Tarsoly worn by Norsemen!
This is a tarsoly with a copy of the brass cast kit found in the trade town of Birka, which was located 30 kilometers West of Stockholm, Sweden, and was an important trade center in 9-10cc. In the gallery you may see what the original kit looked like (pic coming soon). The back of the flap of this tarsoly is closed with a piece of linen textile.
Tarsoly (pronounced "tArshoy") is a type of belt pouch of Hungarian origin with long tradition. It was a kind of fashion of the time throughout Hungary and the lands to the East and North. The richness of belt and tarsoly decoration demonstrated high rank and wealth of the owner.
Depending on the number of mounts this tarsoly may be ordered in two variants: "the economy" (13 flap edge mounts) and "the rich" one (21 flap edge mounts, see in this section).