article The Silk Road Textiles at Birka, Peters says that the weft was silk, but I could not find any reference to this fact in the works of either Stolpe and Geijer, who are the primary sources [1,2,9].

C. Materials and Tools Used in Original

As has already been discussed, band B20 is primarily made from a very fine silk warp. The color of the fiber can no longer be surmised since the bands have been bleached by time to a uniform dull grey color. To date, no scientific analysis has been performed to determine the original color of the band. There was also a selvedge made from some vegetable fiber which has long since deteriorated away. The composition of the weft is not known, but was likely silk or the same vegetable fiber as used in the warp.

Figure 11: One of the only available color images of the bands from Grave 735 showing a uniform grey color. Unfortunately band B20 is not one of the bands pictured [15].

While it is impossible to know exactly which the tools used by the original weaver, it can be assumed that they were the same as found in other graves in Birka, as well as throughout the Northern European region from this time period. The scissors used were likely of the same type as found throughout Birka in several graves, one of which can be seen in Figure 1 [2,3]. There were also weaving tablets found at Birka, made from bone [Figure 12].

Figure 12: Bone weaving tablet found at Birka.

The loom used could have been a simple backstrap-type “loom” consisting simply of a belt to tie the warp to on one side and a stable object to tie the warp to on the other, with tension being provided by the weight of the body of the weaver. It could have also been something more complex and similar to the loom found at the Oseberg ship burial site [14]. Unfortunately, there are no remains of any looms found in any of the graves at Birka.

4. Reconstruction

In this project, a careful effort has been made to make as faithful a reconstruction of the brocaded tablet woven band B20 from Birka grave 735. Care has been taken to use materials, tools, and methods as authentic as possible. In some cases it has been necessary to make reasonable assumptions or substitutions, and these will be noted in Table 1 and Table 2.

A. Materials and Tools

For the main warp of this band, the original weaver used a very fine silk thread of such a width as to create a band 17mm in width with some variations in width throughout the band. Geijer does not specify whether this measurement includes the deteriorated selvedge, and as such an assumption has been made that it does not. This is a reasonable assumption, since the selvedge is missing and there is no way to exactly know how wide it was. It is reasonable to assume that Geijer measured the portion of the band that survives to the present day. For this reason, for this project, a 60/2 lace weight silk was chosen. By using this silk, it was possible to achieve a band width for the central silk portion varying from 15.5 to 17mm. This is very close to what is found in the original band. The color of the original is no longer present, the entire thing being a dull grey from the passage of time. With no guidance on the color, a green was chosen for the silk similar to what could be achieved by using a mixture of woad and weld dyes [18]. Both were available in northern Europe at the time when the original bands were woven.

The original band had an additional selvedge portion of the warp composed of some long deteriorated vegetable fiber. It has already been discussed that the likely material was linen, based on the materials available in period in the Viking World. I chose to use a 60/2 linen close in width to the silk used. The color is impossible to know as the original no longer exists, but a blue was chosen similar to what could have been achieved in period by the use of woad [18]. I chose to use a selvedge of a contrasting color because it offers a possible explanation to why the original weaver chose to use a different fiber for the selvedges.

As discussed in a previous section, the material of the weft is not known but was likely either same silk or linen thread used in the warp. As such, a portion of the reconstructed band was woven with one and another portion with the other. No appreciable difference is noted in the band, as it is almost impossible to tell from the finished product which fiber was used for the structural weft. Only careful observation under a microscope or with a good magnifying glass would show the difference.

The brocade weft on the original was a doubled drawn silver wire. For this reproduction I chose to use a 30 gauge “dead soft” drawn 0.999 silver wire. This is indistinguishable from the wire used in the original band.

Table 1: Materials used in the original versus the reconstruction.

The tools used for this reconstruction were authentic where possible and substitutions where necessary. The scissors were a reproduction of the type founds in the grave goods throughout Birka and other Northern European archaeological sites of the period [Figure 1]. The shuttles used for both the structural and brocade wefts were wooden, and similar to what would’ve been used in period. While wooden tablets were available to use, they are quite small and would be unable to create a shed large enough to be able to use for creating the secondary shed needed for a brocade technique. In addition, I did not own enough tablets for this project and more would need to be purchased which was out of the budget, most of it having gone to purchasing the silver, silk, and linen. For this reason modern laminated thick paper tablets were used.

In period, the original weaver would have used either a backstrap “loom” or a more complex Oseberg-style loom or similar. Since I do not own an Oseberg loom, one could not be used. As for a backstrap, it is not conducive to my style of weaving. I work in small increments due to my arthritis, and thus the constant having to strap the warp on and remove would be limiting. Initially I was going to use an inkle loom, but I was able to borrow a box loom which is closer to period. Box looms are knows from tapestries and illuminated manuscripts from the 13th through 15th centuries [16,Figure 14,Figure 15].

Table 2: Tools used in original band versus in the reproduction.

Figure 13: Plate 13 from Osebergfunnet Vol II [14] showing the remains and a reconstruction of the Oseberg loom.

Figure 14: Mid 13th century illuminated manuscript showing Arachne using a box-type loom for narrow weaving [16].

Figure 15: 15th century tapestry from Flanders showing use of a box loom.

5. Weaving Methods

The methods used for weaving this band were kept as close to what was used on the original band as possible. Since the weaving method of the brocade portion changes from band fragment to band fragment in the original, and in one case even within the same fragment, I used both methods in this band.

