Beyond Typology: Combs, Economics, Symbolism and Regional Identity in Late Norse Scotland

Abstract

Through a small number of distinctive comb types found in Scotland in the Late Norse period (12th-14th century AD) we seek to show how artefacts might be used for wider interpretations than the establishment of chronologies. The form of the various comb types reflects major elements within the lives of those who commissioned and used them. These elements are a combination of symbolic representations of economic activity and the need to express regional loyalties and identities within a wider cultural milieu.