Location: Haithabu, Current-Day Germany Date: Approx. 10th Century Culture: Viking Age Danish Estimated Social Class: Unknown Garment Type: Wool Vest / Jerkin Perhaps one of the most overlooked garments from the Viking Age settlement of Hedeby, the fragments of the wool jerkin, or 'Lodenwams' as it is referred to in German, offers a great deal of insight and mystery into the complex fashion of 10th Century Denmark. In this article we will look at the vest's original construction, how it was likely used, and how the reproductions of today may give us further information on the daily lives and fashion sense of the people living at Hedeby. At the current time, nothing resembling the Lodenwams is accounted for in the historical fashion information of the time, both in literature, nor artwork, so our basis as to what this garment is or how it was used is a mystery - all we know is that it existed, and fragments recovered from Haithabu also seem to indicate that these were a fashion staple, as we will look further into later in the article. The fact that the garment is so heavily overlooked in Hedeby's often mysterious fashion complex, usually overshadowed by more famous - and slightly similar - items like the Klappenrock, means much of the speculation done as to the garment's use is done privately, rather than in an academic or museum setting, therefore, most of the information given within this article, aside from the descriptions and construction observations of the fragments themselves, is purely speculative. The Original Fragments At the current time, a good number of fragments have been attributed to a Lodenwams-type garment in Haithabu, and all of these are noted in detail in Inga Hägg's work, "Textilfunde aus Haithabu". The aforementioned fragments are as follow: 5, 7, 13, 30, 46, 53 A & B, 63, 81, and 85. Unfortunately, many of these are heavily fragmentary, and likewise, only a few of the largest and most notable were discussed and detailed at length in Hägg's book. While there are many examples of 'roughened' (as Hägg puts it) and felted garment fragments from Haithabu, Hägg seems to put a specific emphasis on a particular style of roughened wool textile that notes it as belonging to that of the jerkin / Lodenwams type, which in fact, the name "Lodenwams" notes the specific style of almost hard, felted wool used for these garments, usually referred to as "Loden" in German-speaking sources. Therefore, a disclaimer should be noted here that while many of these fragments will appear to belong to any number of clothing styles from the area, these have all been seen to bear the same textile properties in common, therefore, it has been assumed they are all of the same garment stock. To begin, we will start with the smaller fragments, and to begin with that we can look no further than at Fragment 5. The piece is of a the Loden-style wool, woven in a 2/2 twill. It appears to be undyed and is a natural brown color. Though small, it does seem to bear the rounded armhole hem of a sleeveless, felted garment, a trend which will continue as we look further at more of these fragments. Fragment 7 appears to be the lower hem of a similarly constructed garment. Again, also of a Loden-style felted 2/2 twill, it bears a rounded, curved lower hem of a rolled construction. It is noted as being very heavily worn, though traces of the original rolled and overcast-stitched hem are still present. Hägg also observes that the shape and size of the hemmed area indicates it was likely a shorter garment which ended above the hips, meaning it was likely worn over a longer tunic-style article of clothing. Traces of stitching at the outer edges also could be an indication that these were hemmed and the garment bore side slits up a small portion of the lower half. It also appears to be of a natural, undyed color, as well. Fragment 13 is relatively unremarkable, however, the heavily felted piece of coarse 2/2 wool twill does bear a series of stitches and a slightly curved edge at one side, likely meaning it was the opening hem of an open-front garment. Fragment 30 is also ambivalent as to its original use, however, it is also of a coarse 2/2 twill and has curved hems or seams on the outer edges. Due to the style of textile used, and the fact there are little signs of wear, means this may have been part of a very well-tailored variant of the jerkin or vest design, possibly one intended to be used by a more well-to-do member of Hedeby society, or a nicer one made specifically for the trading market Hedeby was known for that simply never made it to said market... Fragment 46 is even more mysterious, there is a seam which connects two layers of fabric present. Initially thought to possibly be that of a dart, it has been noted the two pieces are of different colors, which makes this theory unlikely. Hägg notes that this particular piece of felted 2/2 wool twill may also be that of a hood fragment, as well, though it is unclear. Fragments 