On Feb 12, 2008, at 4:28 PM, Catherine Olanich Raymond wrote:
It might
also depend on whether Viking women bound or otherwise wore
undergarments
that supported the breasts (something we really have no data on at
present).
Indeed. I notice that the reconstruction is worn over a modern bra.
It's also interesting that the article says the brooches (called
buckles in the article) were worn "centrally" over the breast (which
presumably means right over the nipple--ouch), but the same sentence
implies that the brooches were generally found at waist level.
Perhaps they assume that all Viking women had very large and/or saggy
breasts at death? To those who study the drawings of these grave
finds: is it true that the brooches generally show up at waist level
rather than farther up the torso? I have to say I don't think I've
ever seen anyone in re-enacting circles wear them as high as the
collarbone (cited in the article as the location that this new theory
is debunking).
I also wonder about Larsson's assertion that what was thought to be
the front of the garment was actually the back. I know that
archeology is complicated and that the passage of time obscures many
things and that fabric is often ignored during excavation, making it
difficult to determine where things were later on, but still...
Very interesting topic!
Melanie Schuessler
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