Chests, Caskets & Boxes
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Contents
- 1 Summary by Area
- 2 Denmark
- 3 Sweden
- 4 Chests
- 4.1 Isle of Man, Peel - Grave IV
- 4.2 Scotland, Whitorn
- 4.3 Denmark, Forlev
- 4.4 Denmark, Fyrkat
- 4.5 Denmark, Lejre - Grave 22b
- 4.6 Denmark, Jelling - North Mound
- 4.7 Denmark, Halleby
- 4.8 Denmark, Tjele
- 4.9 Norway, Oseberg 149
- 4.10 Norway, Oseberg 156
- 4.11 Norway, Oseberg 178
- 4.12 Sweden, Mastermyr
- 5 Caskets - Wood with metal fittings
- 5.1 England, Bishopstone no.53
- 5.2 England, Cumwhitton - Grave 1
- 5.3 Isle of Man, Cronk yn How
- 5.4 Scotland, Arran: King's Cross Point
- 5.5 Scotland, Skye: Skeabost
- 5.6 Denmark, Hedeby: Chamber Grave 5
- 5.7 Denmark, Hedeby: Grave 45
- 5.8 Denmark, Hedeby: Grave 497
- 5.9 Denmark, Hedeby: Chamber Grave 1
- 5.10 Denmark, Hedeby: Chamber Grave 4
- 5.11 Denmark, Hedeby: Chamber Grave 2
- 5.12 Denmark, Hedeby: Harbour
- 5.13 Norway, Oseberg
- 6 Caskets - Whale-bone
- 7 Caskets - Wood with bone-mounts
- 8 Boxes - Wood
- 9 Band-boxes
- 10 References
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Crafts
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Although the terms chest, casket and box are not well defined, here we have used whatever term is commonly applied to the item in the associated published literature. Petersen defines the difference between caskets and chests by stating that chests should be large, with strikingly large carrying-rings, hinges and keys. [PETERSEN 1951]:p.532 Arwidsson & Thorberg class anything under 1m in length as a casket (Kasten), anything less than 25cm in diameter or length as a box (Buechse). [ARWIDSSON 1989]:p.113
Summary by Area
Denmark
In Hedeby 10 boxes were found in 9 graves, of these only 2 were male graves. The majority of caskets from Hedeby were in female chamber graves. Eisenschmidt also references to another piece of her published works where she states that metal covered caskets are known from 50-60 graves in the area of Old Denmark. [ARENTS & EISENSCHMIDT 2010A]:p.166-168
Sweden
Arwidsson and Thorberg have classified the boxes from Birka into 4 groups:
Birka [Arwidsson 1989:p.114]
Group A: Metal bands and / or nails - no lock
Group B: Metal bands and / or nails - with a lock
Group C: Covered in metal with a lock and a domed lid
Group D: Round boxs or tins made from wood or iron and covered in copper-alloy.
Chests
Used instead of cupboards [Roesdahl 1982]. Sometimes converted to be used as coffins.
Isle of Man, Peel - Grave IV
- Current Location-
- Type- Grave find (adult)
- Find Date- 1982-88
- Construction- Wooden chest with an iron hasp and 17 iron nails.
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:165cm W:32cm (Graham-Campbell 2002)
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
Graham-Campbell, James with contributions from McCord, M.E.A.; Ottaway, P.J.; Sanderson, R.W.; Shearman, F.N. and Winsor, P.R. (2002) 'Tenth-Century Graves: The Viking-Age Artifacts and their Significance'. In Freke, David (ed.) (2002) Excavations on St. Patrick's Isle, Peel, Isle of Man 1982-88. Prehistoric, Viking, Medieval and Later. p.90 fig.22
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Scotland, Whitorn
- Current Location-
- Type-
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Denmark, Forlev
- Current Location-
- Type- Grave Find
- Find Date-
- Construction- Wood with iron hinges and a lock
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:140cm W:50cm (Roesdahl 1982)
- Comments- Used as a coffin (Roesdahl 1982)
- Bibliography-
Graham-Campbell, James with contributions from McCord, M.E.A.; Ottaway, P.J.; Sanderson, R.W.; Shearman, F.N. and Winsor, P.R. (2002) 'Tenth-Century Graves: The Viking-Age Artifacts and their Significance'. In Freke, David (ed.) (2002) Excavations on St. Patrick's Isle, Peel, Isle of Man 1982-88. Prehistoric, Viking, Medieval and Later. p.90
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Denmark, Fyrkat
- Current Location-
- Type- Grave Find
- Find Date-
- Construction- Wood with iron hinges and a lock
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:130-135cm W:50cm H:25-35cm (Roesdahl 1982)
- Comments- Used as a coffin. One end broken to fit the body. (Roesdahl 1982)
- Bibliography-
Graham-Campbell, James with contributions from McCord, M.E.A.; Ottaway, P.J.; Sanderson, R.W.; Shearman, F.N. and Winsor, P.R. (2002) 'Tenth-Century Graves: The Viking-Age Artifacts and their Significance'. In Freke, David (ed.) (2002) Excavations on St. Patrick's Isle, Peel, Isle of Man 1982-88. Prehistoric, Viking, Medieval and Later. p.90
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Denmark, Lejre - Grave 22b
- Current Location-
- Type- Grave Find
- Find Date-
- Construction- Wood with iron hinges and a lock. Strengthened by iron bands.
