The Skerne sword is a Viking age sword found in the River Hull at Skerne, East Riding of Yorkshire. [1] It dates to the 10th century AD.
The sword was found in an excavation by the Humberside Archaeology Unit in 1982 at a site near Skerne. The sword was interpreted as having been dropped into the River Hull from a structure like a jetty or bridge. The excavation found the wooden piles of a Viking bridge, built of oak, alongside other deposits including four knives, part of a spoon, an adze, and several animal skeletons. [2]
The Skerne sword is a pattern-welded iron sword. [1] It is inlaid with geometric designs in silver and copper wires on the hilt and was found within its scabbard. The sword can be categorised as of [Viking sword#Morphology|Petersen's Type X]]. [3]
The deposition of the sword has been regarded as a pagan ritual deposit into the water and highlights the importance of bridges in providing access to such ritual space. [4] [5]
The sword was exhibited at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries of London on 5 May 1983. [3] It is in the collection of Hull and East Riding Museum.
- ^ a b "Skerne Sword". Hull Museums and Gallery. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ Dent, John (1984). "Skerne". Current Archaeology. No. 91. p. 251-253.
- ^ a b Webster, L. (1982). "Exhibits at Ballots: 2. A Viking Age sword from Skerne, N. Humberside". Antiquaries Journal. 62 (2): 38.
- ^ Lund, Julie (2005). "Thresholds and Passages: The Meanings of Bridges and Crossings in the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages". Viking and Medieval Scandinavia. 1: 109–135.
- ^ Raffield B. (2014). "'A River of Knives and Swords': Ritually Deposited Weapons in English Watercourses and Wetlands during the Viking Age". European Journal of Archaeology. 17 (4): 634–655. doi: 10.1179/1461957114Y.0000000066.
The Skerne sword is a Viking age sword found in the River Hull at Skerne, East Riding of Yorkshire. [1] It dates to the 10th century AD.
The sword was found in an excavation by the Humberside Archaeology Unit in 1982 at a site near Skerne. The sword was interpreted as having been dropped into the River Hull from a structure like a jetty or bridge. The excavation found the wooden piles of a Viking bridge, built of oak, alongside other deposits including four knives, part of a spoon, an adze, and several animal skeletons. [2]
The Skerne sword is a pattern-welded iron sword. [1] It is inlaid with geometric designs in silver and copper wires on the hilt and was found within its scabbard. The sword can be categorised as of [Viking sword#Morphology|Petersen's Type X]]. [3]
The deposition of the sword has been regarded as a pagan ritual deposit into the water and highlights the importance of bridges in providing access to such ritual space. [4] [5]
The sword was exhibited at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries of London on 5 May 1983. [3] It is in the collection of Hull and East Riding Museum.
- ^ a b "Skerne Sword". Hull Museums and Gallery. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ Dent, John (1984). "Skerne". Current Archaeology. No. 91. p. 251-253.
- ^ a b Webster, L. (1982). "Exhibits at Ballots: 2. A Viking Age sword from Skerne, N. Humberside". Antiquaries Journal. 62 (2): 38.
- ^ Lund, Julie (2005). "Thresholds and Passages: The Meanings of Bridges and Crossings in the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages". Viking and Medieval Scandinavia. 1: 109–135.
- ^ Raffield B. (2014). "'A River of Knives and Swords': Ritually Deposited Weapons in English Watercourses and Wetlands during the Viking Age". European Journal of Archaeology. 17 (4): 634–655. doi: 10.1179/1461957114Y.0000000066.