The beads from a Viking age woman's grave at Værnes (T 16136)

Images of the beads are published by Unimus, the joint web portal of the Norwegian university museums, alongside the other finds from the same grave. They are divided into six groups numbered 4 to 9. The two most unique beads make up groups 4 and 5 on their own, and two pairs of similar ones are kept together in groups 6 and 8. The remaining twelve beads, however, seems to be divided arbitrarily between groups 7 and 9. In this discussion, each bead is assigned an ID based on the Unimus grouping, with a Greek letter added indicating its position within the Unimus images (in normal reading order, α being the top left).

Because the top-down viewpoint of the majority of the Unimus images reveal little of the beads' decoration, they are supplemented here by photos taken by Hilde Thunem (and adapted by Tor Gjerde) of the beads in the display case at Stiklestad National Culture Centre where they are currently exhibited, and of the large black glass bead (currently stored at The museum of Natural History and Archeology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology - NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet).

9η 9ζ 9α 7γ 7α
7δ 7β 7ε 9γ
9β 6α 6β
9δ 9ε 8β 8α 5
4
Unimus Private photos Mean size [mm] Material Decoration
diameter height
9η 14 5 Translucent yellow glass None
9ζ 13 7 Translucent green glass None
9α 10 7 Translucent blue glass None
7γ 15 13 Translucent teal glass None
7α 18 8 Translucent teal glass None
7δ 18 8 Translucent teal glass 3 equidistant repeating designs of red and white opaque glass
7β 18 10 Translucent teal glass 3 equidistant repeating designs of red and white opaque glass
7ε 18 7 Translucent teal glass 3 equidistant repeating designs of red and white opaque glass
9γ 17 7 Translucent teal glass Sinusoidal band of red and white opaque glass
9β 19 11 Coarse opaque black glass Sinusoidal band of red and yellow opaque glass
6α 21 13 Coarse opaque black glass Randomly placed spots of blue and white opaque glass
6β 21 16 Coarse opaque black glass Randomly placed spots of blue and white opaque glass
9δ 14 6 Coarse opaque black glass Remains of white opaque glass
9ε 10 7 Opaque white glass 2 equidistant repeating designs of red, white and pale blue opaque glass
8β 11 7 Opaque orange glass None
8α 11 7 Opaque red glass None
5 13 ? Amber None
4 40 21 Opaque black glass None remaining, but the recesses may have held decorations that did not not fuse with the black glass

Reconstructions of the beads

A reconstruction of the beads was made by Atelier Cobalt based on the photographs and measurements.

Reconstruction of the beads from grave T 16136 compared to the originals

Illustration sources

Universitetenes Fotoportal: Photographs of T 16136 beads: