Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2007, Page 34

Davide Zori
NAILS, RIYETS, AND CLENCH BOLTS: A
CASE FOR TYPOLOGICAL CLARITY
This paper reevaluates the current terms and typology used for small functional
iron artifacts from medieval northwestern Europe and discusses the advantages of
a more uniform terminology for understanding the morphological and functional
differences between nails, rivets and clench bolts. Examination of data collected
from the National Museum of Iceland illustrates some of the potential typologi-
cal difficulties that compromise classification of iron artifacts. Examples from
English- and Danish-language publications show that these typological difficulties
are a common problem across northwestem Europe. Focusing on the inclusion of
clench bolts in Viking Age graves, the final section exemplifies the interpretive
potential of nuanced iron artifact type identification for yielding insights into a
widespread mortuary practice. Finally, the paper presents a revised terminology for
nails, rivets, and clench bolts in English, Icelandic, and Danish.
Davide Zori, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology,
University of California, Los Angeles, USA. Email: dzori@ucla.edu
Keywords: Middle Ages; Iceland; iron artifacts; typology; burials
I. Introduction:
Functional Iron Artifacts
Nails, rivets, and clench bolts are not
glamorous. They are rarely displayed as
special items in museums, and mani-
fest no great differences in form across
regions and time. Often overlooked if not
perceived as particularly important for
a specific research question (Bill 1992:
55), scholars have treated these function-
al iron objects in a marginal fashion. An
example of this marginalization is evident
in the comprehensive and seminal work,
Viking Artifacts: A Select Catalogue, in
which James Graham-Campbell (1980)
omits any individual treatment of nails,
rivets, or clench bolts.
Considering the importance
these artifacts had in medieval society,
the scant mention of functional ironwork
in the archaeological literature appears
unjustified. Nails, rivets, and clench
bolts, some of the simplest items pro-
duced by the medieval ironsmith (Tyle-
cote 1987: 262), were used in most con-
struction contexts. They played a vital
role in the fabrication of ships, houses,
sheds, doors, roofs, carts, sledges,
shields, boxes, coffins, and other objects
and structures made of wood, and are,
as a result, frequently the most com-
mon finds from medieval archaeological
sites. In most excavation contexts, these
functional iron artifacts are the only
remaining record of wooden objects or
structures, and therefore often have a
pivotal role in archaeological arguments
(e.g. Skaaning 1992). The recording
Archaeologia Islandica 6 (2007) 32-47