Better, and a dissertation on viking clothing

[frualeydis]

I'm better today, I haven't been sick since last night and today I've mostly been very tired. So I've spent today like I did yesterday (except the puking part): resting and reading a dissertation in archaeology called "Klädd krigare" by Annika Larsson. English title: "Warriors clothing. Shift in Scandinavian costume in the vicinity of the year 1000" (I think she could have benefited from some of the help I got with the english abstract from you my LJ-friends).

It is interesting, though I am a little dubious about some of her reasoning, for one she assumes that Sweden was predominantly pagan until the year 1000, something that both archaeological and historical sources contradict. In fact the usage of the word Sweden shows a too vague understanding of society in what is now Sweden at the time. She also believes in remnants of viking age clothing in folk costumes (documented in the 19th century). This was a favourite idea in the late 19th and early 20th century and has since been deserted, and for good reasons. But in general the research she's using outside the textile archaeological specific seems old and dated; for the origins of the word scarlet she cites writers from the 50s, but does not mention John H Munro's important article from the early 199s, where he convincingly demonstrates that these earlier interpretations were wrong.
She claims to be a textiles expert, so I think it's odd that I should know more about it than her.

But then there are other very interesting parts where her argumentation is strong, usually the parts where she deals in a very concrete way with metal ornaments found in Birka, but also others where she disputes the common assumption that the Birka "kaftans" should have their origin in Byzantium.

I haven't finished it all, but I'm glad I took the time to read it, I seldom have the time to read whole books these days so it feels good.

Comments

[m-nivalis.livejournal.com]

When you have time, would you be able to give me the reference for the Munro article? It sounds like something I ought to read.

[http://users.livejournal.com/aure_/]

That's really interesting. I just happened to read this article about Annika Larsson's research, and it was good to hear your arguments too. Her reconstruction seems a bit odd, but since I'm not a learned costume historian, I can't really say much about it.

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

It's in "Cloth and Clothing in medieval Europe", edited by NB Harte and KG Ponting.

/Eva

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

Huh, that sounds weird.
Anyway, after finishing the book one thing is clear: she doesn't like christianity much.

/Eva

[http://users.livejournal.com/aure_/]

I got that impression from the article too. :)

I propably won't have time to read her book any time soon, but I'm looking forward her presentation at NESAT (and yours of course).

[m-nivalis.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm sure I have that one photocopied somewhere. (must go excavating my desk/bookshelf)

[reasdream.livejournal.com]

Would you be willing to point out the failings on the SCA lj comm (http://community.livejournal.com/sca/613375.html)? I considered linking here but did not want to do so without permission.

(I got here via a link in florentinescot's journal (http://florentinescot.livejournal.com/60696.html))

Thank you.

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

You can link if you like. I may write something about it, but as you know, after reading this post, I am suffering from winter vomiting disease and I'm not over it yet. I also need to send in an application for research funding and give a lecture at the university so it may take a while. I feel as a professional historian that if I wirte something more "official" about a dissertation it ought to be more like a real, if short, review. But I will think about it.


/Eva

[reasdream.livejournal.com]

Thank you. People seem to be be figuring it out.

Hope you are better soon.

[gargoyal3.livejournal.com]

Where did you get a copy of her dissertation???

I want to read it :)

The fact that the reconstruction is now EVERYWHERE on the internet is making me irate....

But I can't refute her points intelligently unless I know more about them than the photos that are going around.

I tried on my journal, sigh....

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

I borrowed it from a colleague, but they have it at the university library too. The recosntruction is a later project of here sthough; some theories are mentioned in the book, but it focuses on male garb primarily. But it's in swedish of course.

/Eva