53 A and B are perhaps the best examples we have of the Lodenwams style in its original form. The two-part fragment consists of the shoulder and armhole area of a heavily felted garment. Unlike the previous fragments, this particular example is made from a cross-body twill, rather than the 2/2 twill used elsewhere, showing there was a degree of variation to the design being used at this time. The piece clearly shows the hemmed, rounded armhole of a sleeveless garment, which interestingly enough, appears to have been pieced together with a horizontal seam running from the lower edge of the armhole to the outer hem of the garment's opening. While the other seams and hems have long since deteriorated, we can still see that these now torn edges were likely indicative of the garment's original features, meaning it likely bore a shoulder seam and a straight, hemmed front area which was open. Unfortunately, the rest of the pieces are only fragmentary in nature and are therefore mostly unremarkable, featuring an array of scattered stitches and torn edges, with the textile makeup only noting them as being likely candidates as fragments of a Lodenwams-type garment. Hägg does note that three of the fragments were subject to dyestuff analysis, with two of them (fragments 5 and 7) bearing no traces of dyes and are of a natural shade of wool. Fragment 13, however, does bear traces of walnut dyes having been used and was likely either brown or reddish-brown in color. The lack of sophisticated dyes (or lack of dyes altogether), coupled with the heavy wear patterns of some of the fragments seems to indicate that these were intended as working garments, being used either to protect the wearer's more expensive clothing underneath, or worn as an extra warmth layer in the colder winter months. Either way, a clear utilitarian design seems evident, with little emphasis being put on fashion-forwardness or anything bearing an aesthetic nature. The Reconstruction For the reconstruction, we opted to combine the best features of the fragments into a composite garment. Since most of the pieces are very fragmentary at best, we did have to undergo a great deal of filling in the blanks to get a complete image of what this garment may have looked like. The first feature that needed to be determined was the garment's overall shape. By going off Hägg's findings, we knew the vest was likely hip-length at the longest, and was rather short, with seams at the shoulders, wide, open, rounded armholes, a slightly rounded lower rear hem, and possible side slits at the bottom. We decided to construct the garment from felted 2/2 wool twill. Finding 2/2 twill that had the exact level of Loden-style felting as the originals was nigh on impossible, so we had to settle for a slightly less-felted look than was desired, however, the garment does still have the same effect that the likelihood of every one of these having the same exact level of felting is unlikely at best, given Hedeby's large population and propensity at trade and manufacture. The wool is undyed and in its natural color, as most of the fragments also bear, and it was sewn using an undyed wool yarn that matches the same overall weight and thickness as the stitches that remain on the original fragments. In Conclusion To conclude, it is our belief that the garment was that of a working garment or one worn for added warmth in the winter, very similar to the leather jerkins seen as recently as the 20th Century with British Armed Forces use. It bears all the hallmarks of a utilitarian article of clothing, and after extensive outdoor winter trials, has seemed to hold up nicely to the elements and does a decent job of protecting the wearer from the cold, especially when worn in conjunction with a cloak.
A secondary theory to the last as to the jerkin's use is that of a rudimentary textile "armor". While thin, and likely not overly protective, the felted and padded nature of the vest would mean that if worn in conjunction with other wool clothing, the garment could at least stop basic slashing attacks with a knife of spear, much in the way of other forms of textile armors worn before and after the Viking Age. With this said, however, further field tests will need to be undertaken before a complete determination of this theory can be realized. In finishing, it is our opinion that this is a highly underrepresented garment in Haithabu's complex and detailed clothing history, and one that should warrant further research and experimentation. It is widely lacking in most representations of Viking Age Danish clothing and equipment, despite the overwhelming evidence for its use, and it is our opinion that further exploitation and study of its makeup and design can yield even further information on this time and the mindset of 10th Century Danes. Photo & Information Sources
Having a severe case of writer's block this month... So enjoy another photo of the completed 10th Century 'Type I' Haithabu Tunika!
