Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2007, Qupperneq 47

Nails, Rivets, and Clench Bolts: A Case for Typological Clarity
contexts has great potential for illuminat-
ing medieval use-patterns and enriching
our understanding of widespread cultural
and ritual practices. The study of clench
bolts in burials illustrated this potential by
supporting an interpretation of the clench
bolts as an expression of the Scandina-
vian boat burial practice. The interpretive
potential of nails, rivets and clench bolts
will only fully be realized with a clear
typology and a consistently applied ter-
minology that recognizes the differences
between the three artifact types. I there-
fore suggest that the following terms be
used in English, Icelandic, and Danish:
1) ‘nail’ (English) = ‘nagli’ (Icelandic) =
‘s0m’ (Danish)
2) ‘rivet’ (English) = ‘hnoðnaglV (Ice-
landic) = ‘nagle’ (Danish)
3) ‘clench bolt’ (English) = ‘rónagli’
(Icelandic) = ‘klinknagle’ (Danish)
Acknowledgments
I am grateful for the support from the US
National Science Foundation, the town of
Mosfellsbær, the Mosfell Archaeological
Project (MAP), and the UCLA Friends of
Archaeology, which made my research
possible. The staffattheNational Museurn
of Iceland, particularly Guðmundur Olaf-
sson and Halldóra Asgeirsdóttir enabled
me to analyze the Icelandic artifacts and
generously offered their help, advice, and
fruitful discussions. I am grateful to Jen-
nie Dillon for redrawing Figure 1. I par-
ticularly thank Jesse Byock for his men-
toring and guidance and Colleen Donley
for her patience and editorial skills.
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