Denmark’s new stash of Viking gold

It was found in Denmark, in a fiel near Vejen, a stash composed of seven wonderfully crafted bracelets, six of which are made out of gold, and one of silver.

The bracelets were handed over to the Sønderskov museum, and I must point out that this treasure was found by amateurs, and just like any responsable adult, the people in question delivered the treasure to their rightful place. Anyway - a little bit of personal thoughts on the matter - the bracelets date back to 900AD, and are decorated in a style typical to Viking jewelry weared by nobility or with high-status in society.

It is important to take in mind that the so called Viking Age is actually the "silver age" when it comes to hoards. The vast majority of them contain only silver. If there is gold, it is always a small part, which isn't the case in this specific finding, since objects made out of gold are the majority of this hoard.

A new pagan temple in Denmark

The old gods have never been forgotten. For more than a thousand years their cult was made in hiding. But now, with the turn of the century and the early years of the Twenty-first century, many pagan religions and spiritual paths have been brought to light and people openly practice the faith of their ancestors.

The first temple to the Norse Gods is still being created in Iceland. The very first since the Viking-Age and when the cult of the old gods was prohibited by christianization. But now Denmark follows the same example and has built a new temple to worship the northern gods of Europe.

The very first Odin’s temple since the Christianization of Scandinavia, which took place between the 8th and the 12th centuries. Historically speaking, the year of 1188 BCE marks the triumph of Christianity over Paganism in Denmark with the canonization of St. Canute (Sankt Knud), the patron saint of Denmark.  Since then, the old ways native to the Danish folk were censored for centuries, and those who were caught practicing it were either killed, tortured or at the very least ostracized. But since the old ways have never been truly forgotten and people kept the faith of their forebears, now they are free to worship their gods in the open. Denmark has built a new temple which not only is a symbol of the old faith in the country, but also a mark of their traditions and customs which defines the identity of a culture.

It's the first time in nearly a millennium that the Nordic Gods will have another home in Denmark to visit and to be worshiped. Valheim it was named; and now it marks the reemerge of the old ways. When the temple was ready, an official opening ceremony with attendance of several Danish ministers was held. With the ribbon cut by the leader of the Danish Parliament  it marked the beggining of a new era - an era where free religious practice is possible.

Thor's Hammer Unearthed

I don't think an explanation about what Thor's Hammer is, is needed. For those of you  who are interested in such matters, you probably already know what this deity's hammer is all about. Anyway, summarizing (a lot) it is a symbol of both protection and fertility.

Now, this post is about the archaeological findings on the matter, so lets get to it. There have been thousands of amulets found throughout the places where the Norsemen have been. Amulets such as Thor's Hammer - Mjölnir - which have intrigued archaeologists in why were those objects there and if these were in fact a representation of Thor's Hammer from mythology or something else?

Not long ago archaeologists have unearthed a 10th century Thor's Hammer (torshammere) in Købelev, on the Danish island of Lolland, that could gives us a hint on how Thor’s legendary weapon influenced the Viking Age jewellery.

The latest find was a little unusual, due to the fact that it has runes inscribed on it that one might read 'Hmar x is'  meaning 'This is a Hammer'. It seems it was the amulet’s protective power that counted, and often we see Thor's Hammer and Christian crosses appearing together, possibly providing double protection and during the process of christianization, because the old symbols of power and faith were not that easily discarted and kept by the recent converted populations.

The object is cast in bronze and has traces of silver or tin and gold plating. The fact that the person who made the hammer was literate is a source of fascination for archaeologists. There is a possible claim that the amulet could indicate that literacy was widespread among craftspeople. On the other hand, craftspeople could have simply copied the sketch of the person who ordered the work, obviously, but it's quite possible that the knowledge of the runes and their meanings was something much more important and people knew exactly what they meant. The runes were not just alphabetical symbols, but also a part of the sipirtual practices, culture and tradition, so it's very possible that the craftsman and other's from the Viking society knew how to write and read the runes.

Now, back to the subject and to this specific finding, the runes in it range in height from 3 to 7mm, so it required precision to inscribe them onto the amulet. Viking craftsmen and blacksmiths are known to have been brilliant and skillful people on whatever they did. As well as the Thor's Hammer that has been found, archaeologists also recovered fragments of silver needles and a mould for making brooches. These suggest that there may have been a workshop producing jewellery nearby.

This new discovery brings a new light into the knowledge we have about Viking Age society. It would seem that literacy could have been widespread throughout the Viking world, and craftsmen may have had an important role in it.

