[Regia-NA] sprang

[Carolyn Priest-Dorman]

Ælfgifu wrote:

>Is Sprang appropriate to Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Danes or Vikings between 850 
>& 1066?

While there is a great deal of sprang from northern Europe in earlier 
periods, it is quite difficult to document in this period, actually.  I 
haven't seen anything to indicate it's an Anglo-Saxon phenomenon, 
either.  For Viking, there are a few fragments from Birka, even fewer 
fragments from a Scottish burial, and a bit of patterned silk sprang 
(perhaps a hairnet?) from Dublin.  (There's a piece from Gotland I think 
might be sprang, but I haven't seen any analysis of it yet.)

There's not enough evidence to determine what any of them were used 
for.  Placement provides the only real clue:  most were touching a woman's 
oval brooch.


Carolyn Priest-Dorman              Þóra Sharptooth
  http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/thora.html