Frankish Jewelry: 100+ Great Silent Stories

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As part of my work as a tour guide at an archaeology museum in the Netherlands, I give lectures on jewelry and archaeology. This way, I combine my history studies with my love for jewelry.

During these lectures, I posit that as an archaeologist, you should be happier when you find a piece of jewelry than when you dig up an old pot, simply because a piece of jewelry tells much more about the person, as owner and wearer of that piece of jewelry than that same pot that was most likely purchased and used by thousands of others.

A piece of jewelry not only means emotion but also indicates what the state of technology was at the time the piece of jewelry was made. What was the status of the jewelry owner and his financial position?

Proof of this proposition is the jewelry we found from the Frankish period. This blog is about the Frankish jewelry made in the 4th to the 8th century AD.

Who were those Franks anyway?

The Franks were a federation of Germanic tribes formed in the middle of the 3rd century AD. They originally came from the northeastern Netherlands and northwestern Germany but settled in the Roman Empire up to Belgium and France. They were probably hunted down by the Saxons, another tribe.

After they invaded the weakened Roman Empire, they managed to break and take over Roman power. The Romans even hired the Franks to guard their borders and were even paid for it.

That is to say… the Franks refused to pay taxes to the Romans, who were too weak to enforce it. In other words, the Franks defended the borders, paid no taxes for it, and went so far as to make parts of the Roman Empire (the Netherlands, Belgium, and France) their sphere of influence. And formed the new elite in that area.

Meanwhile, in the 5th century AD, Roman authority collapsed and the Franks took over the government. The Frankish king Clovis from the Merovingian family took over power and worked on expanding the Frankish Empire.

So much for the historical context.

The influence of faith

To better understand this story, it is important to know that the Franks initially worshipped several gods. And that cremation and burial occurred side by side.

Until about the 7th century, the deceased were given grave gifts, such as pots and pans, and precious Frankish jewelry. And all kinds of objects to make the journey to Valhalla easier during that journey you had to look decent, so if you could afford it, the most beautiful jewelry was placed in the grave. In the 6th century, swords were even added if you were a man.

That makes an archaeologist very happy because the Frankish jewelry in particular told more about the person who was buried somewhere. Rich and powerful men were given enormous swords in the grave.

Powerful and wealthy women had luxurious jewelry, which showed which precious metals and gemstones people knew and had access to. What the status of a person was and which techniques they had mastered.

When the Franks slowly but surely converted to Christianity from the 6th century onwards, the tradition of grave gifts ended, because that was not customary in Christianity.

Frankish women played a pioneering role in the introduction and spread of Christianity in the Frankish empire. Around 500 AD, Queen Clothilde, the wife of King Clovis, convinced him to become a Christian, and many women tried to convert their husbands to Christianity too.

You will also see that from around 700 AD, Frankish jewelry is found in the graves of rich women, decorated with Christian symbols. Nunneries with powerful abbesses also emerged and female saints were popular, such as Cunera van Rhenen.

Goldsmithing

Whereas the women probably occupied themselves with spinning and weaving, metalworking was the domain of the men, the blacksmith. They made tools, and weapons, such as swords, window fittings, and … jewelry.

Specialized blacksmiths could make the swords and jewelry sparkle. Cloak pins or fibulae were inlaid with red almandine (probably from India) using a thin plate with a grid underneath. When light fell on the gemstone, it gave a magnificent effect. The blacksmith also made bracelets, rings, cloak pins, earrings, and buckles.

An important find from the Merovingian period was the treasure in the royal tomb of King Childeric I, which was unfortunately largely lost in 1831. The Frankish jewelry that was left were several gold bees, which were sewn onto Childeric’s cloak.

Other major finds from this period, which clearly showed what the ‘fashion’ was, and which techniques were used, were the fibulae (cloak pins), found in Wijnaldum in Friesland. Made of gold, inlaid with red almandine and enamel.

Frankish women

While the Frankish lords guarded the borders and fought hostile tribes, either to defend the Roman Empire or later to expand their empire, the Frankish women stayed at home and managed the household and sometimes the local government.

We know this from the grave gifts they received, which tell us a lot about the status of the women and the power of a certain individual.

In their graves, we found keys and chests, which point to their key role in local society. They guarded the entrance to their house, the (food) supplies, and their possessions. In the few written sources we have about this period, we can read between the lines that they were in control and also exerted influence on strategic decisions and political issues.

In the graves, we have also found rock crystal balls, which were worn on a belt by older women. We still have no idea what these rock crystal balls were used for. Was it a connection with the supernatural? Could these women interpret dreams? Could they predict the future?

Frankish jewelry

Frankish women loved jewelry and could afford it. In addition, because they lived on large rivers, they had access to an enormous trade and traffic network, so they had access to beautiful precious metals and gemstones for making (or having made) magnificent Frankish jewelry.

