Early Anglo-Saxon Gold Braids

Gold embroidery and fabrics in europe: XI – XIV centuries

“…Textiles from the early medieval period are to be found primarily in tombs; they are fragmentary. In the 5th to 8th centuries, it was mostly strips cut from gold foils that were used to make braids for decorating cloth [6]. Among the exceptions, we might mention the gold wires found in a Frankish tomb in Cologne [7] or the thread made from gold strip wound around a silk core excavated from Queen Aregonde's tomb in St. Denis, France [8] .…”

The Medieval Kirk, Cemetery and Hospice at Kirk Ness, North Berwick

“…Threads wrapped with metal wire or strips have been used since early medieval times to add embellishments to fabrics (Crowfoot and Hawkes 1967;Crowfoot et al 2001, 130-2). Gold, silver, and silver gilt were the most common metals used.…”