If you want to use this site please update your browser!
CATALOG
0 0
  • $
  • C$
  • £
  • $
  • C$
  • £
28.11.2020

The Birka dragonhead

2 / 2

The symbol "Dragon Birk" has become synonymous with the renowned Viking Age city, a connection that arose from the discovery in 1887 of a casting mold featuring the head of a dragon. Recent excavations carried out in Birk's Black Earth Harbor have brought to light a clothing pin that, nearly 150 years later, appears to be directly linked to this mold. This artifact adds a distinctive touch to the limited collection of Viking Age pins featuring a dragon head, lending a unique "Birka style" to it. The authors of this research delve into the production, purpose, chronology of the artifact, and its potential ties to shiphead designs.

Archaeological investigations conducted in the silted harbor area in 2015 and 2016, situated in front of the "Black Earth" settlement zone, had a primary focus on understanding the physical characteristics and chronological development of significant port facilities. This harbor served as a pivotal long-distance trade center during the Viking Age. It was in close proximity to this harbor that the dragon head associated with Birka was discovered, with dendrochronological dating indicating a construction date of 853/854 AD. When retrieved from the wet sediments of the harbor (in PQ 8 grid square on the L23 / IV section), the artifact was nearly entirely encased in a dense layer of soil and iron corrosion. While the throat and neck were obscured by a substantial rust deposit, the curved neck of the dragon remained discernible, thus confirming the identity of the object. Interestingly, the corrosion itself played a role in preserving this delicate artifact. Layers of corrosion and soil were meticulously removed during archaeological research in the laboratory. After conservation efforts, the artifact now weighs 13.5 grams, measures 45 mm in length, with a maximum width of 42 mm on the face and a neck width of 17 mm.

The dragon head, featuring two sides, is characterized by a wide-open mouth with sharp teeth and the suggestion of a truncated, coiled tongue. It also boasts a pearl bezel around the neck adorned with a distinctive curly mane, with five preserved curls on the neck. The eyes, curls, and nacreous frame were cast in relief. Closer to the lower part of the neck, there is a protruding loop (possibly for attaching a cord) and a three-sided belt terminal. At the foot of the neck, there is a small round shaft filled with rusty iron.

The dragon's head has sustained damage over the ages. Notably, there is a fracture in the presumed horn and a crack just in front of it on the upper jaw. The first curl of the mane and the tip of the tongue, which is believed to have originally been coiled, are also missing. The artifact was cast from an alloy rich in tin, with a small amount of added lead. It is clear that the "Dragon Birk" was cast using a two-layer mold, as burrs from the casting process are still visible on the artifact. The presence of corroded iron in the small round shaft at the base of the dragon's head suggests that this decoration was once affixed to an iron pin. It is highly likely that it was inserted into a specially prepared channel within a two-component mold before liquid tin was poured into the gating, resulting in the casting of the dragon head on it.

The Birka dragonhead

The closest comparable artifact to the recently discovered dragon head undoubtedly originates from Birka itself and takes the form of a well-known soapstone casting mold. By 1887, one half of the original two-part soapstone casting mold had been placed in the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. According to the museum's primary inventory, this mold was obtained from the Birka settlement known as "Chernozemye." In the museum's inventory, the casting mold was simply cataloged as "two halves of a casting mold, broken." The Iron Age collection's catalog describes this artifact, accompanied by an ink drawing, as "half of a soapstone casting mold, broken into two parts, featuring one side that is shiny smooth and the other side that is rough. There is one hole drilled in each upper corner. The greatest length measures 81 mm, the greatest width is 66 mm, and the thickness is 1.3 mm." This mold is currently listed in the unpublished "Sörlings Catalogue," which documents early discoveries from Birka, primarily from excavations carried out in the Black Earth area between 1871 and 1873.

The mold exhibits a meticulously carved dragon head, measuring approximately 40 × 41 mm, characterized by an open mouth with sharp teeth and a coiled tongue. It also features a pointed horn on the forehead and a distinctive curly mane on the neck. At the base of the neck, there is a three-sided belt terminal connected to the protruding, forward-facing, and nearly square loop. In the lower left corner of the mold, a clear sprue can be seen leading to the lower neck of the dragon's head. Since the sprue does not connect to the pin's cavity, it can be inferred that the pin was inserted into the mold, and the dragon's head was cast onto it as a composite. Additionally, it's worth noting that soapstone is a relatively soft material prone to cracking during casting, making it suitable for casting soft metals with particularly low melting points, such as tin.

The Birka dragonhead

While the artifact is commonly referred to as the head of a dragon, Ambrosiani suggested that it might actually depict the head of a wolf of a similar type. In certain shields from the Wendel period, there are typically three animal motifs: wolves, boars, and eagles. Due to limited archaeological data about the mold's origin, it can only be approximately dated to the Viking period. The representation of the "dragon-like wolf's head" was so distinctive that it was chosen as the logo for "Excavations on the Black Earth 1990-1995" by Ambrosiani and later became the emblem for the subsequent Birka Studies series. Today, the "Birka Dragon" has become synonymous with the World Heritage Site itself.

Nearly 130 years after the mold's discovery, a cast replica of it was finally retrieved from the Chernozem area in Birka Harbor. However, unlike the recently discovered dragon head, the image on the mold features seven curls, suggesting that it cannot be the exact form from which the dragon head was cast.

UP