The evidence for this ‘love of jewelry’ can be found in the numerous women’s graves where we have found cloak pins (fibulae) and strings of beads.

The cloak pins served to keep clothing in place. Zippers and buttons had not yet been invented at that time. Dresses consisted of two separate parts, which were secured at the shoulders by a cloak pin. You often see these cloak pins in pairs.

The fibulae (cloak pins) were not only practical but they were also seen as jewelry and were therefore beautifully decorated. They were made of precious metals and were decorated with beautiful patterns (some with animal figures) and inlaid with precious stones. Beads were strung together and worn around the neck, or fastened along the neckline of clothing. In the women’s graves, we also find beads near the wrist, which suggests that they also wore bracelets. Or that they hung on a belt.

The Frankish beads are made of colored glass and -for them- exotic gemstones, such as amethyst, rock crystal, but also amber. When researching the composition of these beads, it turned out that their origins were very diverse. They came from the Baltic Sea area, from the Mediterranean area, but also from Egypt and even India.

The fact that the beads were imported from far and wide is possible due to the proximity of large rivers, over which a lot of traffic and trade was possible. In this way, Byzantine (the Eastern Roman Empire) influences also ended up in Frankish jewelry. The Byzantines used light-weight gold (not solid gold) and more emphasis was placed on the use of precious stones.

The Frankish jewelry for men consisted of a signet ring and sometimes a torque. This is a stiffer neck ring, made of precious metal, with knobs at the ends. Especially the men who were powerful and rich wore such a torque as a status symbol. You can also compare them with the current chain of office.

Gold treasure of Rhenen

Earlier in this blog I mentioned that the archaeologists mainly found the Frankish jewelry in graves. If you are lucky, you will find several graves together, which provide a good insight into the extent to which Frankish jewelry was worn, the precious metals used, the style, and the techniques used. We were lucky enough to find the gold treasure of Rhenen, a place on the Veluwe, a nature reserve in Central Netherlands. Between 1930 and 1938, 2 gold neck rings (torques) were found in Rhenen, together with a link from a necklace. The link was probably part of a larger chain or hung from one of the torques.

In some settings of the gold link, you can see the original filling with colored glass, and the link is decorated with gold balls. At the ends of the link and on the back, you can see classic acanthus motifs. This could be a sign that the link was made in a Roman studio. Only, the link has a shape that is often found in Frankish jewelry (and therefore not Roman).

What is special is that there is an inscription on the back of the link. This states that Ere made it for a gold weight of 5 unciae (136.44 grams) for the price of 22,000 denarii on behalf of Proclu(s) between 301 and 385 AD.

The gold used for this Frankish ornament (torque) comes from melted Roman coins with a high gold content. The Franks received these from the Romans as payment (salary) for guarding the borders.

The strange thing is that a jeweler from this period found that the gold of the neck rings has a higher content than the Roman ducats. So either they were very special ducats with an extremely high gold content that were used for the production of these neck rings. Or other gold was added, which had a much higher gold content.

Gold Roman coins in Frankish jewelry

In the third century AD, there was a major political, economic, and social crisis in the Roman Empire. The power of the Roman emperor was waning. The precious metals such as gold and silver fell sharply in value so the exploitation of the Roman gold mines was no longer profitable. Due to a lack of gold, the Roman emperor then hastily had the gold coins exchanged for silver coins.

However… the Franks were either devoted to the gold coins or did not let themselves be fooled by an exchange of gold for silver. In any case, not all gold coins were handed in and/or exchanged. That is why we regularly come across gold Roman coins during excavations, which have been made into pendants with the help of melted coins. We call these the so-called North Sea ornaments.

The golden woman of Rhenen

A very rich woman’s grave has been excavated on the Donderberg near Rhenen, in which a large quantity of gold Frankish jewelry and objects were found. Such as fibulae, silver earrings, a bracelet, a ring, and a box. Between the upper legs of this lady were 4 gold Roman coins, with the image of the Roman emperor on them, which had been made into a pendant (North Sea ornaments).

Several graves have been found here with Frankish jewelry in them. And they cannot all have been powerful and very rich people. Through research, we know that luxury and therefore also luxurious Frankish jewelry was accessible to a large part of the population. Made possible by the extensive international trade network.

A large amount of knowledge that we have acquired about the Franks has its origins in the finds of Frankish jewelry. Especially since the Romans were no longer in power, writing and the skills of reading and writing declined dramatically. And if you do not have sources, then you have to rely on finds, such as Frankish jewelry, that tell the story.

The Frankish women only knew the traditional Frankish jewelry. A utility object such as a cloak pin became a real piece of jewelry over time, because of the decorations and the precious metals from which the pin was made. We have more choices today. Choice in materials, shapes, and styles. Do you want to know which jewelry suits you best?

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