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Leather Shoes in Early Danish Cities: Choices of Animal Resources and Specialization of Crafts in Viking and Medieval Denmark

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2020

Luise Ørsted Brandt Open the ORCID record for Luise Ørsted Brandt [Opens in a new window] ,
Jannie Amsgaard Ebsen Open the ORCID record for Jannie Amsgaard Ebsen [Opens in a new window]  and
Kirstine Haase Open the ORCID record for Kirstine Haase [Opens in a new window]
Luise Ørsted Brandt
Affiliation:
Centre for Urban Network Evolutions, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Jannie Amsgaard Ebsen
Affiliation:
Odense City Museums, Department of Cultural Heritage, Odense, Denmark
Kirstine Haase
Affiliation:
Centre for Urban Network Evolutions, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark Odense City Museums, Department of Cultural Heritage, Odense, Denmark
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Abstract

This article presents the findings of the minimally destructive biomolecular species identification method known as ZooMS (zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry) to identify the use and choices of resources for manufacturing leather shoes in urban contexts in Viking and medieval Denmark. Whereas parchment and historical skin samples have been previously analysed by ZooMS, the potential of the method is demonstrated here for archaeological, vegetable-tanned, and waterlogged leather from the eleventh to thirteenth-century Danish cities of Ribe, Odense, and Viborg. Sheep, goat, and cattle were used to produce shoes, with explicit choices of species for specific purposes. The selection seems to be largely based on the skins’ material properties, suggesting that functionality was more important than signalling. The urban environment is seen as promoting synergy among providers of resources, crafts, and customers.

Cet article présente les résultats d'une méthode d'analyse biomoléculaire évitant d'endommager un objet et permettant d'identifier les espèces animales (ZooMS, zooarchéologie par spectrométrie de masse). Ici, le but était de déterminer l'usage et le choix de matières premières dans la production de chaussures en cuir provenant de contextes urbains des époques viking et médiévales au Danemark. Bien que des échantillons de parchemin et de peaux d’époques historiques aient déjà fait l'objet d'analyses ZooMS, les auteurs démontrent ici le potentiel de cette méthode pour identifier des fragments de cuir tanné par des matières végétales découverts dans des contextes archéologiques saturés d'eau des XIe au XIIIe siècles dans les villes de Ribe, Odense et Viborg. Des peaux de mouton, de chèvre et de vache furent utilisées dans la production des chaussures, la sélection des espèces répondant à des besoins spécifiques. Ces choix se basent largement sur les caractéristiques matérielles des peaux, ce qui laisse entendre qu'ils étaient dictés plus par des raisons pratiques qu'ostentatoires. Le milieu urbain est interprété comme offrant des possibilités de synergie entre les fournisseurs, les artisans et les clients. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Dieser Artikel betrifft die Ergebnisse einer minimalinvasiven biomolekularen Methode zur Bestimmung von Tierarten, die sogenannte ZooMS Methode (zooarchäologische Massenspektrometrie), welche die Nutzung und Auswahl von Materialien für die Herstellung von Lederschuhen in wikingerzeitlichen und mittelalterlichen städtischen Bereichen in Dänemark erkennen lässt. Obschon Proben von Pergament und historischen Tierhäuten mit ZooMS bereits untersucht worden sind, weisen die Autoren hier auf das Potenzial der Methode, um pflanzlich gegerbte Lederproben aus wassergesättigten archäologischen Schichten des 11. bis 13. Jahrhunderts in den dänischen Städten von Ribe, Odense und Viborg zu bestimmen. Die Häute von Ziegen, Schafe und Rinder wurden bei der Herstellung von Schuhen verwendet, und dabei wurden verschiedene Tierarten für spezifische Zwecke gewählt. Die Wahl wurde scheinbar vor allem auf der Basis der materiellen Eigenschaften des Leders gemacht, was eher auf zweckmäßigen als auf demonstrativen Gründen deutet. Nach Ansicht der Autoren förderte das städtische Milieu Synergien zwischen den Anbietern der Rohstoffe, Handwerkern und Kunden. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Keywords

medievalZooMSleather shoesurbanizationanimal resourcescraftsmoyen âgeZooMSchaussures en cuirurbanisationressources animalesartisanatMittelalterLederschuheUrbanisierungtierliche RohstoffeHandwerk
Type
Article
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 23 , Issue 3 , August 2020 , pp. 428 - 450
Copyright
Copyright © European Association of Archaeologists 2020

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