Viking belts in the mirror of archaeological finds
The Viking belts in the assortment of Pera Peris
Viking belts In the medieval shop of Pera Peris we offer you a large selection of authentic Viking belts, which are equipped with detailed replicas of historical buckles, strap ends and belt fittings from the Viking Age, which you can either buy in inexpensive cast zamac or in high-quality bronze.
zamak casting or high-quality bronze casting and even silver-plated.
The majority of our Viking belts are made of a solid belt strap made of vegetable tanned cowhide, which is long enough to be worn knotted, as was often the case in the Viking Age.
In addition to the long Viking belts, you can also buy Viking-era belts in our online shop that have a normal length and are great as a stylish accessory in jeans, but can also be worn very decoratively on historical garments.
In addition to the more common Viking belts with a width of 2 cm, you can also buy Viking belts in our medieval shop that are only 1.5 cm narrow or up to 5 cm wide.
Below you will find more detailed information about the belt fashion of the Viking Age.
The different types of Viking belts
It may seem strange at first, but historical Viking belts were often very much based on the belt fashion of the eastern equestrian peoples, such as the Magyars and the Avars who preceded them.
Therefore, many Viking belts with buckles and fittings of eastern type have been found in Viking Age graves in the graves of the eastern trading settlements of the Vikings, such as Chernigov and Novgorod, but also from Scandinavian sites such as Birka and Gotland.
Often these Viking belts were only equipped with a simple forged buckle, mostly forged from a simple iron bar in a rectangular or D shape, as was also common in the preceding and later following centuries.
For horse harnesses, the Vikings also used roller buckles with movable sleeves, as they are still in use today, but these were not used for Viking belts for personal clothing.
In addition to these simple Viking belts, however, there is also a lot of evidence of belts with magnificently decorated buckles. Often these Viking belts had buckles with variously intertwined knot motifs and depictions of animals and lavishly decorated strap ends, mostly made of cast bronze, but also of silver and sometimes even gilded.
Sometimes the Viking belts recovered from archaeological finds were also equipped with long rows of closely spaced decorative fittings, as was particularly common with the belts of the Magyars. A strap tongue often formed the decorative end of a Viking belt.
In addition to belt buckles made of cast bronze and forged iron, Viking belts with buckles made of bone (leg), which could be decorated with carved motifs, are also worth mentioning for the Viking Age.
Viking belts from different sites
As a rule, Viking belts were quite narrow, often only 2 - 3 cm wide, but as the belt buckle from the famous ship grave at Gokstad shows, for example, Viking belts with a 4 cm opening were also quite possible. Viking belts with a width of only 1.5 cm have also been documented.
Of the Viking belts excavated in the Swedish settlement of Birka, belt components of Frankish origin or at least influenced by Carolingian design forms were also found in 29 men's graves and 3 women's graves. In another 32 graves, mainly occupied by women, Viking belts in the "oriental" style were also found.
In the Viking settlement of Haithabu, in addition to remains of Viking belts and their buckles and fittings of the Scandinavian and Carolingian type, there were also those with influences from the Slavs and Rus, which sheds light on the widespread trading activities of the Vikings.
Unfortunately, there is hardly any evidence of belts from the Frankish Empire due to the Christian burial custom without grave goods, although they will certainly have existed. Evidence of belts in the form of belt buckles and strap fittings is therefore found almost exclusively in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
Stylised acanthus flowers in particular were common on Frankish belts in the Viking Age. Plain rectangular and U-shaped strap tongues were also in use among the Carolingian Franks.
The Viking Belts of Gotland
The Viking belts of Gotland are a speciality, which differed clearly from the western Viking belts and were subject to a stronger fashionable influence from the areas of Rus and the nomadic peoples of the Russian steppes.
1100 Viking graves have been investigated on the island of Gotland to date. The majority of the Gothic Viking belts were found in men's graves and were clearly different from the Viking belts on the Swedish mainland.
The Gothic Viking belts were mostly only equipped with simple buckles and strap ends made of sheet bronze, decorated with simple line decoration or punched triangular ornaments.
It was also common for Gothic Viking belts to have small, rectangular bronze plates riveted close together around the entire belt. Sometimes the Gothic Viking belts could also consist of two parts that were connected with a separate strap distributor to which, for example, a knife was attached.
Basically, it can be stated that evidence of Viking belts is mainly found in men's graves. Thus, for women's costumes, it is possibly more likely to be fabric belts, such as those made by board weaving.
With regard to the very high number of brooches from the Viking Age, however, it must be noted that the number of finds of Viking belts is also quite small for men's costumes, but some form of belt will certainly have been worn by everyone in the Viking Age, even if it was only a simple knit.
Further belts in the Pera Peris range
We would be pleased if you liked this little excursion about Viking belts and if you would like to buy a suitable Viking belt in our medieval shop, be it as an authentic accessory for Viking or medieval reenactment or as a stylish belt on a LARP or in everyday life.
Whichever type of Viking belt you choose, you are sure to find the right Viking belt for you in our extensive range.
In addition to our Viking belts, you can also buy many other historical belts at Pera Peris.
For example, in our online shop you will find a very extensive range of medieval belts with detailed replicas of medieval belt buckles and fittings as well as historical belts from the time of the Celts and Romans.
In the LARP belt category, you can also buy leather belts with a decorative buckle and an extra-long belt strap so that they can be worn knotted like typical Viking belts.
You can also buy classic buckle belts and leather belts in normal length, either made from inexpensive split leather or from solid cowhide. Our leather belts are not only suitable as fashionable accessories for everyday use, but are also perfect for wearing on historical garments.
Belt accessories for Viking belts
If you prefer to make your own Viking belt instead of a ready-made belt, you can buy a wide range of belt accessories in our medieval shop.
In addition to authentic replicas of Viking belt buckles and strap ends based on historical models, you will also find a wide range of decorative rivets and bronze fittings, closely modelled on Viking finds.
The belt buckles, strap ends and fittings for our Viking belts are either cast in high-quality bronze or in genuine silver-plated, or are made of inexpensive zinc alloy.
Whichever material you prefer for your Viking belt, be it for authentic reenactment in a Viking camp, a themed LARP or a spontaneous stroll through a medieval market, you are sure to find the right belt accessories to make an authentic Viking belt according to your own ideas.
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