The Bronze Age Priestess

Archaeologists have found buried in Denmark a Bronze Age woman, dating back to 3400 years ago. She seems to have come from a foreign land, far from Denmark, suggested by the analysis made on her teeth and hair. Unfortunately, all the bones from this woman were missing when the archaeologists found the burial, but her clothing, hair, nails and some teeth were still in excellent condition, which provided scientists with the knowledge of the origins of this woman. (The subject may have spent her early life in southern Germany).

The woman's final resting place was in a large burial mound made of peat bog. In addition to the remains of this woman, which had approximately 16 to 18 year of age when she died, was also found a oak coffin which bore the cremated remains of a child, who was about 5 or 6 when he/she died.

This Bronze Age woman was wearing a wool skirt belted with a large bronze disk with spirals on it, and she was buried in such garments. This is very relevant because figurines from the Bronze Age show women in similar dresses, with spiral symbols associated with a Scandinavian cult of the sun, archaeologists have concluded that this woman must have been a priestess of that same cult, or had some connections to it.

The study of these findings showed that Bronze Age people were not just trading, but were also traveling long distances. Nordic amber has been found along rivers and beaches in Europe and in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, blue glass beads from Egypt and Mesopotamia have also been found in Scandinavian graves. For instance, the bronze used to make the girl's sun-cult belt decoration wasn't from Denmark, but instead came from the Alps.

Archaeology : The Viking feasting Hall of Heorot found?

First of all, I would like to tell you in a very very summarized way about the Epic Poem of Beowulf which is relevant for this specific archaeological finding. One of the oldest literary works, translated and written in English, is the epic poem of Beowulf. The poem tells us the story of the hero Beowulf who defeated the monster/troll Grendel - the terrible fiend who terrorised the Great Hall of Heorot, in which the Danish King Hrothgar made his great feasts. In this Anglo-Saxon epic saga, the monster Grendel repeatedly attacks Heorot after becoming enraged by the sound of feasting. The Danes were powerless to defend their people and fight against the Grendel, until the arrival of Beowulf of course. Beowulf came from the land of the Geats (nowadays southern Sweden) killing the monster and then descending into the fiend's den and killing his mother; in other versions, Beowulf descended under the sea to kill the monster's mother.

Now, speaking of such feasts, excavations in the area have revealed that this great hall particularly in the time of Hrothgar, did indeed host feasts on legendary measures.

In Lejre - eastern Denmark (on the island of Zeeland, 23 miles west of Copenhagen) - archaeologists are currently working on the site to reveal the truth about the epic saga of Beowulf. Lejre was the centre of one of the most powerful Viking Kingdoms, and in fact, it was a huge trading area receiving goods from all over the places the Viking traders had been; from the mediterranean to India.

The extent to which the events of the poem are based on historical fact is controversial, but it seems to have been inspired by the wealthy Danish court at Lejre. However, the current excavations held in the area have confirmed that giant feasting halls were an integral part of life at Lejre. Archaeologists have found a total of seven halls dating from various points between the VI (6th) century and the XI (11th) century, implying that the structures were periodically torn down and rebuilt. The earliest of all the halls, which dates back somewhere in the year 500 BCE, is the one most likely to have been the inspiration for Heorot.

On the site of the excavation of this great hall, the remains of hundreds of animals have been found, apparently killed and eaten at massive feasts, as recounted in the poem. The animals - cattle, sheep, suckling pigs, goats, chickens, geese, ducks, deer and fish - imply that the Scandinavian elite enjoyed a varied and lavish diet. Pottery has also been found on the excavation, as well as up to 40 pieces of jewellery made from precious metals.

The area is/was thought to have been largely isolated from the rest of Europe, but in truth, as mentioned before, Lejre was a centre of northern trading with the rest of Europe and parts of Asia; not having those people from those parts of the world right there to trade, but the goods being brought by adventurous Norsemen. To support this, there are many objects which have been found at Lejre, although, there is one particular and interesting item - an animal jawbone which is believed to have belonged to a brown bear given to the Danish ruler by another European king.

The Reindeer Antler Comb

The academically accepted date for the beginning of the Viking Age is around 793 A.D. with the sack of Lindisfarne, however, new researches suggest that the Viking age may have begun earlier. Archaeologists found deer antlers fashioned into various items, including a comb which dates to an earlier age (725 A.D.) The artefacts were uncovered in the town of Ribe in Denmark, which indicates trading connections between the Danes and the Norwegians in a period earlier than what was previously thought.

