A very special gold ring was found in Utrecht: a medieval Love Ring, or Promise Ring. It is unique because it is the first of its kind found in The Netherlands. The discovery was presented to the world by Landschap Erfgoed Utrecht.

This ‘black letter posy ring’ was made between 1375 and 1550. On the inside this gold ring has a poetic line: Amours portent mon cuer à mon ami. Translated it reads ‘love leads my heart to my beloved’.

We do not know who the beloved was, or to whom the ring belonged. Promise rings like these were not uncommon in Europe. Especially in Great Britain these rings were common to declare your love for a person.

The Utrecht ring is unique in several aspects. Not only is it the first one found here in the Low Lands, but the text is remarkable as well. Who is ‘mon ami‘ ?

Usually this type of ring was given to a woman by a man. But then, following the rules of French grammar, it would have been ‘mon amie’ with an E.

Was it, in this case, a woman who gave the ring to a man? Or was it a ring from a man to another man? The French language from those days was studied but that gave no clues as to why there was only an I at the end of ‘ami’. It is extraordinary to say the least!

The snow in my country makes me long for hot cocoa and knitting. Yes, knitting. I am not going to show you what I knit myself. That really isn’t something to write about. Instead, what I am going to share with you today, is just a bit outside the SCA time frame. But you know what? I don’t care! These hats, because it is hats I am going to show you, are absolutely adorable and date from the late 17th century.

In 1980 archaeologists investigated the graves of 185 Dutchmen – whale hunters and workmen of the train oil refineries – who had died on or near Spitsbergen during the 17th century. The skeletons were still wearing their knitted woollen caps! Each cap was individualized; the men recognized one another only by the pattern of stripes on the caps. The men were bundled up so tightly against the fierce cold that only their eyes were visible. And, if you have ever been in a snowstorm, you know you can barely see. So those hats were important to recognize a particular co-worker.

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The amazing re-enactor Sally Pointer also has a pattern available on Ravelry, or you can order from her shop. She describes these caps as doubly knitted. The hats are without seams, so made on a circular needle OR on 4 separate needles. You then create a very long tubular shaped item, Sally describes it as a “large flat rugby ball”. You then fold one end into the other, thus creating a very warm double layered hat. You can felt them, as was costumary back then and will of course also give you warm ears today 😉

This hat from Marken you see hereunder, dates from the 1800s. You can see how the lighter knitwork can become the lining by folding it inwards.

If you look on elsewhere on Ravelry, the knitting community online, you will be able to find a pattern if you look for ‘Dutch whaler’s cap‘. So, what’s keeping you? Get your yarn!

The entire Spitsbergen excavation is documented in this book by archeologist Sandra Comis, I will try to find an English version and post it here as well.

Archeologists have uncovered quite a few remarkable graves in Belgium from the 7th century. Read on if this is your thing!

The river Durme, near Elversele in Belgium, has been a place of habitation since the beginning of time. Some 47 Merovingian graves and grave finds were uncovered in 2018. The finds are quite unique for the area.

On a small sand dune, archeologists discovered a grave field of 32×18 metres with 47 graves in total. The graves and grave finds all dated from the Merovingian era. After analysis of the grave items, it was discovered the graves were from the 7th century and a discovery like that is quite rare in Flanders. The site has a ton of information on burial rituals, status and culture of these early medieval people.

In Flanders, the Merovingians ruled from the 5th till the 8th century. Men, women and children were buried individually, usually in a wooden grave chamber or coffin. The deceased received a lot of goods for the journey to the Other Side. Beads, amulets, fibulae were found, but also daggers, swords, knives and shields.