E34 Hair moss rope
DateLate 12th to 13th century
Object NameRope
Mediumhair moss
ClassificationsArchaeology Excavated
LocationOn Display - Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Object numberABDMS028491.1
About MeThis rope, made from hair moss, was found in an early medieval pit. It may have been used for binding thatch on to roofs and for mooring boats.
Hair moss is a moss of wet heath and moorland and can grow up to 40mm tall. Its relatively long stems were exploited in prehistoric and Roman times for baskets, mats and caulking, but its use in rope seems to be - on present evidence - uniquely medieval.
12th-13th Century
12th-early 20th Century
late 12th-early 20th Century
12th-13th Century
12th-13th Century
12th-13th Century
12th-13th Century
12th-13th Century
12th-13th Century
late 12th-early 20th Century
late 12th-13th Century
12th-early 20th Century
late 12th-13th Century
12th-late 19th Century
late 12th-early 20th Century
12th-early 20th Century
12th-early 20th Century
late 12th-early 20th Century
late 14th Century
12th-14th Century
