ABSTRACT
The production of metal jewellery flourished in Scandinavia in the early Viking period, concurrent with the emergence of new centres for trade and craft. This chapter discusses the relationship between the production and the exchange of metal dress accessories on the basis of the archaeological finds from the Viking-period town of Kaupang in Vestfold – the place in Norway that currently offers the best picture of non-ferrous metalworking. Stylistic datings and the context of the lead models reveal that the serial production continued from the foundation of Kaupang, around the year 800, right through the ninth century and into the tenth, possibly right up until the cessation of urban activity around the year 930. The largest group of lead models from Kaupang is for making equal-armed brooches, while amongst the few clay moulds in which the impression can be identified there are several for oval brooches.
