The Hammerum Burial Site

Tinna Møbjerg

Description

The Hammerum Burial Site is the story of a burial site told by more than 20 academics; a fascinating combination of different archaeological and scientific studies analyzing individuals, objects and context from different angles. The site was named after the small modern-day town of Hammerum, 5 km east of Herning in the central part of Jutland, Denmark. As early as 1993 the museum investigated this burial site, where seven inhumation graves emerged within a small area, most of which turned out to be empty of finds. Three of the graves did turn out, however, to contain well preserved organic material, so they were removed as block samples in large wooden crates with a view to later excavation. Thanks to a grant in 2009 from the Danish Cultural Agency's special pool for the conservation of objects of unique national importance (the ENB pool) a collaboration between the museum, the Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Textile Research and the Conservation Centre in Vejle began. These analyses show that grave 83 - known as the Hammerum girls grave - was a sensation. All that remain of the deceased was her hair and her dress, but it was the best-preserved Danish Iron Age textile from an inhumation grave. Therefore, it offers an unique opportunity to analyse an object which in most cases has disappeared. The analysis tells us an extraordinarily nuanced archaeological story of daily life and of pan-European 'slow fashion': a dress used in everyday life, produced by carefully choosing fine fibres which, together with the coiffure refers to a style recognizable throughout Europe and worn by a mobile, well-groomed, well-connected Iron Age female. Moreover, the preserved organic material permits us a rare glimpse of the grief of the bereaved. We can see how they carefully wrapped the Hammerum Girl in skin and put blueberry twigs under her head before laying her to rest - an act of compassion and mourning.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Dinamarca
• Archaeology
• Roman Iron Age
• Iron Age
• Denmark
• Ancient
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Aarhus University Press
• Date de parution: 02 septembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9788793423381
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 49 Mo

