Abstract
This article uses previously overlooked evidence to discuss the social role of the Bronze Age corded skirt found in Scandinavia. This skirt type has been interpreted in many different ways through the years, from a summer dress to the attire of un married women, and more recently the popular la bel “ritual dress” has been applied. The aim of this article is to critically review the various interpreta tions of the use and social role of the corded skirt, drawing on the entire data set available for study rather than just a small sample of the known traces of corded skirts. Here it is shown that there is evi dence indicating that the corded skirt was used at more times, and by more people and age groups, than previously thought, suggesting that it might have been an ordinary, everyday garment rather than something extraordinary.
Highlights
The aim of this article is to critically review past interpretations of the use and social role of the corded skirt
Due to a change in burial customs in the Late Bronze Age, from inhumation to cremation burials, the material is more difficult to interpret. This change leads to fewer preserved textiles (Bender Jørgensen 1986:15). The burials from this period are not published in extensive catalogues as they are for the Early Bronze Age; it is difficult to compile an overview of the number of burials containing bronze tubes
The fact that the research on dress in the South Scandinavian Bronze Age has only fo cused on a few graves rather than including all relevant material has re sulted in severe biases in the interpretations, and here it is argued that it has led to a distorted understanding of Bronze Age gender roles, overempha sizing the ritual aspects and the “erotic” significance of the corded skirt
Summary
This article uses previously overlooked evidence to discuss the social role of the Bronze Age corded skirt found in Scandinavia. This skirt type has been interpreted in many different ways through the years, from a summer dress to the attire of un married women, and more recently the popular la bel “ritual dress” has been applied. The aim of this article is to critically review the various interpreta tions of the use and social role of the corded skirt, drawing on the entire data set available for study rather than just a small sample of the known traces of corded skirts.
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