Ceramics are materials made from burnt clay. Most commonly it is used for pots but lamps, beads, fire dogs, loom weights, spindle whorls and figurines were also made in ceramic during the Viking Age.
The general level of sophistication of ceramic products in the homelands of the Northmen was not high. The raiders' appreciation of foreign workmanship in gold and silver did not stop them holding to their home-made pots.
The trading centres of Haithabu and Bjørkø provide us with a more profound sample of what was available at the time than does the average farmstead.
As the Northmen changed their ways to gain admission to the club of European Christendom even their ceramic sensibilities shifted. By the 12th century it is difficult to distinguish archaeological ceramic detritus from Norway or Sweden from that of Hamburg or York.
If one is to recreate Viking Age ceramics of the Northmen it is important to keep to the principle of focussing on what they themselves made and not get diverted to the glamorous imported products of the Holy Roman Empire or further afield.
We can get information from the archaeological record but also contemporary small-scale potters continuing their own local methods can show us a lot about their ancient counterparts.
The general level of sophistication of ceramic products in the homelands of the Northmen was not high. The raiders' appreciation of foreign workmanship in gold and silver did not stop them holding to their home-made pots.
The trading centres of Haithabu and Bjørkø provide us with a more profound sample of what was available at the time than does the average farmstead.
As the Northmen changed their ways to gain admission to the club of European Christendom even their ceramic sensibilities shifted. By the 12th century it is difficult to distinguish archaeological ceramic detritus from Norway or Sweden from that of Hamburg or York.
If one is to recreate Viking Age ceramics of the Northmen it is important to keep to the principle of focussing on what they themselves made and not get diverted to the glamorous imported products of the Holy Roman Empire or further afield.
We can get information from the archaeological record but also contemporary small-scale potters continuing their own local methods can show us a lot about their ancient counterparts.
