Waffen und Graber: typologische und chronologische Studien zu skandinavischen Waffengrabern 520/30 bis 900 n. Chr.

Waffen und Graber: typologische und chronologische Studien zu skandinavischen Waffengrabern 520/30 bis 900 n. Chr. ANNE NORGARD JORGENSEN. Waffen und Graber: typologische undchronologische Studien zu skandinavischen Waffengrabern 520/30 bis 900n. Chr. (Nordiske Fortidsminder ser. B Vol. 17). 417 pages, 279 b&wand colour figures, 4 tables. 1999. Copenhagen: Kongelige NordiskeOldskriftselskab; 87-87483-43-2 ISSN ISSNabbr.International Standard Serial Number 0105-578X hardback DKK DKKIn currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Danish Krone.Notes:The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 500 +VAT,p&p. The bronze jewellery sequence of Late Germanic Iron Age Scandinavia(6th-8th century AD) has been fairly well understood since the early20th century, and has been tied down firmly in recent years throughcomputerized typological seriation performed by Karen Hoilund Nielsenand others. The contemporary iron weapon sequence has received much lesstreatment, and has only been loosely piggy-backed on the jewellerythrough the work of Birger Nerman and others. This has now changed withthe doctoral dissertation of Anne Norgard Jorgensen. She has collectedcomprehensive typological data from the three Scandinavian areas withabundant Late Germanic weapon burials -- Bornholm, Gotland and southernNorway -- and given them the full treatment of Danish neo-typology. 338well-preserved and well-documented assemblages have been selected, andthe sample is presented with measurements as well as simple linedrawings. This data collection alone is a priceless contribution to thefield of research. Sadly, the author's typological method is inconsistent andmarred by impressionism impressionism, in paintingimpressionism,in painting, late-19th-century French school that was generally characterized by the attempt to depict transitory visual impressions, often painted directly from nature, and by the use of pure, broken color to . Many undefined terms are used, and the linebetween type definitions and population descriptions is vague. Althoughmany types are adequately defined, the definitions of others overlap anda `type' can even be presented without any definition whatsoever(lance head L5, p. 94). No statistics, even bivariate bi��var��i��ate?adj.Mathematics Having two variables: bivariate binomial distribution.Adj. 1. ones, are offeredto document the morphological distance between populations and therebyjustify their delimitation as types. Ideal types seem to have beenenvisaged without the aid of any rigorous study of the actual variation.This is exemplified by the fact that the length-width proportionscrucial to the definitions of the different types of single-edged swordshave been calculated as mean values of populations previously delimitedby some other means (p. 47, caption to Abb. 11), apparently visualimpressions. A unique piece can, seemingly at random, be used to definea single-member type (lance head L8, p. 97), while others are relegatedto a rag-bag group (p. 100). Let us examine the type system for the shield bosses (pp. 77-87).The bosses are divided into those with neck and top disc (SBA SBAabbr.Small Business AdministrationNoun 1. SBA - an independent agency of the United States government that protects the interests of small businesses and ensures that they receive a fair share of government ), twotypes with neck but no top disc (SBB SBB Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (Swiss Railway)SBB Sports by Brooks (sports webblog)SBB Sociedade B��blica do Brasil (Portugese: Bible Society of Brazil)and SBC (1) (SBC Communications Inc., San Antonio, TX, www.sbc.com) A large, national telecommunications company that grew from a multitude of local and regional companies, including Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell, into a single, unified brand by 2002. ), and Galgenbergian highones with weakly pronounced neck and a tapered dome (SBD SBD - Smart Battery Data ). SBB and SBCcannot be separated morphologically nor on the grounds of the metricdefinitions. The quoted intervals of the two types' measurementsoverlap for all measured parameters. The only parameter that seemssomewhat to separate the `types' is the width of the brim where theoverlap is only 1 mm. Nevertheless, it is clear from the illustrationsthat the combined SBB&C material shows systematic variation in shapethat would be best expressed through proportional definitions, e.g.height through diameter and height above neck through total height.Parallel variation of shape is found in the bosses with top discs, butthis variation is entirely subsumed under the single typological elementof the disc, which is an additive one in many cases. Thus, only the SBDtype is a methodically sound one. The primacy of absolute dimensions andyes/no morphological traits over proportions in these and other typedefinitions indicate that the author's experience with thesingle-edged swords has detrimentally influenced her work with otherartefact See artifact. categories. Not all artefacts follow a Kurzsax-Langsaxsequence. Despite the weaknesses of the individual typological systems, thesheer number of artefact categories involved and the interregionalcorrelations nonetheless lend some credibility to the five-phasesequence resulting from the analyses. Single-edged swords, the grips ofdouble-edged swords, shield bosses, lance heads, axe heads, arrowheads,knives, strap mounts and horse bits are all used to seriate the graveassemblages. Due to the continued post-Merovingian use of single-edgedswords in Norway, two Viking Period phases up to c. 900 AD are definedfor these finds. Having completed the gigantic typological and absolutechronological work, with the early Swedish boat graves pinpointed in theresulting system, the author turns to sociohistorical interpretations inthe final chapter, `Das militarische System'. The models ofMerovingian military organization formulated by Heiko Steuer and othersare adapted to the Scandinavian context, and illuminating comparisonsare made with written sources of the Scandinavian High Middle Ages. Thisis a condensed version of studies previously published in English(reviewed in ANTIQUITY 74 (2000): 245-6). The aptly named warren und Graber will become the obvious entrypoint for future study of Late Germanic Scandinavian weapon graves.Above the level of type definitions the analyses are exemplary.Unfortunately, these higher-level analyses depend on the quality of thegroundwork. As the basic typological order imposed upon the finds is tono small degree imaginary, the higher-level results must be treated withcaution until the implications of revised groundwork become clear. Suchrevision can, thanks to the author's painstaking collection workand accessible presentation, be performed at any archaeologist'sdesk. MARTIN RUNDKVIST Department of Archaeology University of Stockholmarador@algonet.se