Estonian sheet pendants from the 11th to the 13th century: chronological aspects
Estonian sheet pendants from the 11th to the 13th century: chronological aspects

Summary/Abstract: Sheet pendants are Christian­symbolic metal plate pendants that were wide spread in Estonia from the 11th to the 17th century, with at least 1115 items found. This article focuses on Estonian sheet pendants from the 11th to the 13th century, aiming to refine their dating. Among the 222 known Estonian sheet pendants from this period, 30 can be confidently dated to the 11th century, two to the 11th century or the very beginning of the 12th century, one to the 11th–12th centuries, 159 to the 13th century, and 30 to the 12th–13th centuries. No sheet pendants have been found in Estonia that can be exclusively dated to the 12th century. It remains unclear whether sheet pendants were not worn as jewellery in Estonia during the 12th century or whether this chronological distribution of the sheet pendants under study reflects the current state of research, methodological issues in archaeology, or historical events. The article proposes several hypo theses to explain this chronological distribution. Future research will be required to determine whether any of these hypotheses are correct.

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