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Location: Haithabu, Current-Day Germany Date: Approx. Late 10th Century Culture: Late Viking Age Danish Estimated Social Class: Possibly Middle Class Garment Type: Tunic As with any fashion in history, regional differences could be noted in Viking Age Scandinavian fashion, as well. While most modern people tend to have a general concept of what a Viking Age Scandinavian male would have looked like, most of these are generalized ideas and few take into account the variations depending on period and location. In other words, a man raiding Lindisfarne in 793 would have looked completely different than a resident of Haithabu fighting for his home against Harald Hardrada in 1050. With this in mind, we tend to see a general theme with Viking Age men’s tunics, regardless of location or position in the time scale, however, the tunic from Haithabu tends to put all of these preconceptions on their head. The quintessential “Viking tunic” generally consists of a rectangular body of either a single piece or front and back pieces joined at the shoulders, a simple head hole, trapezoidal sleeves with square gussets underneath for mobility, and elongated trapezoidal gores on the sides. This style of tunic had been in use in one form or another throughout most of Europe for the better part of several hundred years by the dawn of the Viking Age, and continued use in some regions past the end of the era. These details, however, lend credence to the fact that the Haithabu Tunika was far ahead of its time, with an elaborate assortment of gores, in-set, rounded armholes, and even a potential pocket inset into one of the seams. In this article, we will cover the original fragments as they were recovered from Haithabu, as well as the reproduction produced and all details therein. As one would expect from textiles of this age, many are worse for wear, and heavily damaged and worn. This makes our job all the more difficult, as some pieces are nearly indistinguishable as to what they belonged to (such as the supposed “hood” fragment that has caused much debate over recent years). This means that extremely careful study and investigation is key, as any misstep could mean heavy misidentification and eventually a gross misrepresentation of peoples from the period. It is with this in mind that we must combine conventional archaeology with that of reconstructive archaeology, as this can often remedy age-old debates by simple way of rebuilding the original fragment and testing its usefulness in real-world scenarios. The Original Fragments During excavations of the Viking Age Danish settlement of Haithabu (now currently residing in Germany), a vast number of textile fragments were recovered. With expert precision, professional archaeologists such as Inga Hägg managed to piece these fragments together and thus create an idea of what the various garments these pieces belonged to may have looked like. As detailed in her book, “Die Textilfunde aus dem Hafen von Haithabu”, or better known as “Textilfunde aus Haithabu”, we also can have a glimpse into the pieces of clothing from the period and utilize this amazing source of information as our base of knowledge in creating the textile culture from 10th Century Haithabu and Denmark. As stated above, many of the fragments of these suspected tunics are heavily worn, so great discretion must be taken when attempting to identify what they were or where on the body they were worn. Luckily, Ms. Hägg did a lot of this work for us in her book, making this investigation far easier! The most notable fragments we will look at in this article are those of 9, 18, 40, 55A, 72C, and 73. These will also serve as our basis for our reconstructed tunic later in the article. To begin, we will look at fragments 8 and 9. These pieces, though only fragmentary at 32cm long and 10cm wide (fragment 8), lends us less of an idea into the overall look and shape of the tunic, and gives more of an idea of its construction, with some degree of the seams left in place, indicating that rolled-edge hems with a likely overcast stitch were utilized in the making of tunics of this style. Both have been dyed, but what the original colors were is unknown to us. After this has been established as a likely finish for hems, we can begin to look at the overall construction of the tunic itself, starting with fragment 18. This piece measures 39cm high, 15cm wide, and has had its original purpose debated for some time, however, now we do believe it is the remnants of a sort of "princess seam" arrangement on the back of a men's tunic. While Hägg does seem to believe there is a possibility it could also be the front, a rear design makes more sense, especially once the garment has been reconstructed as such. The piece abruptly stops at the bottom, indicating it likely terminated at a seam at the waist, a theory which is supported by other finds such as 55A, 72C, and 73. The piece itself, like all the others mentioned in this article, is made from a medium-fine plain weave wool with a light two-sided felting having been applied. The biggest tell as to the placement of this fragment is that the top has apparently expanded and stretched over its time being worn, ideally made from being worn across the shoulder area. If true, this would indicate an understanding of men's tailoring previously believed to be unknown during this period! This theory is also further built upon by the presence of fragment 40, which also seems to clearly detail a dart used to take in the waist area of a tunic. Next up is fragment 55A, also made from a medium-fine plain weave wool (with the exception of one gore, which is a 2/1 twill) and composed of nine seams in total with five main parts. This is likely the most notable piece of the collection, and gives the tunic its overly unique design, in that it appears to show an array of gores around the lower half of the tunic. Unlike other regions’ designs that bore a far simpler array of gores, 55A shows an extremely complex style of fitting, with two trapezoidal “main” pieces, flanked by triangular gores in between, as well as on the sides. The most logical explanation for this is not only fashion, but utility, as this would greatly increase the wearer’s mobility while working or fighting, and allow for a great range of motion, especially if duplicated in the rear, as logic would entail. The location of the top of the fragment appears to show that there was originally the presence of a seam, indicating that the tunic was in a separate upper and lower piece with a seam spanning the waist and joining the two together. The fabric itself is described as "thin and gauzy", likely meaning it was of a finer, softer quality and may have also been worn as an "under-tunic" of sorts. Another interesting feature on this fragment is a small 6cm slit between one of the trapezoidal body pieces and one of the side gores. Initially thought to be a mere rip in the seam, closer inspection showed a separate weave of wool sewn into it, indicating the possible presence of a pocket. This is further supported by the fact that the opening's additional fabric has been folded over twice and then hemmed into the outer fabric using a series of dense stitches. If true, this would be one of the first examples of built-in garment pockets in Europe during this period. The construction of the pocket is unknown to us, as it is no longer present, merely the remnants of its opening sewn to the inside of the tunic. The final two fragments are 72C and 73, both of which appear to show the upper half of a tunic with a full, rounded armhole and head opening. While the hems are largely deteriorated at this point, the shape of the piece still gives us a good idea of where these originally were and their widths. 72C in particular measures 28cm tall and 29cm wide, and shows us the the neckline was wide and well-rounded, which is in stark contrast to the modern misconception that men's tunics of the time had high, keyhole-type necks which were held closed near the throat with a brooch or other device. This also shows us the sleeves and armholes were potentially rounded and inset, further adding to the fitted and tailored aesthetic of the garment. Only the upper corner has a preserved hem or seam, which appears to have been the seam which joined the front and back of the tunic at the shoulder. Fragment 73 is rather identical in nature to that latter piece, though less well-preserved. The fact both pieces appear to be separated near the center of the chest may also indicate that they were part of a garment that had a seam running down the center front, however, studies have shown that when this is taken into account, and we double the width of the piece, the dimensions become rather odd and it is more likely that this is simply where both pieces were torn off when used and repurposed for ship's caulking. It is also theorized that both pieces may simply be the front and back of the same garment. In addition to the previous "primary" fragments mentioned, there are several other, smaller ones, as well. While many of these at first do appear to be inconsequential, they can also offer some interesting insight into just how these tunics may have been developed. One great example of this is fragments 93A & B. Piece A has the remnants of a reddish yarn running parallel to a hemmed edge, and while little remains now, the piece is crossed over by stitches which are yellow in color with the small fragments of a fabric in the same color, which is now believed to be the neckline of a red tunic with yellow trim - a feature which is commonly seen in contemporary artworks, yet is strikingly lacking from the textile record itself! Most all of the seams that are present are of matching construction, showing a clear trend as to the construction of these garments in-period. These techniques generally show a double running stitch, with the excess folded over once or twice (the latter being more common) and then whip-stitched down with a simple, yet dense, vertical hem stitch. This ensures a great deal of stability within the garment and reduces the chances of a seam ripping or “blowing out”, as the presence of these, even after nearly a thousand years, clearly shows! The fact that many of the fragments are lacking all of their seams, yet still bear the shapes of where they once were, leads many archaeologists to believe that these were intentionally cut apart and reused as stuffing for other projects, or even caulking for ships. The Reconstruction Using the above fragments as a guide, painstaking effort was made to assemble the closest possible tunic to those that existed in 10th Century Haithabu as possible. This meant sourcing the most accurate plant-dyed and hand-woven plain weave wool and thread, as well as hours upon hours of planning and patterning to ensure that every feature of this tunic would match up with that of the original fragments. Anything less would result in inconclusive studies as to the tunic’s design and construction. Utilizing and building upon mistakes and inaccuracies with the previous tunic project, we are hoping this is now the most accurate representation of a Type I men's tunic from Haithabu! While dye analyses have been performed, and have determined that most of the fragments were, in fact, dyed, these were widely inconclusive in providing information on what dyestuffs were used, and likewise, what colors the fragments originally were. Since most were used as ship's caulking, and then were subsequently buried for centuries, relying purely on visual study lends little, as well. As such, we opted for a lower-end woad blue in color, to indicate someone with access to imported dyes, yet not enough for something of high enough quality. To begin, the tunic’s main body consists of four pieces; a front and back torso, as well as two “main” lower pieces. In many cases of other tunics from the period, these are all either one long piece, meant to be draped over the shoulders, or two pieces (front and back) at the most. The addition of a waist seam in the Haithabu Tunika appears to be a feature unique to