Project Proposal continued and Annotated Bibliography

The main questions we will be examining throughout our analysis are: Was trichinopoly a specialized craft made by craftsmen or was it done in the home? Was it a masculine or feminine trade? And does the specific metal used affect the ease of production of the trichinopoly pieces? Our reconstructions of trichinopoly chains will be made from copper jewelery wire and silver-plated jewelery wire, depending what is available in local craft stores and within our range of affordability. We will be creating the chains based on instruction from hobby jewelerymaker Katie Gibson, who is experienced in 'viking knit', another name for the modern hobbyist form of trichinopoly chains, using her supplies and equipment. The main challenges we forsee in this project are the apparent lack of documentation of the original process of making trichinopoly chains, the low number of known samples of the chains, and the learning curve involved in working with metal. We will be doing most of the recreation work during the week of Congress at Uvic, while classes are not in session. This will vary slightly depending on our individual schedules, however we have each other's contact information and can arrange meetings as needed. 

Bellingham H 1906. Annual Address. Journal of County Louth Archaeological Society 1(3): 5-14.

In his address to the County Louth Archaeological Society, Sir Henry Bellingham discusses the Ardagh Chalice, an antiquity of interest to the Irish reading audience. While Bellingham states that Ireland has a particular interest in the preservation of relics discovered in the region, it is the Ardagh Chalice that is of great interest to him. Bellingham then goes on to discuss the chalice in detail, including the design of the chalice, the metals used to manufacture the metal, inscriptions and animal forms, and two silver wire chains thought to be created by the process of Trichinopoly. Dated between the tenth and the early eleventh century, Bellingham points to the chalice as a motivational tool for continuing to study relics found within Ireland. With regard to the project, this article is useful because of its mention of Trichinopoly, its dating of the Ardagh Chalice, and its relative location in Ireland which can help us place the practice of Trichinopoly into a historical/archaeological context.

Petrie, G 1850-1853. On an Ancient Brooch found near Drogheda. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 5: pp36-40

Dr. George Petrie discusses his find of an ancient brooch, or a fibula, belonging a Mr. Waterhouse of Dame-street. Petrie describes the brooch as consisting of two “peculiarities”; the brooch is made of copper and tin alloys rather than bronze and has an attached chain made of silver created by the process of Trichinopoly. These peculiarities are important, as they were not found in any other specimen at the time of this article’s publishing. Petrie goes on to say that this type of brooch design may be associated with Celtic art as well as the Moorish tribes of Africa and could also be associated with Irish Antiquity. Petrie assigns the date of manufacture between the eleventh and early twelfth century. Finally, as the brooch is a piece of early Irish art, Petrie calls for the brooch to be placed in a museum. This article is relevant to our project not only for its mention of Trichinopoly, but also for its mention of silver, which seems to be the metal of choice with regard to its manufacture. This article also ties in with the others in terms of dating and its location within Ireland.

Richardson, H 1980. Derrynavlan and Other Early Church Treasures. The Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries in Ireland 110: 92-115

In this paper, Richardson describes to finding of the Derrynavlan treasure, which the author classifies as early Christian Irish art. Richardson goes on to describe each of the treasures, providing illustrations as well as historical context as to the manufacture and the uses for each one. The Silver Scourge, discovered with the Trewhiddle Chalice is of particular interest to our project, as it is a silver chain created through Trichinopoly. Richardson goes on to mention that Trichinopoly was also discovered at the base of Ardagh Chalice and with the Tara Brooch. This article is useful to our project because in addition to the dating of the artefact, the historical discussion of art styles and manufacturing methods within a historical context would be of help to us as well.

Somerville O 1993. Kite-Shaped Brooches. The Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries in Ireland 123: 59-101

 Somerville compares and contrasts twelve different brooches, discussing possible parallels in terms of style and construction, in addition to determining which time period they may have been manufactured in (Irish, Viking, Christian). Somerville discusses each brooch in detail, including designs, inscriptions, measurements, and manufacture methods, using illustrations to give a better idea of what each brooch looks like. Finally, the author goes on the order the brooches chronologically. A point of interest in the article is the mention of Trichinopoly chains, which was discovered with the number eleven brooch and may have been associated with a few others. Somerville states that one of the Derrynavlan treasures, a paten, also possessed a Trichinopoly chain, as was dated within the eighth century. This article is important to our project because of its dating of paten with the Trichinopoly chain and its implication that knitted wire might have been used with other brooches as well. Somerville also associates the brooch with other Trichinopoly-related artefacts, which helps us with dating and with context.

-N'Donna and Dylyn