Vidars Horde

October 26, 2026

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"Virtual excavations" in Birka

Approximately 30km away from Sweden's capital Stockholm, in lake Mälaren, lies Björkö - a small island with great history. For Björkö is covered in Viking Age burials¹, some visible as grave mounds, others hidden beneath the soil. At the western border of the then-shoreline (which changed due to Scandinavia's post-glacial land rebounce) lies a former fortification surrounded by a rampart ("Borg"). North of this fortification is an area which, because of the dark colour of the soil, got the name "Svarta Jorden" - "the Black Earth"². Beneath this area rests a Viking Age town. Probably the first town to be founded in Sweden: Birka.

Kordeln

Die Menschen im frühmittelalterlichen Norden mochten es, ihre Kleidungsstücke und Gegenstände zu verzieren. Besonders auffällig ist das bei den reichen Gräbern der Oberschicht; die Gräber von u.a. Oseberg, Mammen und nicht zuletzt Birka ³ weisen einen besonderen Reichtum auf, der uns durch besondere Umstände zum Teil erhalten ist.

Skjoldehamn-Gugeln

Auch wenn die Saison hauptsächlich im Sommer stattfindet, kann das Wetter schnell ungemütlich nass und kalt werden – das haben uns die Märkte dieses Jahr gelehrt. Um diesem zeitlosen Problem entgegen zu wirken, nähte ich für unsere Gruppe Gugeln der Art, wie man sie häufig in der Frühmittelalter-Szene findet: rechteckige oder abgerundete Kapuze verbunden mit über die Schultern reichenden Stücken, welche je nach Belieben ebenfalls auf Brust- und Rückenseite zugespitzt oder abgerundet sind. Im folgenden Artikel gehe ich auf die norwegische Fundlage zu diesem Kleidungsstück ein und lege anschließend dar, wie ich bei meiner Interpretation vorgegangen bin.

Men's clothing: the cloak

It doesn't matter whether it is for protection against wind and rain or for displaying one's wealth and status: The cloak is one of the most important parts of a man's dress in early medieval Europe. Direct archaeological finds, however, are rare and usually quite small. The following article explores some of the archaeological evidence from the Viking Age. It is most certainly not comprehensive, but gives a rough overview over some of the most important finds.

Men's tunic from Birka

There are tunics and there are tunics. Some tunic remains from the Swedish trading metropolis of Birka show a certain, characteristic kind of decoration which might reflect its influences from foreign countries. In this article, some archaeological evidence from the "Birka tunics" has been collected. The content has been structured according to the questions: What kind of fabrics do we have? What kind of decoration has been used on the tunics? Where on the body where the decorations located?

The glass beakers from the Birka graves

It's fancy and the beer stays sparkly, especially compared to when filled in ceramic cups: Drinking glass is popular among Living History Vikings. Some of the most common replicas that can be seen at events are the ones from the Birka graves, fitting the wealthy warrior with silken sashes, buckles from the Baltic area and wide "Rus" trousers. Since the glass replicas often are cheaper than handmade pottery products (and since most people love to be chic when they have the chance), drinking glasses became a common sight at events.

Viking Age yarn winders / niddy noddies: The archaeological finds

A niddy noddy is a tool used in textile production. It can have different purposes, like storing the yarn in a practical manner or making it easier to dye. There are two Scandinavian places with Viking Age finds of niddy noddies: Oseberg/Norway and Hedeby/Germany (Viking Age: Denmark).

Wool combs in the Viking Age - the evidence

We write a lot about wool combs and at the markets, we explain and demonstrate how they were used. But what is the actual evidence for those tools?

Bibliothek

Folgende Rezensionen geben einen kurzen Abriss über eine Auswahl der von uns verwendeten Literaturquellen. Aufgeführt sind an dieser Stelle nur “echte”, also gedruckte Bücher. Online auffindbare Quellen sind unter Quellen verlinkt.

Sources

We use different kinds of sources for our background research. Some are of pure academic nature, others derive from the experiences of others or our own wild speculations.

Ása Guðrúnsdóttir

No info about Asa yet-For Ása (almost) everything revolves around textiles, starting with the sheep and the different qualities of the fleece up to the finished piece. Depending on her status and place in the social hierarchy, different aspects of textile handicraft would have been in the focus of her own work.

Our Camp

Our camp consists of a hand-sewn woollen (4mx4.5m) tent, a small table, some chests, some baskets full of raw wool and other materials, and Víl's shaving horse a.k.a. his universal woodworking contraption.