Perler fra vikingtiden (Beads of the Viking-Age):A study of the social and economic patterns in the appearance of beads from Viking-Age sites in Britain

To date there has been no comprehensive, broad study of Viking-Age beads from sites in Britain. In order to fill this gap in Viking-Age literature, this study intends to present a characterisation of Viking-Age bead finds in Britain and an analysis of the social and economic processes which have influenced patterns in the appearance of this artefact type. In order to incorporate the widest dataset, this study has used finds from secondary literature on ‘Viking’ sites dating to the 9th to 12th century. This study aims to characterise the bead forms presented in the secondary literature and connect the resulting types to key ideas in academic discussions of the social and economic patterns during Viking-Age Scandinavia and Britain. To achieve this goal, this study aims to take a multi-scale approach to the study of Viking-Age bead types. Local, regional and global networks are considered in the presentation of the bead finds and the analysis of social and economic processes. Specifically, production, trade and use are highlighted as the most useful processes to analyse in this study. It is argued here that these processes have had the greatest influence on the patterns in the appearance of this artefact in the archaeological record. This study will demonstrate that patterns of bead finds shaped by production, trade and use can be used to highlight and discuss the close relationships between local and Viking World networks of communication and trade.