*[MR] Fojel beads CD ROM

[rmhowe]

Marybeth Lavrakas wrote:
> 
> Master Magnus recently posted in several places about
> a new CD ROM titled "Viking Beads: Frojel Port of
> Trade, Gotland, Sweden." I just received my copy, and
> it's FABULOUS. Well worth the $10, my oh my oh my
> (especially as the price includes shipping from
> Sweden)! There are high quality images of all the
> beads, both glass and other material, and the very
> first one I clicked on I thought "holy c---, I haven't
> seen that one before!". Although a number of images of
> Frojel items are already available on the web, there's
> clearly much more still unseen.
> 
> Perhaps a strong response to this CD will encourage
> Prof. Carlson to issue CDs about the other finds. I
> can't say 'wow' ofen enough (er, I'm sure I'll calm
> down eventually).
> 
> Kat. Rous
> www.arkeodok.com

The next CD is reportedly based on the Knives and Sheathes
found on Gotland. Having already seen the ones in Die Wikingerzeit
Gotlands I & II which are separated into grave finds and then
again by type of finds, there is a reasonable amount of stuff
for them to work with. That would be Viking Age Gotland I and II
translated into English. The books from oxbowbooks.com are about
$70-80 each with postage. Which is cheaper than the $130 I paid
when Dan got me one of them. Swedish postage is incredibly high.

   While the leather almost never survived the metal banding
that was used over the seams, mouths, and belt attachments did.
Meaning they can reconstruct them with everything but the leather
decoration. There are a number of survivals in England in
Esther Cameron's: BAR 301, 2000  Sheaths and Scabbards in England 
AD 400-1100; ISBN 1841710652. £35.00  Archaeopress.com / Oxbow / 
David Brown Bk. Co., 2000. 237pp., 80 illustrations and pictures, 
extensive bibliography. Archaeopress, POB 920 Oxford OX2 7YH +44 
1865 311914 or Hadrians Books, 122 Banbury Rd Oxford OX2 7BP +44 1865
316916.  

   That's supposed to be the subject, or so my friend Sandy of the 
Frojel Gotlandica Viking Society in Australia said that Dan 
Carlsson said. I haven't written Dan to ask about it, although 
we do exchange emails. 

   I help him find stories/articles from English leads to publish
in Viking Heritage Magazine. Normally I just send the leads on
and relevant webpages for Viking Heritage to link to too. 

   It being the short summer season Dan may be out digging up 
another ten Viking Graves, which is average for his summers. 
He teaches at Gotland University the rest of the time. When they
reportedly made him take a vacation, he dug a fountain into his
yard instead. He's told me all the depressions of the old graves
can be quite clearly seen. I wonder who he thought might be in
the back yard?

   Gotland is a large Island in the Baltic Sea between Sweden/Finnland
and north of Germany/Denmark.  80% or more of Sweden's historical
artefacts of the Viking Age come from there. Major trading area
until Valdemar Atterdag destroyed the trade when he seized the 
island during the Battle of Visby in 1351 and buried about 1800
townspeople. Armour from the Battle of Wisby by Bengt Thordeman
is in reprint now and you can see all the gory bits and bones.
Yessireee, let in one Valdemar and the whole area just biodegrades.

Magnus