Database
Our database is free to use for all history and archaeology enthusiasts. If you use our database, please do not forget to cite correctly:
Mägi, Marika; Palm, Piia Sandra. Archaeological Artefacts of Saaremaa. Foundation Osiliana / Tallinn University. Accessed: date.
The Osiliana Archaeological Database presents artefacts from Saaremaa and the surrounding small islands.
The database contains mainly Iron Age and Medieval finds that can be classified.
Undated metal or other pieces were generally excluded from the database.
Ceramics are represented by isolated examples.
The database is a work in progress and is constantly being updated.
Ure
Gold ring (spiral bracelet or neck ring rolled together), with the so-called serpent-head ends. Type C (Fernstål 2004), weight 175 g. Serpent-head is a general term for a variety of golden neck-rings, bracelets (including spiral ones), and rings in Northern Europe. Serpent-head rings were used in a fairly short period of time, from 210-330 AD. Many researchers consider these as symbols for the dukes or royal dynasties which would also explain the fact that they were used by both, men and women. Many of these sort of rings have been found from sacrificial places.
Last 5 photos: Jaana Ratas
Parallel
Gold rings from Skedemosse. Photo Ulf Bruxe, Statens Historiska Museum.
Gold ring (spiral bracelet or neck ring rolled together), with the so-called serpent-head ends. Type C (Fernstål 2004), weight 175 g. Serpent-head is a general term for a variety of golden neck-rings, bracelets (including spiral ones), and rings in Northern Europe. Serpent-head rings were used in a fairly short period of time, from 210-330 AD. Many researchers consider these as symbols for the dukes or royal dynasties which would also explain the fact that they were used by both, men and women. Many of these sort of rings have been found from sacrificial places (Törnblad 2017).
Serpent-head gold rings in Sweden were concentrated in Gotland and Öland, in Denmark in the area around Stevns in East-Zeeland, some have also been found in Southwestern Finland. Gotland and Öland have the highest ratio of neck-rings and bracelets of gold. Altogether there have been 62 gold neck-rings and bracelets found, 37 of them from Sweden, 12 from Denmark, and four from Southwestern Finland (Fernstål 2004; Törnblad 2017). The rings are commonly considered characteristic of Scandinavia and thus far such artefacts have not been found in the Eastern Baltic.
The most suitable parallel to the Ure complex is the sacrificial site of Skedemosse in Öland. Six gold rings found there are similarly to Ure deformed in shape so it is hard to define them either as spiral bracelets or neck-rings. Additionally, eleven propeller-shaped fittings, weapons, human (48) and animal sacrifices have been recorded in Skedemosse (Hagberg 1967).
Ure ring with its weight belongs amongst the largest ones of that type of artefacts in Northern Europe. Therefore, it can be suggested that the owner of this gold ring was part of the absolute top of the Scandinavian elite.
Literature:
Fernstål, L. 2004. Delar av en grav och glimtar av entid. Om yngre romersk järnålder, Tuna i Badelunda i Västmanland och personen i grav X. Doctoral thesis, Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies. Stockholm. Read: here.
Hagberg, U. E. 1967. The Archaeology of Skedemosse. I–II. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademiens Handlingar. Monografien, 46: I–II. Stockholm.
Mägi, M. 2021. Scandinavian chieftains in Saaremaa? Archaeological investigations in Ure, a probable Roman Period sacrificial place. – Archaeological Fieldwork in Estonia 2020, 73-90. Read the article: here.
Rundkvist, M. 2021. Noble shape, humble metals. Bronze and silver shield-head and snake-head rings of Roman era Scandinavia. – Praehistorische Zeitschrift, vol. 96, no. 2, 2021, pp. 571-584. https://doi.org/10.1515/pz-2021-2020.
Törnblad, E. 2017. Ormhuvudringar – en analys av det sociala symbolspråket i relation till formgivning, fyndkontext och hantverk. Kandidatuppsats Arkeologi, Lund Universitet. Read: here.
Ure
Crossbow brooch fragment,, iron. The curved part of the arc and fragment of the spiral axis. The cross-section of the arc is quadrilateral, but on the bottom part aka on the foot it is at the beginning flat and wider from the side (perhaps there was a backward-leaning needle store there?).
Fragment of crossbow brooch, iron. The curved part of the arc and fragment of the spiral axis. The cross-section of the arc is quadrilateral, but on the bottom part aka on the foot it is at the beginning flat and wider from the side (perhaps there was a backward-leaning needle store there?).
Literature:
Rohtla, M.-L. 2005. Crossbow fibula as a reflection of social status and relations. – Culture and Material Culture. Interarchaeologia, 1. Ed. by V. Lang. Tartu – Riga – Vilnius, 121–145.
Ure
Bracelet fragment, bronze. Flat-convex cross-section, with equal width. The preserved end is decorated with four cross tripes, next to which are two dashes forming a triangle and three circles that in turn are arranged in a triangle. Bracelets of this type were commin the Roman Iron Age Saaremaa and surroundings.
A bracelet similar to the Ure specimen from Roman Iron Age grve in Proosa near Tallinn (Lang 2007, 135:2).
Fragment of bracelet, bronze. Flat-convex cross-section, with equal width. The preserved end is decorated with four cross tripes, next to which are two dashes forming a triangle and three circles that in turn are arranged in a triangle. Bracelets of this type were commin the Roman Iron Age Saaremaa and surroundings (Lang 2007, 212-213).
