UPDATE: This research is now published. Please find more information and access to the entire peer-reviewed publication through the following links:
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For the past year, SoCA has been involved in a research project aimed at determining the nature of hide products used in prehistoric shields in Northern Europe. The research project, which is undertaken in association with the School of Conservation (Copenhagen) and Aarhus University, specifically focuses on Germanic shields from c. 350 BC to 1000 AD, but also includes a well-preserved shield from Latvia, dated to the 9th century. The shield from Latvia is the main focus of separate project undertaken in association with the National Museum of Latvia.

We have extracted samples of surviving hide from the rim and facing of several archaeological shield finds, and submitted them to various microanalyses. The microanalyses are conducted in order to learn more about what animal species was preferred for shield constructions and how the hide product was treated before having been applied.

While separate hide products have traditionally been grouped together as "leather" or "hide" in archaeological literature, it has become apparent that the treatment of the hide has significant implications for the durability of the shield and its function. It is therefore important to try to determine the specific type of hide product in the various shield constructions.

But is it even possible to identify tanned leather, rawhide or parchment on such old archaeological material? We are currently working on a forthcoming paper which will hopefully shed light on this question and the results of our groundbreaking study.

Please visit our website for more information about this project:
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Project team members:
Rolf Fabricius Warming (Cand.mag., MA)
René Larsen (PhD, associate professor emeritus)
Dorte V. P. Sommer (Cand.scient.cons.)
Xenia Pauli Jensen (PhD)
Luise Ørsted Brandt (PhD)

A special thanks to Jacob Nyborg Andreassen (SoCA member) for several of the photos included in this clip.

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