11th century sprang belt from Latvia

When scrolling the internet for sprang they turn up, small pieces of information about the 11th century sprang belts of Latvia. Its written about four pieces but during excavations pieces from so many as 20 belts has been found. But information online is inadequate to say the least...

 

The cemeteries excavated (during a more than 100 year long period) belonged to the Livonians, or Livs, that where a Balto-Finnic people indigenous to the northern and northwestern Latvia. Historically, the Livs lived in two separate areas of Latvia, one group in Livonia and the other on the northen coast of Courland. The cemeteries are located close to modern day Riga. The analyze contains materials from 25 archaeological sites of the Livs, for example Vampeneiš I (196 graves), Vampenei II (115 graves) and Rausu (169 graves) cemeteries. When it comes to the sprang belts Salaspils Laukskola cemetary and Ikskiles Zarinu cemetary must be mentioned. 

 

Sprang belt in Latvian is mežģītā pinuma, and is often translated into lace belts or knitted belts but they are certainly made by the sprang technique. Sprang was, according to Anna Zarina (Lībiešu apģērbs Latvijā) common in northern Europe from the bronze age to the 12th century. Hilary Davidsson and Leva Pigozne (Archaeological Textiles and Dress in Latvia from the 7th to the 13th century) confirm sprang were used but that it was common towards the end of the period, so I guess around 11th to 13th century. 

Remains of belt from Laukskola grave 497.

All of the 20 belts are found in female graves. They are made out of wool of different quality and 3-9 cm wide. Mainly small fragments have survived, but there are two belts better preserved than the rest, from Ikšķile Zariņu number 8 and Salaspils Laukskolas number 497. Its also why there are only two replicas possible to find online, the rest of the belts are to far gone to be able to get a pattern from. The wool is 0.8-1.0 mm and spun in a z direction. On average, 1 cm of sprang includes 12-14 threads. The wool of all sprang belts are bright reddish (strongly yellow) visible under a microscope, they used to be stained red or reddish-brown.  

 

All the belts are made plain, but patterned, with a base of interlinking and the pattern stand out in relief. Its unclear if the pattern are made by simple changing the direction of the z- and s-twist or if its intertwining, or if both technique are used in different belts. The pattern are made with small geometric figures, triangles, rhombuses and polygons. In one belt more than one figure could occur. For example, three fragments have been preserved for the belt of grave 8 of Zarinu, which contain three different elements of the pattern. Diamonds are repeated 12 times in the second fragment, triangles 5 times, diamonds 3 times in the third. But there are also triangles and rhombuses in that same belt. There are four distinct patterns in the three fragments of the belt of the grave 37 of Laukskola, the belt of the grave 94 - six different variants of the pattern, and the belt of the grave 497 - only one variant of the rhombic pattern.

 

So why make a 11th century sprang belt when focusing at 16th century Germany? Well...I do love sprang and have an idea of making replicas of all the ancient and medieval sprang finds out there...and...I got asked to be the lady in waiting for the prince and princess of Nordmark and the only fashion we all have in common where viking. My vikingclothing were made like 15 years ago and I wanted to spice it up a bit. And for a person loving sprang the choice where obvious, I needed to use sprang both for the belt and for the headband. Danish and Swedish people came to Latvia during the Viking age and formed a settlement on the west coast. Plundering and made trade. So why not, maybe a belt like this could have ended up in Sweden, as a trade or on a person traveling here. I will write more about the whole outfit when its done. 

 

I made my belt in red wool. It was unclear to me if the pattern was made by chancing the direction of the threads or if it was made with by intertwining, where the thread float on top of the surface and the relief is much more clear. I tried changing of the direction but it did not look as sharp as it does in one of the replicas found online. So I decided to use intertwining. The finished belt has 10 threads per cm, so my yarn is a little bit thicker than most of what they used, or maybe just not twisted hard enough when spun. The picture below show my, very small, tryout at changing the direction of the threads to get the effect I wanted. It might needed to be worked in a longer piece to get the right effect.

The two replicas are made from the two best preserved belt, from Salaspils Laukskolas cemetary and Ikskiles Zarinu cemetary. For one of them a picture of the remains can be found online. There are only fragments left and its not possible to see how long it was. The replica is 260 cm long and 3 cm wide. For the other one there are only this one picture of the replica to find online. I wrote to the National Museum of Latvia, by the help of a friend speaking Latvian, but could not get any better pictures. The other replica is 266 long and 5 cm wide. The replicas are both made by Edith Boikova after patterns made by Anna Zarina. 

 

I made my belt on a board, I wanted to make two at the same time. The belt from Laukskola grave 497 are actually joined together in the middle but I find that very difficult, with hardly any space for the hands to work. I might try that in another belt but I know I usually dont like the outcome while doing that. It would have worked fine doing the belt on a frame with a circular warp too, but then I would only have one belt by now.

 

Sprang belt, replica, from grave 8 of Ikskile Zarinu cemetery, made by Edith Boikova.

 

I had only tried the intertwining sprang once before, and that time was with intertwining threads in white, very easy to see. This time I needed to do it whit red on red. I needed to learn how to see when it was time for the intertwining twist. But I soon got the hang of it. Even though the bows in the pattern might be a little bit less sharp in the first parts of the belts...

 

 

 

My belt is 220 cm long and 3 cm wide. I wanted a belt that I could put two laps around my waist. I can do it with 220 cm but it is a little to short in my opinion. I dont know the fashion of the era that well so I dont know how they would have wore it. Maybe there are to little left for anyone to know... My belt do look like the replica from grave 8 at Ikskile Zarinu cemetery. I used the same pattern all across the belt. There were one belt found with the same pattern all over so I figure it was not wrong.

I made a fringe at the end of my belt. That is not entirely correct but I wanted to make as much belt as I could and a long braid would make the belt shorter. The next belt need to get a ending like one of the originals. The originals are ended with delicate braids. For example, in Zarinu 8, the ends are twisted into eight four-cornered braids, two loops are crossed in long sections, and ends with a fringes, round cords are twisted around four threads, at the end of which a knot is thrown at each end. Lauksola's grave 497 – a 3-section braid. 

 

End of belt from Käbelu 9 from the book Lībiešu apģērbs Latvijā.

At the end of the belt of Käbelu grave 9, a row of bronze rings is tied, behind it is a woven cord that ends with the threads twisted in four braids, while the ends of the cord's wefts form a thick, tightly tied half with bronze wire. The Krimulda belt also has a similar end cap. The part created at the ends of the warp is more luxurious: a 3x3 cm braid with a pattern is wrapped around a delicate bronze spiral. 

 

End from Zarini 8 and Laukskola 497 from the book Lībiešu apģērbs Latvijā.

I really need to make a belt with bronze rings spirals. That is a way of decorating clothing that the Livs shared with the Finns during this time-period and I think it looks so beautiful. I might put some on the end of my belt anyway, just to be able to use that technique.

Source: 

Lībiešu apģērbs Latvijā, Anna Zarina, 1988

Archaeological Textiles and Dress in Latvia from the 7th to the 13th century. Research, Results, Reconstructions. Hilary Davidson and Leva Pigozne. 2007

http://www.history-museum.lv