Viking Age Ringed Pins from Dublin

Excavations carried out in Ireland between 1962 and 1981 yielded a staggering collection of copper-alloy and ringed pins. They form approximately one-third of the known body of ringed pins from Viking and medieval Europe. In this work, the late Professor Thomas Fanning defines and classifies the material evidence from the Dublin excavations, comparing them with assemblages from Irish sites and Viking Europe. Ringed pins were produced in Ireland from as early as the fourth century AD, but the type was quickly adapted by the Viking settlements. One workshop dedicated to the production of copper-alloy ringed pins and stick pins was found in High Street, Dublin.A