Neck collar, fibula and belt plate B4320/a-c

Photo: Svein Skare © Universitetsmuseet i Bergen, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ribbed neck collar. It has nine ribs that are weak due to corrosion. The ends are straight but damaged. The collar was broken in two and has been repaired at the museum. Width: c. 9.5 cm, the band measures 4 cm. B4320/a.

Belt plate with central, conical boss. The plate is thin and damaged around the edges; some fragments have been broken off and glued together, while some parts are missing. There is a small loop at the back of the plate, which is slightly raised towards the middle. There are seven belts of decoration, starting with parallel lines alternating with vertical parallel lines, followed by a row of large running spirals, then parallel lines and vertical lines, a row of running spirals, vertical parallel lines and parallel lines, a row of running spirals, ending in parallel lines and vertical lines around the base of the pin, which has no decoration. Width: 18.8 cm. B4320/b.

Fibula, fragment. The bow of a fibula; the pin is kept at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo (C 123457). The bow consists of a flat and thin sheet of bronze, ending in a square section where a thin bronze rod is inserted into small holes coiles to each side, and the square section continues into an bow that secures the pin. The sheet is decorated with parallel lines and triangles. The other end of the fibula is missing. Golden in color, there are some notches along the edges of the bow. The fibula is known as a Terramara fibula and probably originated in Italy. B4320/c.

Location:
Vigrestad, Hå, Rogaland

Context:
There is very little information about the context. Several items were found at Vigrestad and sold; later the objects were sold to the museums in Bergen and Oslo. The pin belonging to the fibula is in the museum in Oslo (C 13457) as well two belt plate (C 12349) and two belt plates (C 12350). The pin is said to have come from a burial, while the belt plates were found in the ground. There is no other information about the buriall. Thus, it appears that B4320/a-c is a burial assemblage.

Date:
All three objects can be dated to the Early Bronze Age period 2.

Belt plate (tutulus) B4098

Small, funnel-shaped belt plate (tutulus), with a conical boss. There are parallel lines around the boss, and a loop on the back. The tutulus is green and corroded. Width: 1.8 cm Photo: Svein Skare

Location:
Vashus, Klepp, Rogaland

Context:
Found in a small mound. There is no information about the cist or whether bones were found.

Date:
Early Bronze Age period 2

Belt plate (tutulus) B3874/a-c

Fragmented, funnel-shaped belt plate (tutulus) with a conical, central boss. The fragments are glued together. There is a loop on the underside. The plate is flat and decorated with parallel lines alternating with rows of vertical parallel lines and triangles, while the boss is undecorated. The decoration is difficult to discern due to corrosion. The tutulus is green and heavily corroded. Width: 6.1 cm.

Found together with:
/b: Small, flat perforated disk or bead of gray slate. It is polished and the holes are conical. Width: 1.5 cm, and
/c: Retouched point in gray flint. The base is concave; one of the sides is convex. The versal and dorsal sides have not been worked, while the sides are finely retouched. Length: 6.3 cm

Photo: Svein Skare

Location:
Nese, Klepp, Rogaland

Context:
Found in an unburnt burial in a mound, in the same chamber as belt plate B3578, while the chamber was being demolished. The tutulus was found together with a flint point at the bottom of the western side of the cist, while a small perforated slate disc, or bead, was found at the widest end of the cist.

Date:
The tutulus is dated to the Early Bronze Age period 2-3.

Belt plate (tutulus) B3578

Small, raised belt plate with central, conical boss. There is a loop below and faint traces of parallel horizontal lines. Tutulus is heavily corroded and cracked. Width: 2.7 cm in diameter. Photo: Svein Skare © University Museum in Bergen, CC BY-SA 4.0

Location:
Nese, Klepp, Rogaland

Context:
Found in an inhumation burial in a mound around 1880. The stone cist was 2.2 m and drywalled, the sides were flat stones while the ends consisted of slabs. The bottom was covered with sand. The remains of a skeleton were found; the bones were almost dissolved but the teeth were well preserved. The tutulus was found near the northern end of the chamber. Pieces of bone and charcoal were found around stones in the mound. Later, when the chamber was demolished, B03874/a-c: tutulus, slate disc and flint point, were found.

