Hinge

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This corroded iron object was probably a hinge, perhaps for a small casket. It was found in a man's grave at Kiloran Bay on Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides. He was buried in a boat between 875 and 925 with a range of Scandinavian weapons, tools and a pin.

The hinge consists of two iron staples hooked together, one of them incomplete. The smaller staple preserves a bit of wood attached to it, but no other wooden remains of the casket survive.

The ironwork in the Kiloran Bay burial is extremely corroded, obscuring most details. Fortunately X-ray analysis and scientific examination have been able to reconstruct many details. X-rays provide information on the original structures of objects.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-000-099-697-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: Kiloran Bay Viking Burial (multimedia essay)
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• Ref: National Museums Scotland  
• Date: Between 875 and 925
  
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• References:
  • Graham-Campbell, James and Batey, Colleen E. Vikings in Scotland. An Archaeological Survey. Edinburgh: University Press, 1998, pp 118-22. 
  • Grieg, Sigurd. Viking Antiquities in Scotland (=Viking Antiquities in Great Britain and Ireland, Part II, ed. by Haakon Shetelig). Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co., 1940, pp 48-61. 
  • Ritchie, Anna. Viking Scotland London: B.T. Batsford Ltd/Historic Scotland, 1993, pp 79-84.
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