KingArthur
Jul 23, 2003, 08:08 AM
Militaristic, aye right.
VIKINGS were responsible for introducing ironing to Scotland.
The pillaging Scandinavians were surprisingly conscious of their appearance and regularly smoothed their clothes.
Excavations across Scotland have revealed evidence that the Nordic warriors used ironing boards and smoothing stones to make the job easier.
Dr Euan MacKie, of Glasgow University, said he found out about the ironing culture by chance 10 years ago, when his colleague's child found a piece of a whalebone on the Hebridean island of North Uist.
He said: "It is probably right to say Vikings introduced ironing to
Scotland.
"The archaeological findings from before the Viking era have produced no evidence of similar activity.
"But only a few of their ironing boards and smoothing balls have been found here.
"The ones that have been discovered have been in female burial sites, which suggests women did most of the ironing.
"Vikings tend to be known as murderous invaders and vandals but that was just the wild part of them."
It is believed ironing was initially introduced in areas where Vikings settled, such as Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles and Caithness.
An excavation in Orkney uncovered a 950AD Viking whalebone ironing board from a burial ship.
Rest at
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/page.cfm?objectid=12921376&method=full&siteid=\
89488&headline=VIKINGS%20RAPED%2C%20PILLAGED%20THEN%20DI D%20IRONING
VIKINGS were responsible for introducing ironing to Scotland.
The pillaging Scandinavians were surprisingly conscious of their appearance and regularly smoothed their clothes.
Excavations across Scotland have revealed evidence that the Nordic warriors used ironing boards and smoothing stones to make the job easier.
Dr Euan MacKie, of Glasgow University, said he found out about the ironing culture by chance 10 years ago, when his colleague's child found a piece of a whalebone on the Hebridean island of North Uist.
He said: "It is probably right to say Vikings introduced ironing to
Scotland.
"The archaeological findings from before the Viking era have produced no evidence of similar activity.
"But only a few of their ironing boards and smoothing balls have been found here.
"The ones that have been discovered have been in female burial sites, which suggests women did most of the ironing.
"Vikings tend to be known as murderous invaders and vandals but that was just the wild part of them."
It is believed ironing was initially introduced in areas where Vikings settled, such as Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles and Caithness.
An excavation in Orkney uncovered a 950AD Viking whalebone ironing board from a burial ship.
Rest at
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/page.cfm?objectid=12921376&method=full&siteid=\
89488&headline=VIKINGS%20RAPED%2C%20PILLAGED%20THEN%20DI D%20IRONING