this particular style. According to Hägg, the torso appears to be rather fitted, especially in the chest and shoulders area, with an open, wide head opening and fitted, rounded armholes. The overall shape of the tunic is that of one that has a fitted torso which then billows out at the waist into a full lower skirt. While the front is rather simple in its construction, the back needed to incorporate the "princess seams" present in fragment 18, which takes in the back and adds even further to the fitted and tailored nature of the tunic. The sleeves, like the torso, appear to have been somewhat fitted and bore rounded in-set armholes. While an existing sleeve from Haithabu does exist in fragment 57, it was created from a 2/2 wool twill and likely did not belong from the same garment as the plain weave fragments, meaning we had to use other knowledge of designs at the time for the reconstructed sleeves. We do know the armholes were set-in and rounded, meaning the sleeves were likely quite fitted, and also likely had a seam running down the back of the arm, rather than underneath it. As such, this is the style we opted for on our reconstruction. The torso is then separated from the lower half of the body via a seam at the waist. This consists of two “main” lower pieces (four in total, two in front, two in rear). The lower pieces are flanked by triangular gores, both on the sides, as well as in the center front and back, making a total of six gores around the lower circumference. This adds an extremely large amount of excess material, even when scaled to the original fragments’ measurements. The reasoning for this could be twofold; both function, as well as fashion. As function would mandate, the excess material around the bottom would allow for a great deal of movement, both in work as well as combat, and keep the wearer from becoming bound in his fitted tunic. We see similar designs on later tunics which seem to have this geared more toward function, as well. The second theory is fashion itself. As other finds have shown, people of the Viking Age were also privy to the same fashionable vices as we are today, as is noted by certain tunic, trouser and accessory finds, so a tunic of this style would likely not be much different. We have few written accounts on Viking Age Danish fashion trends, though even depictions of the Normans, Viking descendants, on the Bayeaux Tapestry show a very similar tunic style, with a fitted torso, and massive amount of fabric in the lower half, often worn in what appears to be a bunched and pleated manner. We have a few accounts that seem to allude to the fact that many early Norman trends followed those of the Danes (such as a reference to Normans sporting “Danish-style hair fashions”), so again, it stands to reason that both a pictorial example, as well as an original find can come together to paint a rather conclusive picture of that fashions of the period. Though initially written off as a mere seam rip, further analysis showed that a small, previously ignored, gap between the seam about halfway down on one side between the main lower piece and a side gore could have potentially been a pocket. This seam appears to have fragments of another wool textile sewn into them, meaning something was sewn here at one point. Since any sort of mending or repair is unlikely here (the seam would have been simply stitched back together), Hägg believes this could have been a potential pocket. If true, this would be one of the first examples of a built-in pocket on an Iron or Viking age garment! Since the pocket has long since deteriorated, or reproduction is somewhat conjectural, and was constructed in a rather primitive fashion, with a single piece of un-dyed wool folded over and sewn to the inside of the seam with the top and bottom sewn up to close it in a rectangular shape. The tunic’s overall fit and wear leaves much to be desired by today’s standards, however, for the period, it would have been a top-of-the-line garment. Between the array of gussets for mobility and fashion, the in-set sleeves (an innovation of the time), and the addition of a potential pocket, this tunic would have most likely been heavily desired by most of the male citizenry of Haithabu. The fitted torso and in-set sleeves do seem to hamper movement to some degree in the arms and shoulders, however, the wide, open neckline provides ample breathing room and does not bind up around the neck when working or fighting.
In Conclusion To conclude, it must always be noted that this results are by no means conclusive, and should always be taken with a great degree of skepticism. Since this is a fashion item from well near 1000 years ago, we will perhaps never truly know the entirety of how it was made or worn, or the exact societal role its wear played, however, we can assess from the few existing sources and finds to try and paint a picture as close to the real thing as possible. Studying the remains of these garments and reconstructing them is a very beneficial way to determine whether certain fragments are what they appear to be, as this can sometimes show through reproduction that what was initially believed to be one part of something, may be completely wrong when practically applied and a revision is needed. These reconstructions also serve as a great benefit to study the actual manner in which these items were worn, as well, as certain features may only allow certain fashion trends to be reflected (such as the great amount of fabric that must be pleated and gathered around the lower half of the subject of this article). To merely study the fragments of a garment is rarely a complete assessment, and only through thorough reproduction and wear can we start to see a semi-clear picture of how it might have been worn and the role it played in society. New sources are always welcome and are constantly being searched for so that any additions or revisions can be made, so this article (and field in general) are ever-evolving and changing. Photo & Information Sources
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