Weaving Technique

The turning sequence for this band has all tablets turning in the same direction one quarter turn for each pass of the weft. The more complicated part comes with the brocading of the silver wire.

There are two main methods of brocading on tablet woven bands [13]. In one method, the brocade is tied down by passing under a single warp thread per tablet. This is achieved by turning the tablets for the warp threads which will tie down the brocade by one eighth of a turn, and then passing the brocade weft through the second shed formed by this action. In the second method, the brocade is tied down by two threads from each tablet. This is achieved by lifting the tie down threads with some sort of pick-up stick, and then passing the brocade weft through the second shed formed by this action. Analysis of the original band shows that the second method was used. Note in Figure 16 that the first method, which uses only one thread to tie-down the brocade weft, the tie downs form diagonal lines, and their direction depends on the threading direction of the tablet. The second method, which uses two threads to tie-down the brocade weft, shows a rectangular shape for each tie-down. Analyzing the images of the original band B20, it can be clearly seen that the second method was used. This is the brocading method that I chose to use to match the original band, and I will now detail the steps used to create this effect.

Figure 16: Schematics showing the two methods of brocading and image of B20 showing that the second method is used, with two threads from each tablet being used to tie down the brocade weft [13].

Step 1:

A small thin pick-up stick is used to lift up the threads which are part of the background and push down any threads which will be hidden by the brocaded pattern.

Figure 17: Using pick-up stick to separate pattern from background threads

Step 2:

The pick-up stick is replaced with a wider and flat shed stick which is then turned sideways to create the secondary shed. The primary shed will be used to pass the structural weft, and the secondary shed will be used to pass the brocade weft.

Figure 18: Shed stick used to create secondary shed

Figure 19: Side-view of both sheds

Step 3:

The structural weft is passed through the primary shed and the brocade weft through the secondary shed. Care is taken to ensure that the structural weft always passes under the brocade weft, in order to maintain edges as clean as possible

Figure 20: passing the structural and brocade wefts through the sheds

Step 4:

The brocade weft is pulled tight, ensuring that the two wires do not cross or wrinkle. At this point all tablets are given one quarter turn.

Figure 21: pulling the wefts tight, making sure there are no twists or kinks in the wire

Step 5:

The shed is now beaten tight and the structural weft fully pulled through all the way. The wires of the brocade weft are pulled again, one at a time, with the one closest to the weaver being first. This will ensure a clean selvedge.

Figure 22: Beating the shed tightly

Figure 23: ensuring a clean selvedge by pulling brocade weft one last time

These five steps are then repeated for every pick.

One additional note I would like to make is that the brocade weft in the original bands turns in two different ways [Figure 9]. Type A has the brocade weft turn along with the structural weft at the linen selvedge. Type B has the brocade weft turn before the linen selvedge. The reconstructed band was begun by using Type B, and it was found that this was more difficult to achieve, since it was necessary to pass the brocade weft down between the silk and linen border tablets and allow it to idle during the tablet turn before making the turn of the brocade weft. This leads to a somewhat irregular look to the silver wire at the turning location, and therefore a muddling of the border pattern on the silver brocade. For this reason, it was decided to switch to Type A brocade turning and to use this for the remainder of the band. This choice led to a smoother look to the silver brocade at the edges which more closely matches the look of the original band.

Tablet Threading

Threading for this band is very simple, with the main silk warp being green in color and the linen selvedges being blue. All tablets are warped with the same color in all 4-holes. The selvedge tablets are threaded alternating S and Z and the main warp tablets are all threaded Z in order to match the twining of the original band.

Figure 24: Threading pattern used in reconstruction.

6. Final Product

The final product of this project is as faithful a representation of the original band as was possible with the limitations present due to the age and deterioration of the original. At the beginning portion there are a couple of small mistakes in the weaving, but since Geijer mentions similar mistakes in the original, I do not believe this to be a problem.

Figure 25: Portion of the reproduction still on the loom.

Figure 26: The finished band

Figure 27: Image of the finished band showing the back side

Care was taken to include even the odd beginning portion of the band, with its 1cm of plain weave followed by 2cm of brocade in silk. It is unsure why this odd choice was done by the original weaver, but it can be conjectured that she was experimenting with this band, which would also explain why it is so different from all other bands found at Birka. While some of the other bands in grave 735 are nearly perfect in their execution, B20 had some mistakes in it, which would make sense if this were an experimental piece. Since Birka was a trading center where materials from Byzantium and the East were passing through, it has been conjectured that some of these odd motifs were copied from other goods from other places [9,13]. I find this to be inspiring since the reproduction I made was also an experimental piece for me.

Figure 28: The odd beginning portion of the band with the plain weave and silk brocade followed by metallic brocade.

Figure 29: the corresponding section of the original band to Figure 28 , marked in blue is the plain weave, in red the silk brocade, in yellow the metallic brocade.

All in all, I believe this was a successful project and perhaps the jumping point for a larger work in the future. My intention would be to eventually recreate all of the bands found at Birka in grave 375, and to use them to make a plausible interpretation of the tunic they were attached to.

Bibliography

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11. Thunem, Hilde. 2014. Viking Women: Apron Dress. http://urd.priv.no/viking/smokkr.html. Retrieved May 20th, 2016.
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