Archaeologists Discover Enormous Iron Age ‘Weapon Sacrifice’ Near Danish Motorway

A squad of archaeologists uncovered a trove of weapons, armor, and different goods successful Denmark, successful beforehand of a motorway being built connected the site.

The deposit is simply a limb sacrifice—literally, the weapons were the things sacrificed. Over 1,500 years ago, an Iron Age assemblage deposited implicit 100 lances, spears, swords, knives, arrowheads, and much crossed 2 houses connected the site. Taken together, the deposit is simply a compelling look into the societal and subject wheelings and dealings of the radical that inhabited the region.

Based connected the mode the items were deposited, the archaeological squad concluded that the tract was not a weapons store oregon a barracks—settings wherever piles of weapons would not beryllium retired of place.

“From the precise archetypal surveys, we knew this was going to beryllium extraordinary, but the excavation has exceeded each our expectations,” said Elias Witte Thomasen, an archaeologist astatine The Vejle Museums and person of the excavation, successful a museums release. “The sheer fig of weapons is astonishing, but what fascinates maine astir is the glimpse they supply into the societal operation and regular beingness of the Iron Age. We abruptly consciousness precise adjacent to the radical who lived present 1,500 years ago.”

The nonstop number of the metallic objects recovered astatine the tract is arsenic follows: 119 lances and spears, 8 swords, 5 knives, 3 arrowheads, 1 axe, 1 acceptable of chainmail armor, fragments of astatine slightest 2 oath rings and a bugle, a bridle, and immoderate yet-to-be identified objects.

The rings were bracteates: bronze medallions which would beryllium worn astir the cervix and often expressed the wearers’ governmental oregon subject allegiance. The bracteates were etched with a plan reminiscent of the chainmail recovered astatine the site. According to the release, the chainmail is the archetypal discovered connected a colony successful confederate Scandinavia, alternatively than successful a burial oregon different deposit.

The squad besides recovered ceramics and flint objects; by their reckoning, the tract was occupied for millennia. By the aboriginal 400s, the colony held important societal and economical power successful the area, according to the museums release, allowing it to nonstop retired subject campaigns to the surrounding area.

The squad is not definite whether the weaponry belonged to the locals who buried it oregon was booty recovered from a defeated enemy, though further excavations and investigation of the limb trove whitethorn supply answers. War booty was communal successful cardinal Europe during the archetypal fewer centuries CE. According to the National Museum of Denmark, 20 Danish bogs contained Iron Age weaponry with “traces of ritual destruction.” Those weapons whitethorn person been offerings to the gods. In the caller site’s case, the assemblage could person utilized the weapons, but alternatively chose to fell them successful a posthole.

In 1 of the houses, the weaponry was deposited during the house’s deconstruction. The squad deduced that due to the fact that the weapons were placed successful a spread near by a station that held up the structure’s roof. The spread was past backfilled—so it was not the astir convenient spot to store a sword you privation casual entree to.

Denmark has its just stock of archaeological sites dating backmost to the Neolithic; earlier this year, a squad found paved floors successful a cellar that belonged to Stone Age radical who inhabited the tract astir 5,000 years ago. In October, a squad with Denmark’s Museum Odense announced the discovery of much than 50 viking graves, including 1 funny burial of a pistillate successful a wagon.

According to the release, technological findings astir the buried goods volition beryllium published connected the museums’ website, and immoderate of the items whitethorn beryllium connected show astatine the Vejle Cultural Museum arsenic soon arsenic aboriginal 2025.