Literature:
Lang, V. 2007. The Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Estonia. – Estonian Archaeology, 3. Tartu. Read the article: here.
Ure
Melted piece of silver.
Ure
Melted piece of silver.
Ure
Double-propeller-shaped mount, bronze. The upper part has been plated with silver. From one end it has been attached to a 2-mm-thick strap.
First photo: Jaana Ratas.
Parallels:
Mounts of sword belt from the weapon sacrifice Ejsbølgård D (Andersen 2003, 251, fig. 8. Photo Hadersel Museum/ Steen Hendriksen).
Reconstructed belt from Nydam fyretree boat (Jørgensen & Petersen 2003, 267, fig. 8; photo National Museum/ John Lee).
Double-propeller-shaped mount, bronze. The upper part has been plated with silver. From one end it has been attached to a 2-mm-thick strap.
See also Ure finds SM10862: 1, 33, 90, 117.
Such propeller-shaped fittings that hanged from a belt are normally considered Germanic, but were clearly influenced by Roman fashion. They decorate so-called ‘officers belts’ found near the pinetree-boat at Nydam sacrificial place in Denmark. Very similar belt ornaments, plated with silver and gold, are known from Ejsbølgård sacrifice, e. g. weapon offering D, dated 250-300 AD (Andersen 2003, 251-253).
Sword-belts decorated with propeller-shaped fittings have been also found in other sacrificial places, e.g. Skedemosse on the island of Öland (Monikander 2010, 46) and in South-Scandinavian elite graves, e. g. in a chamber grave at Lilla Jored (Sweden), Lærkenfeld (Denmark), or Sætrang (Norway) (Rau 2014).
In the Eastern Baltic, propeller-shaped mounts have been recorded so far in two sites: Kambja in Southern Estonia and Lejas-Kleperis in Northern Latvia (Moora 1929, pl. XXX: 14; 1938, 477). Five specimens are recorded in Ure. As suggested by the parallels mentioned above, they may originate from the same belt as the mount SM10862:9. The propeller-shaped mounts in Ure represent two different sizes, possibly indicating two sacrificed belts.
Belts decorated with propeller-shaped silver or silver-plated fittings are considered to belong to the commanders of the armies.
Literature:
Andersen, H. Chr. H. 2003. Nye undersøgelser i Ejsbøl mose. – Sejrens triumf. Norden i skyggen af det romerske imperium. Ed. by L. Jørgensen, B. Storgaard & L. Gebauer Thomsen. København, 246–256.
Jørgensen, E. & Petersen, P. V. 2003. Nydam mose – nye fund og iagttagelser. – Sejrens triumf. Norden i skyggen af det romerske imperium. Ed. by L. Jørgensen, B. Storgaard & L. Gebauer Thomsen. København, 258–294.
Monikander, A. 2010. Våld och vatten. Våtmarkskult vid Skedemosse under järnåldern. – Stockholms Studies in Archaeology, 52. Stockholm. Read the article: here.
Moora, H. 1929. Die Eisenzeit in Lettland: bis etwa 500. N. Chr. Tafeln zum I. Teil. Tartu-Dorpat.
Moora, H. 1938. Die Eisenzeit in Lettland: bis etwa 500. N. Chr. II. Teil : Analyse. Tartu.
Mägi, M. 2021. Scandinavian chieftains in Saaremaa? Archaeological investigations in Ure, a probable Roman Period sacrificial place. – Archaeological Fieldwork in Estonia 2020, 73-90. Read the article: here.
Rau, A. 2014. Spätkaiserzeitlich-frühvölkerwanderungszeitliche Kammergräber der Sætrang-Lilla Jored-Gruppe. – Kammergräber im Barbaricum. Zu Einflüssen und Übergangsphänomenen von der vorrömischen Eisenzeit bis in die Völkerwanderungszeit. Ed. by N. Lau & A. Abegg-Wigg. Wachholtz, 145-166. Read the article: here.
Saaremaa
Flat bronze penannular brooch with enamel decoration on three round extensions. Repaired, probably re-used later.
Flat bronze penannular brooch with enamel decoration on three round extensions. Repaired, probably re-used later.
Mullutu
Ice cleat, iron.
Ice cleat, iron.
Literature:
Arbman, H. 1940. Birka I. Die Gräber. Tafeln. Stockholm, Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, Taf. 40.
Valjala hillfort
Fragment of a finger-ring with thickening grooved central part, bronze. Very widespread artefact type in late 12th-13th century Saaremaa.
Fragment of a finger-ring with thickening grooved central part, bronze. Very widespread artefact type in late 12th-13th century Saaremaa.
Literature:
Mägi, M. 2002. At the Crossroads of Space and Time. Graves, Changing Society and Ideology on Saaremaa (Ösel), 9th–13th centuries AD. CCC papers: 6. Gotland University College, Centre for Baltic Studies; Institute of History, Department of Archaeology. Tallinn, 2002. Read the book: here. Look at the drawings of the archaeological excavations: here.
Mägi, M.; Malve, M. & Toome, T. 2019. Early Christian burials at Valjala churchyard, Saaremaa.– Archaeological Fieldwork in Estonia, 2018, 93−118, 109. Read the article: here.