Date:
Early Bronze Age period 2-3

Belt plate, arm ring and fibula B3322/a-c

Foto: Svein Skare © Universitetsmuseet i Bergen, CC BY-SA 4.0

Decorated belt plate with central, conical boss. The edge is damaged, and the loop on the back is broken. The boss is decorated with horizontal parallel ribs, while the plate has parallel lines around the edge, a belt of large running spirals, a belt of parallel lines followed by a belt of smaller running spirals, and parallel lines. There are vertical parallel lines and zigzags around the base of the boss. The decoration is weak due to corrosion. Width: 14.2 cm. B3322/a.

Two ribbed bracelets, with nine ribs and straight ends. Every second rib has small parallel lines that slope either to the left or to the right. One of the bracelets is broken in several places; the fragments are glued together. Golden-red with some corrosion, otherwise the bracelets are well preserved. Width: 7 cm across, the bands measure 3.8 cm. B3322/b.

Fibula with cross-headed pin head and a bow with spiral ends. It is heavily corroded. Length: 9.4 cm. B3322/c.

Location:
Særheim, Klepp, Rogaland

Context:
Found in a burial in a mound, with a diameter of c. 26 m. The mound was excavated by Bendixen in 1879, and the excavation revealed a complex arrangement. The inner mound was surrounded by a narrow ditch and what appears to have been a kerb or terrace, about 2.5 m wide. There was a central cairn, 14 m across and covered by a thin layer of soil, with a layer of stone on top and finally a layer of turf. The stone layer was up to 3.5 m thick. The inner cairn covered two smaller cairns that each contained a stone cist. The smallest cist measured 1 m and was built from slabs. It contained charcoal and cremated bones. The second cist was found in the centre of the mound; it measured 2 m, the sides were built of small flat slabs while the ends were two large stones with flat sides. The bottom was covered by small round pebbles. The belt plate was found in the centre, with a bracelet on both sides, while the fibula was found in one corner of the cist, to the right of where the head would have been. Thus the artefacts were placed in an anatomically correct position .

Date:
The collection is dated to the Early Bronze Age period 2.

Belt plate (tutulus) B2873

Foto: Svein Skare © Universitetsmuseet i Bergen, CC BY-SA 4.0

Belt plate (tutulus) with central, funnel-shaped boss and decoration. The edge is damaged. The decoration consists of alternating parallel lines and rows of triangles. The boss is also decorated: a row of vertical parallel lines alternates with parallel horizontal lines in relief. There is a loop on the back, which is green and corroded, while the front of the tutulus is golden red. The boss measures c. 5 cm. Width: 8.4 cm

Location:
Unknown farm at «Jæren», Rogaland

Context:
There is no information about where and when it was found, except that it comes from Jæren, which is a large area that is today dominated by agriculture. It is likely that it was found in a mound, as the area has many mounds and tutuli are usually found in graves.

Date:
Early Bronze Age period 2-3.

Belt plate (tutulus) B2844

Decorated belt plate with central, conical boss. There is a small hem on the back. The edge is damaged all around the plate, and the boss is broken and glued. The decoration consists of seven rings with various geometric patterns, including knobs made in a repoussé technique. Around the edge there is a row of buds surrounded by a ring, then parallel vertical and horizontal lines, followed by two rows of buds with rings, then a belt of partly crossing stripes; this is followed by a row of ringed studs, a belt of small indentations, a row of tiny studs punched into the metal, and finally a band of vertical lines. The boss is also decorated: stripes and horizontal lines at the bottom, possibly horizontal lines on the lower half. The plate is green and corroded. Width: c. 14 cm

Location:
Kleppe, Klepp, Rogaland

Context:
Found in 1872 in a large mound at Høybakken. The mound had a central cairn, where a 5-foot chamber was found, built of small flat stones and covered with slabs. The grave contained cremated bones, the belt plate and fragments of a fibula (B2845). The bones were in the southern corner, the belt plate in the eastern corner, while the fibula was in the center of the grave.