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:147cm W:37cm H:28cm (Roesdahl 1982)
- Comments- Used as a coffin. One end broken to fit the body. (Roesdahl 1982)
- Bibliography-
Graham-Campbell, James with contributions from McCord, M.E.A.; Ottaway, P.J.; Sanderson, R.W.; Shearman, F.N. and Winsor, P.R. (2002) 'Tenth-Century Graves: The Viking-Age Artifacts and their Significance'. In Freke, David (ed.) (2002) Excavations on St. Patrick's Isle, Peel, Isle of Man 1982-88. Prehistoric, Viking, Medieval and Later. p.90
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Denmark, Jelling - North Mound
- Current Location-
- Type- Grave Find
- Find Date- AD 1820. Destroyed during excavation. (Roesdahl 1982)
- Construction- Only 2 iron rings and some rivets have survived. Original description from 1820 "... the casket, which is almost rotted away, looking like a small trunk, 3¼ ells long; the bottom was calked with plaits of hair and held together with rivets. In its side was two iron rings... The lid consisted of two conves boards, with shanks of haor between them. There were traces of canvas on the outside of the casket as well as a very small piece of a narrow strip which looked like thin silver. (Roesdahl 1982)
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:200cm (Graham-Campbell 2002)
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
Graham-Campbell, James with contributions from McCord, M.E.A.; Ottaway, P.J.; Sanderson, R.W.; Shearman, F.N. and Winsor, P.R. (2002) 'Tenth-Century Graves: The Viking-Age Artifacts and their Significance'. In Freke, David (ed.) (2002) Excavations on St. Patrick's Isle, Peel, Isle of Man 1982-88. Prehistoric, Viking, Medieval and Later. p.90
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Denmark, Halleby
- Current Location-
- Type-
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments- Used as a Toolbox
- Bibliography-
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Denmark, Tjele
- Current Location-
- Type-
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments- Used as a Toolbox
- Bibliography-
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Norway, Oseberg 149
- Current Location-
- Type- Grave (Female)
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents- articles for women's work, 2 lamps, comb and scissors
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Norway, Oseberg 156
- Current Location-
- Type- Grave (Female)
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents- hide, cloth and 2 combs
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Norway, Oseberg 178
- Current Location-
- Type- Grave (Female)
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents- wild apples
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Sweden, Mastermyr
- Current Location-
- Type- Hoard
- Find Date-
- Construction- Oak
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments- Used as a Toolbox
- Bibliography-
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Caskets - Wood with metal fittings
England, Bishopstone no.53
- Current Location-
- Type- Settlement
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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England, Cumwhitton - Grave 1
- Current Location- Tulee House Museum
- Type- Grave Find
- Find Date-
- Construction- Maple
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Isle of Man, Cronk yn How
- Current Location-
- Type- Grave find
- Find Date-
- Construction- iron hinges and studded with iron nails. Curved lid. (Graham-Campbell 2002)
- Contents- a bead of Viking date.
- Dimensions- L:60cm
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
Graham-Campbell, James with contributions from McCord, M.E.A.; Ottaway, P.J.; Sanderson, R.W.; Shearman, F.N. and Winsor, P.R. (2002) 'Tenth-Century Graves: The Viking-Age Artifacts and their Significance'. In Freke, David (ed.) (2002) Excavations on St. Patrick's Isle, Peel, Isle of Man 1982-88. Prehistoric, Viking, Medieval and Later. p.90
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Scotland, Arran: King's Cross Point
- Current Location-
- Type-
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Scotland, Skye: Skeabost
- Current Location-
- Class-
- Type- Grave find,
- Find Date- AD 1891
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Denmark, Hedeby: Chamber Grave 5
- Current Location- Hedeby Viking Museum
- Type- Chamber grave C10th
- Find Date-
- Construction- Wood, iron sheet with decorative nails, domed lid with a handle, 4 hinges, 3 iron hasps with copper alloy animal heads.
