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Language and linen
I have just finished reading the latest ‘Sherds’ column in CA 417. His pieces are always thought-provoking, and I thoroughly enjoyed the section on the Norse/Anglo-Saxon influence on our modern language. I am fascinated by place-names, and can thoroughly recommend A Dictionary of English Place-Names by A D Mills. I keep a battered copy in the car and can spend much of a long journey investigating the origins of some of our interesting, amusing, and even ‘rude’ place-names.
I was also struck by Sherds’ comments on the production of vellum, in particular his sentence: ‘Who looked at a new-born calf and thought “book”?’. It is something I find fascinating about history, and applies to so many products we take for granted.
I volunteer at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, in Norfolk. This began life as a House of Industry with a rather different ethos to its later incarnation as a workhouse, and this is why there is a farm attached to it. Over the last two years, there has been a project to grow flax on the farm, and several volunteers have been working to turn it into linen. This is a lengthy process involving various stages, including rotting (retting) the flax, then thoroughly beating it in several different ways, before spinning to produce a thread. We have demonstrated on various occasions to the public and, aside from many people not realising that the fabric linen is made from flax, numerous people have commented: how did someone ever look at the flax plant and ‘see’ a piece of woven fabric? They are equally amazed to learn that much of the fibre found at the Bronze Age site at Must Farm is this fibre, which is so very complex to produce.
Rosita Sheen, Swaffham
Viking Curses
Sherds’ notes on the legacy left by the Vikings on the English language in CA 417 did not surprise me. As a fan of Nordic crime TV programmes, I have noticed that I do not need to read all the subtitles. This is good because, being quite severely dyslexic, I am not the world’s fastest reader. My partner and I watch Ice Road Rescue on National Geographic, and noticing the ‘strong language’ that gets bleeped out suggests it is very similar to the English.
Frank Bartlett, Barking
A Sticking Point
It is interesting to note that the preservation of the Sanday Shipwreck (below; see CA 417) might involve the use of sugar. However, I should point out that the Poole Logboat was preserved using a saturated solution of sucrose, not glucose. Glucose is hygroscopic and crystallises very slowly. It would result in a rather sticky end-product!
David Sharp, Peterborough
Edible archaeology
Dr Tess Machling has graced ‘Edible Archaeology’ before with her stunning chocolate artefacts, including a replica of an Anglo-Saxon brooch from the Corinium Museum (see CA 315). All her creations are 100% edible, and made without props or supports, and now she is back with an equally impressive chocolate rendition of the Netherurd Torc.
‘The Netherurd gold torc terminal, from the National Museum of Scotland, has never been seen as a complete torc – so I made it in chocolate!’, she explained. ‘With dark chocolate for the terminals, fondant chocolate for the wires, and coloured with edible gold paint, it is at last complete.’
CA ONLINE: What you shared with us this month
Farndon, Cheshire @FarndonCheshire
The summer excavation in Holtrevealing further traces of the Roman settlement, plus the extremely rare example of an early medieval longhouse in NE Wales, is featured in the December issue of Current Archaeology.
ChesterArchSoc @ChesterArchSoc
Fascinating article in the latest Current Archaeology on #Roman #Carlisle.
Ben Cottam @TheCottam
Really good to read aboutbrilliant @CHERISHproj in issue 417 of @CurrentArchaeo. Invaluable and fascinating project with great community focus run by a passionate team. Was fortunate to take part in supported dig with @TheDigVenturers in Caerfai #archaeology
Write to us at: CA Letters, Current Publishing, Office 120, 295 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 4HH, or by email to: letters@archaeology.co.uk For publication: 300 words max; letters may be edited.
