Mount, stirrup-strap mount

Copper alloy mount from a stirrup strap, decorated with two snake-like animal heads. There are deep grooves around the animals' bodies, and in the groove of the left-hand animal an inlay of niello and silver wire survives. The mount would have decorated the attachment of the stirrup to its strap, protected the leather of the strap from wear, and prevented the loss of the stirrup if the strap frayed. The decorative style shows Scandinavian influences, commonly called the Ringerike and Urnes styles, after the areas of Norway where decorated objects and monuments have been found. The use of stirrups as foot supports while riding appears to have spread across Europe from China during the 600s to 800s. Evidence suggest that stirrups were not widely used in England until the 1000s, and these sorts of stirrup-strap mounts were used from the early 1000s to around 1100.