I know ten of the Birka graves including 798, 581, 944, and 644 have silver or gold wire braid or decoration attached to the hats.
At Birka three classes of headwear have been identified. At least two types definitely correlate to a specific other garment: the Types A and B hats are found in graves where the coat, whether with or without metal buttons, is also found. Type A, found in both ninth and tenth centuries, is a peaked hat, at least partly made of silk, with either metal knotwork running up the center front of the peak or a silver, funnel-shaped ornament at the top of the peak and silver mesh balls dangling from the pointed end. Type B Birka is a more sedate tenth-century innovation also worn with the coat; it seems to be a closer-fitting, round low wool cap decorated around the circumference of the head with one or more strips of metal knotwork or braided spiral wire. A relationship between the hat and coat is frequently emphasized by the use of similar knotted trim to decorate both the hat and the coat. Type C headwear at Birka consists of a metal-brocaded, tablet-woven fillet or headband--perhaps the hlað mentioned in the sagas (Hägg 1986, 70). Of all three styles, Type C is the only one that appears in graves without the coat layer.
What I want to know is are there any images or drawings of what the decorations looked like and where they were on the head. I am looking to make more exact replicas.
you might try ILL through your local univeristy.
I think the "Current Swedish Archaeology" had a bunch of images.
The articles migt be availabe through somethink like ebsco host or Jstor
Yes but I am not asking about the shape of the hat or more written info on the metal decoration I am hoping to see what it looks like so I can replicate it.
losthelm wrote:you might try ILL through your local univeristy. I think the "Current Swedish Archaeology" had a bunch of images. The articles migt be availabe through somethink like ebsco host or Jstor
Do you know which volume? There seems to be quite a number of these publications listed here:
