Estonian sheet pendants from the 11th to the 13th century

Sheet pendants are Christian­symbolic metal plate pendants that were wide spread in Estonia from the 11th to the 17th century, with at least 1115 items found. This article focuses on Estonian sheet pendants from the 11th to the 13th century, aiming to refine their dating. Among the 222 known Estonian sheet pendants from this period, 30 can be confidently dated to the 11th century, two to the 11th century or the very beginning of the 12th century, one to the 11thâ 12th centuries, 159 to the 13th century, and 30 to the 12thâ 13th centuries. No sheet pendants have been found in Estonia that can be exclusively dated to the 12th century. It remains unclear whether sheet pendants were not worn as jewellery in Estonia during the 12th century or whether this chronological distribution of the sheet pendants under study reflects the current state of research, methodological issues in archaeology, or historical events. The article proposes several hypotheses to explain this chronological distribution. Future research will be required to determine whether any of these hypotheses are correct

Ancient history · Archaeology · Estonian · Genealogy · Geography · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Historical, Literary, and Cultural Studies · History · Medieval European History and Architecture · Philosophy

• Handicraft production in Estonian villages in the 12th–14th centuries

  Open Access•Andres Tvauri•Estonian Journal of Archaeology•2026

  Add to list