Viking-age equal-armed brooch. This model was common as a shawl pin for women during the Viking Age. The original is from Birka, see: https://samlingar.shm.se/object/D7773EA7-505E-4575-BACE-94A25798A904
Equal-armed brooches are elongated and symmetrical, with a kind of peak in the middle and two diamond-shaped tabs extending out on each side. The brooch is usually adorned with geometric decoration or, more rarely, animal ornamentation. They appeared as early as the early Viking Age and were worn throughout the period. The size of equal-armed brooches varies somewhat, but they are typically about 6-10 cm across. Equal-armed brooches have also been worn separately without being combined with tortoise brooches.
It is worth noting that there are virtually no finds of equal-armed brooches from Gotland, which otherwise is so rich in archaeological material. In Sweden, they seem to occur primarily in the Mälardalen region, especially from Birka, where they are much more common than trefoil brooches. A fairly large number of equal-armed brooches have also been discovered at the settlement in Uppåkra in Skåne. Otherwise, there are not many finds from southern Sweden, but from Denmark there are several dozen finds, the majority of which are from Bornholm. There are also scattered finds from Småland, Öland, and other locations.
Our replica is made of bronze.
