Record

Brooch and comb (reconstruction)

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originals from Balnakeil, Durness, Sutherland

Postcard of Brooch and comb (reconstruction).
000-000-099-777-C
© National Museums Scotland

Brooch and comb (reconstruction)

This picture shows a reconstruction of the bronze brooch and antler comb found in a Viking boy's grave at Balnakeil near Durness in Sutherland in 1991. He was buried with adult weapons and various objects, sometime between 850 and 900.

The brooch is a type known as a brooch pin. It was one of the better preserved objects in the grave. Brooch pins of this form were used to fasten clothing, generally in the 8th and 9th centuries. Here it may have fastened a cloak or shroud.

The antler comb was less well preserved, surviving in seven fragments. The teeth plates were inserted into the back plate and fastened with iron rivets. The comb appears to have been a simple design with little decoration.


Record details

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Online ID: 000-000-099-777-C
Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
Project: 0036: Kiloran Bay Viking Burial (multimedia essay)
Project description | View all records in project
Ref: National Museums Scotland  TMT: DC06
Date: Reconstruction: 1998; Original objects: between 850 and 900
Material: Bronze; Antler, iron
Dimensions: Length of pin: 13.9 cm
What:
Subject: Archaeology / Death and Burial / Vikings
Who:
Where: Scotland, Sutherland, Durness, Balnakeil (original found here)
Event:
Description: This is a reconstruction of the bronze brooch and antler comb found in a Viking boy's grave at Balnakeil near Durness in Sutherland in 1991. The brooch is a type known as a brooch pin.
References:
  • Graham-Campbell, James and Batey, Colleen E. Vikings in Scotland. An Archaeological Survey. Edinburgh: University Press, 1998, pp 140-2. 
Translations:
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