The so-called gold bracteates are a most significant archaeological resource. As small round pendants, they display rich imagery, and sometimes also runes, symbols and other characters. With that, they provide unique insights into the concepts of imagination and strategic relationships of the people during the Migration Period. Bracteates originate mainly from Scandinavia and eastern England, but also from the coastal regions of the North Sea and Baltic Sea from France to Poland. Some dispersed finds even derive from central and southern Germany and Hungary.
So far, just two pages of the online edition are open to public. They just provide some general information. The complete data will be provided later, those pages are still under construction. In the future, with this webpage it will be possible to explore the corpus of bracteates, either in the order of their numbers, or by certain criteria. Each specimen will be presented with one drawing (two, if there is a reverse) and with specific information: e.g. about the image(s), the categories it belongs to, the techniques it has been made with and the find circumstances. The texts are based on the information of the German Catalogue (see below) of the bracteates, which also delivers the distinct “IK-numbers” (see categories). Information from several other publications is included. Concerning new finds after 2011, in some cases there are no pictures and closer information available yet.
If you have found or heard of a new bracteate, please inform us. Morten Axboe is responsible for collecting available information and assigning the important IK-numbers to every new find.
Your international “bracteate team”, the members of the “team for research in gold bracteates”: Dr. Morten Axboe (Copenhagen), Dr. Charlotte Behr (London), Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Heizmann (Munic), Prof. Dr. Sigmund Oehrl (Stavanger), and Prof. Dr. Alexandra Pesch (Schleswig).
German Catalogue = Ikonographischer Katalog 1985–1989:
- Karl Hauck (ed.): Die Goldbrakteaten der Völkerwanderungszeit. Ikonographischer Katalog (Münstersche Mittelalter-Schriften 24, 1,1 bis 3,2). München 1985–1989. (Electronic full-text service: Digitale-Sammlungen)
Supplement 2011:
- Wilhelm Heizmann, Morten Axboe (eds.), Die Goldbrakteaten der Völkerwanderungszeit – Auswertung und Neufunde (Ergänzungsbände zum RGA 40). Berlin/New York 2011.