Vegetable fibres
Otto Frödin’s excavations
No remains of vegetable fibres are reported from the older excavations (Browall 2011) but when the present project excavated a peat block that had been collected from these excavations, three small textile fragments were recovered (Taffinder 2016).
Two posts on the Alvastra blog (Blog post 1, Blog post 2) deal with these textile fragments.
The latter post described the radiocarbon date of one of the fragments (Object number 1199457). It turned out to be from the Middle Ages.
Mats P. Malmer’s excavations
Rope
A rope fragment (Object number 1254917) of vegetable fibre, probably lime bast (Browall 2016:136), is the only find of preserved vegetable fibre recognised from Mats Malmer’s excavation. It has not been examined by any specialist. Its context has been described in detail by Hans Browall who concludes that the rope is associated with a hearth and that the context includes pitted ware ceramics, cereals and apples. The cereals include unthreshed grains still attached to the stalk, suggesting that the they were not deposited during food preparation but were rather the result of some kind of votive burning (Browall 2016:136).
Fig. 1. Rope fragment. Object number 1254917. Photo: Ola Myrin, SHM.
Basket?
The artefact in the picture below may constitute the start of a basket coiled from dried grass, e.g. sedge (Carex). Baskets can be started off by bending a bundle of dried grass or sedge (https://americanindian.si.edu/exhibitions/baskets/subpage.cfm?subpage=tech_tech).
Fig. 2. Bundle of grass or sedge. Photo SHM. Object number 1222820.
This artefact was found in the Eastern trench, but it has not been analysed by any specialist.
Fig. 3. The bottom of a basket made in 2018 by Nathalie Hinders showing the coiling technique. Photo: Jackie Taffinder, SHM.
The following references cited on this page have no web links;
Browall, H., 2011. Alvastra pålbyggnad, 1909-1930 års utgrävningar. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien. Handlingar. Antikvariska serien 48. Stockholm.
Browall, H., 2016. Alvastra pålbyggnad. 1976–1980 års utgrävningar. Västra schaktet. Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och antikvitets akademien. Handlingar. Antikvariska serien 52. Stockholm.