Cruciform brooch

Burial from Veien - cremation grave from the Migration Period
c.400 – 550CE

Unfortunately, there are too few preserved clothes from this period for us to say anything certain about men's attire. Nevertheless, it is likely that men used clothing pins like this one to fasten garments. Perhaps the brooch was used to fasten a woolen cloak at the chest or the shoulder?

Sadly, very few items of clothing have survived from this period. It is hard to say something certain about the male dress. Still, it is believed that men used clothing pins and brooches such as this to fasten pieces of clothing. Perhaps the brooch was used to fasten a woollen cloak at the chest, or the shoulder?

This brooch may have been used on special occasions, during ceremonies, or at feasts in the longhouse as a symbol of the man's social status. It might have been placed on the funeral pyre as part of his attire, as his personal belongings, but it's also possible that the brooch was given as a funerary gift by others.