Brooches

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These two brass oval brooches were found in a wealthy Norse woman's burial at Westness on Rousay in Orkney. She died in childbirth and was buried with a range of expensive objects between 850 and 900.

This picture shows the sides of the brooches. They were cast in high relief, and decorated on all panels. Raised knobs gave the object even more of a three-dimensional profile.

Oval brooches were formerly known as tortoise brooches, due to the shape of the shells. They were made using the lost sophisticated wax method, where a model was made in wax and a clay mould was formed around this.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-000-099-761-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: Kiloran Bay Viking Burial (multimedia essay)
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.IL 729
• Date: Between 850 and 900
  
• Material: Bronze; tortoise brooches; type Rygh 649; a, with iron pin inside; b, lacking pin, c, part of iron pin from b, with remains of two cloth loops
  Brooch
  
• Dimensions: 4.30" x 2.15"
  
• What: Brooch
  
• Subject:
• Who:
• Where: Scotland, Orkney, Rousay, Westness
  
• Event:
• Description: Pair of bronze tortoise brooches, one with iron pin inside, the other lacking pin, with pin fragment with remains of two cloth loops, from Westness, Orkney
  
• References:
  • Graham-Campbell, James and Batey, Colleen E. Vikings in Scotland. An Archaeological Survey. Edinburgh: University Press, 1998, p 136. 
  • Ritchie, Anna. Viking Scotland London: B.T. Batsford Ltd/Historic Scotland, 1993, p 50.
• Translations:
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