Extrait

Customs and Clothing in the Roman Iron Age
The Hammerum Burial Site
The Hammerum
Burial Site
Customs and Clothing
in the Roman Iron Age
Museum Midtjylland
Edited by
Jutland Archaeological Society Tinna Møbjerg,
Ulla Mannering,
Hans Rostholm and
Lise Ræder Knudsen
111223_cover_hammerum-burial_.indd 1 23/07/2019 11.55The Hammerum Burial Site
111223_hammerum-burial_.indd 1 23/07/2019 10.11111223_hammerum-burial_.indd 2 23/07/2019 10.11The Hammerum
Burial Site
Customs and Clothing in the Roman Iron Age
Edited by Tinna Møbjerg, Ulla Mannering,
Hans Rostholm and Lise Ræder Knudsen
Museum Midtjylland
Jutland Archaeological Society
111223_hammerum-burial_.indd 3 23/07/2019 10.11The Hammerum Burial Site
Customs and Clothing in the Roman Iron Age
© Authors, editors and Jutland Archaeological Society 2019
Editors: Tinna Møbjerg, Ulla Mannering, Hans Rostholm and Lise Ræder Knudsen
Graphics: Lars Foged Thomsen
Layout: Ea Rasmussen
Translation: James Manley
Proof reading: James Richard Wilson
Cover illustration: Sune Elskær
E-book production: Narayana Press, Gylling
ISBN 978-87-93423-38-1
ISSN 0107-2854
Jutland Archaeological Society Publications 103
Published by:
Jutland Archaeological Society
Moesgård
DK-8270 Højbjerg
In association with:
Museum Midtjylland
Distribution:
Aarhus University Press
Published with financial support of:
Velux fonden – aktive ældre
Augustinus Fonden
Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond
Beckett-Fonden
Dronning Margrethe II’s Arkæologiske Fond
Dronning Margrethes og Prins Henriks Fond
Ernst B. Sund Fonden
Farumgaard-Fonden
Fonden af 1844
Knud Højgaards Fond
Museum Midtjylland
111223_hammerum-burial_.indd 4 23/07/2019 10.11f
Contents
Acknowledgements 9
Preface
By Constanze Rassmann and Laura Liv Weikop 11
1. Introduction
By Tinna Møbjerg 13
Purpose and structure of the publication 14
2. The Hammerum burial site
By Hans Rostholm and Lise Ræder Knudsen 15
Find history 15
Topography 15
The excavation 17
The burial site 17
Graves 31, 33 and 34 18
Grave 43 19
Grave 8 21
Grave 100 26
Grave 83 31
Summary 45
3. Textile and clothing production
By Ulla Mannering and Lise Ræder Knudsen 49
Textile 1, the dress 49
Textile 2, the cloak 68
Textile 3, unknown function 72
Cord, necklace 74
Fur 75
The outft 76
4. The coiures
By Lise Ræder Knudsen and Tinna Møbjerg 83
Introduction 83
Hair in Grave 43 83e 100 85e 83 87
The interdisciplinary analyses 91
Concluding remarks 92
111223_hammerum-burial_.indd 5 23/07/2019 10.115. Interdisciplinary analysis
5.1. Introduction
By Lise Ræder Knudsen 97
5.2. Wood analysis
By Peter Hambro Mikkelsen 101
Introduction 101
Method 101
Results 101
145.3. AMS C datings
By Marie Kanstrup and Jan Heinemeier 103
Chronology based on AMS radiocarbon determination 103
Data analysis 103
Dating samples from the Hammerum burial site 103
Anchoring the Hammerum burial site in time 107
5.4. Soil thin section analysis
By Nina Helt Nielsen 109
Introduction 109
Sampling beneath the Hammerum Girl 109
Results 110
Discussion 112
Conclusion 114
5.5. Strontium isotope analyses
By Karin Margarita Frei 115
The strontium isotope tracing system 115
The strontium isotope results 118
5.6. Chemical analysis
By Michelle Taube and Jens Glastrup 121
Methods 121
Details of investigation 121
Summary of results 130
5.7. Biological observations
By Frank Jensen 131
Material and methods 131
Results 131
Discussion 132
References 133
111223_hammerum-burial_.indd 6 23/07/2019 10.115.8. Pollen analysis
By Renée Enevold 135
Introduction and description of data 135
Method 137
Results 137
Interpretation of pollen composition in the soil samples 137
Interpretation of the pollen composition in the textile sample 139
Discussion 139
Conclusion 141
5.9. DNA analysis
By Luise Ørsted Brandt 143
Analysing ancient DNA from archaeological textiles 143
aDNA methodology and results 145
Challenges of aDNA from archaeological textiles 146
5.10. CT scanning
By Niels Lynnerup and Chiara Villa 149
Procedure 149
Conclusion 150
References 150
5.11. Fibre analyses
By Irene Skals 151
Introduction 151
Method and results 152
Discussion 156
5.12. Dye analysis
By Ina Vanden Berghe 159
Dye investigation of archaeological fbres 159
Conclusion 160
5.13. Stable isotope analysis
By Andrew S. Wilson 163
Hair survival 163
Hair sample preparation 163
Stable light isotope analysis 163
Sample descriptions and results 165
111223_hammerum-burial_.indd 7 23/07/2019 10.116. Making a replica of Textile 1 – the dress
By Ida Demant 167
Theoretical considerations 167
The dress of the Hammerum Girl 168
Weaving the dress 171
Warping 173
Making the heddles 176
The selvedge 177
The process of weaving 177
Speed 178
Of the loom 179
Finishing the dress 179
The added band 181
Summing up 181
7. The Hammerum Girl in the public space
By Tinna Møbjerg 187
Introduction 187
Research and presentation or research on presentation? 188
Museum Midtjylland’s presentation platforms 2010-17 188
Facebook 189
Conclusion 200
8. Perspectives and conclusions
By Tinna Møbjerg, Ulla Mannering, Hans Rostholm and Lise Ræder Knudsen 203
Relationship of the Hammerum burial site to other sites 203
The various central Jutland grave types 211
Roman inspiration 213
New knowledge about the care of the dead 214
9. Presentations of authors 217
10. Glossary 221
111223_hammerum-burial_.indd 8 23/07/2019 10.11Acknowledgements
6. M aking a replica of Textile 1 – the dress
By Ida Demant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Theoretical considerations 167
The dress of the Hammerum Girl 168
Weaving the dress 171
Warping 173
Making the heddles 176
The selvedge 177
The process of weaving 177
Speed 178 The editors are very grateful for the support from performed careful excavation and documentation of
Of the loom 179 govern ment funds, private foundations and from many Grave 100, and we are also grateful to conservator
Finishing the dress 179
colleagues, which made it possible to publish this book. Sati ness Schwindt for being the “height model”.
The added band 181
In 2008 Herning Museum/Museum Midtjylland be- Hans Rostholm and Lise Ræder Knudsen are
Summing up 181
gan a collaboration around the Hammerum Burial Site grateful to both Søren Munch Kristiansen and Bent
with Lise Ræder Knudsen from Conservation Center Vad Odgaard, Geoscience, Aarhus University, for
7. T he Hammerum Girl in the public space Vejle and Ulla Mannering from the Danish Na tional help in the interpretation of profles from the b urial
Research Foundation’s Centre for Textile Research site and to research radiographer Malene Roland By Tinna Møbjerg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
(CTR, DNRF64), University of Copenhagen. This col- Vils Pedersen, radiographer Kamilla Bech Pedersen
Introduction 187
laboration resulted in an application for funding from and chief physician Søren Rafaelsen, Sygehus Lille-Research and presentation or research on presentation? 188
the Danish Agency for Cultural Heritage (now the bælt, and conservator Michael Højlund Rasmussen Museum Midtjylland’s presentation platforms 2010-17 188
Agency for Culture and Palaces). for CT-scanning the dress of Grave 83. In connection Facebook 189
The editors are grate