- Contents- knife and scissors, covered in textiles
- Dimensions- L:54cm W:30cm H:20cm
- Comments- Classed as a Birka Group C. Very similar to the casket found in Birka grave Bj.645
- Bibliography-
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Denmark, Hedeby: Grave 45
- Current Location- Hedeby Viking Museum
- Type- Coffin grave, C10th
- Find Date-
- Construction- wood covered in silver plated iron bands, 2 hasps: 1 copper alloy dog and 1 silver plated horse or bird
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:60cm W:30cm H:20-23cm
- Comments- Birka group B
- Bibliography-
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Denmark, Hedeby: Grave 497
- Current Location- Hedeby Viking Museum
- Type- C10th grave
- Find Date-
- Construction- wood with iron and copper alloy bands, hinges and a lock
- Contents- scissors, awl, tweezers, bell
- Dimensions- L:35cm W:20cm
- Comments- Birka Group B
- Bibliography-
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Denmark, Hedeby: Chamber Grave 1
- Current Location- Hedeby Viking Museum
- Type- Chamber Grave C10th
- Find Date-
- Construction- only lock plate and lock remains
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments- Birka Group B
- Bibliography-
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Denmark, Hedeby: Chamber Grave 4
- Current Location- Hedeby Viking Museum
- Type- Chamber Grave C10th
- Find Date-
- Construction- wood, domed lid with a handle on the lid, hinges and a lock fragment
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:20cm W:20cm
- Comments- Birka Group B
- Bibliography-
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Denmark, Hedeby: Chamber Grave 2
- Current Location- Hedeby Viking Museum
- Type- Chamber Grave C10th
- Find Date-
- Construction- cylindrical wooden casket with an iron bottom and 240 nails in 5 rows (top row further in and pointing outwards), sliding bar lock with a dog head terminal. Copper alloy ring on the top.
- Contents- 4 chain links and a piece of brocaded tablet weave
- Dimensions- Dia:30cm H:12cm
- Comments- Birka Group D. It is possible this casket contained bowls decorated with the nails, rather than these being part of the casket, this was observed in a grave from Thumby-Bienebek. Other, less complete, Birka Group D boxes were found in the boat chamber grave and grave 497.
- Bibliography-
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Denmark, Hedeby: Harbour
- Current Location-
- Type-
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
[[category:]]
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Norway, Oseberg
No.37
No.69
No.103
No.104b
No.169c
Caskets - Whale-bone
England: Franks Casket
- Current Location- British Museum
- Type- AD 700-750, Northumbria
- Find Date-
- Construction- Whale-bone
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:23cm W:19cm H:13cm
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Germany - Bamberg Casket
- Current Location- Cathedral Treasury Bamberg
- Type-
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Germany - Cammin Casket
- Current Location- Destroyed during the 2nd World War.
- Type-
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Caskets - Wood with bone-mounts
England, Winchester: Ludgershall Castle
- Current Location-
- Type- C11th-12th
- Find Date-
- Construction- Only the lid survives. Bone mounts, some backed with silver sheet. Remains of two metal hinges.
- Contents- n/a
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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England, Bishopstone no.57
- Current Location-
- Type- Settlement
- Find Date-
- Construction- Bone mount
- Contents-
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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England, York: Coppergate 6964
- Current Location- Jorvik Museum
- Type- Settlement mid C11th
- Find Date-
- Construction- Only the lid survives. Oak board with bone mounts.
- Contents- n/a
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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England, York: Castlegate
- Current Location- Yorkshire Museum YORYM 500.1-6.48
- Type- Settlement
- Find Date-
- Construction- Only the lid survives. Oak board with bone mounts, some backed with sheet bronze.
- Contents- n/a
- Dimensions-
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Boxes - Wood
Ireland, Dublin: Christchurch Place
- Current Location- National Museum of Ireland E122:17155
- Type- Settlement Mid C10th
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:15.8cm
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Ireland, Dublin: Fishamble Street
- Current Location- National Museum of Ireland E190:7101
- Type- Settlement
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions- L:22.2cm
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Ireland, Dublin: Christchurch Place
- Current Location- National Museum of Ireland E122:639
- Type- Settlement
- Find Date-
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions- fragment L:7.9cm
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Ireland, Dublin: High Street
- Current Location- National Museum of Ireland E43:2341
- Type- Settlement - unstratified
- Find Date- 1973
- Construction-
- Contents-
- Dimensions- fragment L:12.7cm
- Comments-
- Bibliography-
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Norway, Oseberg
No.56c
No.60a
No.104a
Band-boxes
Also known as "Chip boxes" or "Lath-walled boxes".
References
http://www.unimus.no/samsok/index.php