Abstract

Glass rings from Sigtuna, Sweden. Traces of a medieval fad.This article reviews 105 glass rings, the total number, found in Sigtuna, Sweden. Of these, 89 are finger rings. The oldest finds are dated to the middle of the 11th Century. Most are from the 12th Century but some also from the 13th. Of the 65 rings with firm stratigraphical datings, 47 – two-thirds – are from the time span between 1150 to 1250. A laboratory examination of a selection of rings indicated that they predominantly were made from lead glass and lead alkali glass. No clear-cut waldglass ring beads could be singled out. The glass rings may well have been imported, although know-how to their manufacture did surely exist also in Sigtuna, where evidence of glass craft has been recognized in several town plots. The Sigtuna rings are discussed in relation to other coeval sites, in particular Ribe, Slesvig and Spandau. Both similarities and differences were noted. The number of rings from Sigtuna is significant even in a wider geographical context and it is suggested that glass rings were fashion items across much of Europe. The opinion that they were used only by people of Slavic ethnicity is thus challenged.