Glass in the Viking Age

Beads, beakers and windows

For many years, we have known that the Vikings loved to adorn themselves with beautiful glass beads. Skilled bead makers crafted them from tiny rods of coloured glass, working beside their furnaces in the marketplace at Ripa. The raw glass was imported from the Mediterranean, while other foreign traders brought exquisite drinking beakers from the Rhineland area to Ripa. These elegant vessels were luxury items, owned only by the wealthiest members of society. When a beaker broke, its fragments were often given a new life in the making of glass beads.

The use of window glass in Viking Age Denmark, however, has only been confirmed in recent years. The National Museum of Denmark has documented that glass windows did exist, although they were exceptionally rare and reserved for the elite and for religious buildings. Earlier this year, six beautiful stained glass windows were created and installed in Ansgar Church at Ribe VikingeCenter.

This week, glass takes centre stage in Ripa, from shimmering beads to colourful stained glass windows. Join us for a fascinating week of craftsmanship, discoveries and stories about the remarkable role glass played in the Viking Age.

Programme subject to change.