These amazing findings have certainly altered previous notions of the development of a seafaring culture in Scandinavia. Trade was an important factor to set the beginning of the Viking Age, and the attack on Lindisfarne marks the official start of that period, mainly because of the proximity to several concurring events. If we take other factors into account, the dates for the beginning of the Viking Age will differ a lot of course. However, the first attack on the christians by the Vikings was not Lindisfarne. Another raid tells us of an unfortunate encounter a few years prior to Lindisfarne in which a local official in Britain was murdered for insisting on imposing a tax on Scandinavian traders. Another example are the Raids in Frisia (modern day Netherlands) which had began as early as the 770’s.Now we have evidence that the Vikings had begun traveling for trade as early as the 720’s. What makes Lindisfarne the best candidate for the start of the Viking Age is that it was the singular most powerful event that brought the Scandinavian raids into the public consciousness of the world at that time.

The findings on Ribe raise a lot of questions, but at least we have now confirmed what scholars have theorized for several decades - the Vikings were traveling  merchants around Europe (and possibly other places of the known world at that time) long before they began raiding. There are several theories on why the Norse peoples started leaving their homeland to became merchants and raiders, such as climate changing and a great flow of populations and so on. However, the closing of ports to non-Christians by Charlemagne may have contributed to the increasing violence carried out by the Vikings, because they became so much dependent on foreign trade, and barring their way of making a living certainly brought an economic failure in the north and things got bad and the Vikings were forced to raid.

Ribe, the location where the comb made of reindeer antler was found, is one of the oldest towns in Europe, thought to have been founded in the early 9th Century. The finds indicate the town had its beginnings much earlier than previously thought. Thus, in truth, the Viking Age started with the trading of handcrafted items made out of reindeer antlers. The mercantile town of Ribe may have given the Vikings an economic incentive to sail south to Denmark. Coincidentally, these types of travels likely helped the Vikings refine and master boating and navigation skills that helped them explore the world. Merchants and other travelers from the north were visiting Ribe long before the start of the Viking Age.

Studying the items found in excavations, showed that reindeer (which isn't an animal native to Denmark), made up a number of the crafts. Reindeer did live in Norway during that time, and it's likely the Vikings brought the antlers to Denmark to trade with their neighbors. In fact, combs fashioned out of deer antlers were a sizable industry during the Viking Age, which lasted until the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Other studies (not directly connected with the excavations and the findings in Ribe) have found that these type of items are commonly found in graves, which suggests that a considerable proportion of the Scandinavian population had reindeer antler combs, which served as a hygienic and aesthetic amenity.

The goodbye to Scandinavian paganism

In the countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, people worshiped a set of deities belonging to two different tribes of gods - the Aesir and the Vanir. The Aesir were the deities associated with the arts of war and were ruled by Odin, the god of wisdom, war and death. The Vanir were the deities associated with the fertility of animals, humans and the land itself. The latter, in time, became a subclass of gods within the Aesir and vs versa, all gods were important. By the 10th century, Christianity came into these countries and brought an end to the polytheistic worship of the Northern European peoples, thus creating three new realms unified under one faith, under one god.

The Christianization of Scandinavia wasn't held in one day. It was a process which took time, and a long and painful time it was indeed. It is obvious that the Scandinavians had their own conflicts, and battles were common between them, but with the coming of Christianization war took a whole different meaning. Wars in great scale, murdering for no purpose, solely for the new faith, the new god and the hatred which was spread by lies that poisened the minds of monarchs. Denmark was the most easily transformed country. The Viking raids slowly introduced the new religion, due to the christians brought as war prizes. The Danes were often in contact with England and Normandy, allowing them to continued exposure to the new religion via political interactions. At first, there was little struggle in assimilating the two faiths, and they were able to coexist under the individual decrees of the Danish tribal leaders. This assimilation began around the 930s of our common era. The baptism of war leaders and kings built a new path for the christian faith to spread, for the kings and warchiefs demanded that their subjects had to be converted as well, since the new faith was now part of their culture. The danish tribes were united under the flag of this new god. The canonization of Canute IV in the 12th century, the Christian ruler of Denmark in the late 1000s, declared Christianity as Denmark's official religion.

The earliest recordings of Christianity in Sweden were in the 700s. In the 830s, Saint Ansgar (a monk with the mission to bring Christianity to Northern Europe), came to the northern shores to spread word of the new faith at the bid of the Swedish king of that time. However, his church at Birka was highly rejected, so it was not until Olof Skötkonung, (the first Christian king of Sweden), agreed to a toleration of the two faiths in the late 900s that Christianity found a place in Swedish culture. He established the first episcopal center in Skara rather than near Uppsala in Uppland, as there is written documentation that the largest worship center to the Norse gods existed at Uppsala. This might have been a wise choice of the king, to avoid war between the followers of the two faiths. It was King Inge later, in the 1080s, who disregarded the risks of war and ended the sacrifices at Uppsala, ultimately serving as the moment of transition between Paganism and Christianity in Sweden. Although, the result of this instance was Inge's temporary exile by his brother- By the year 1130 Christianity gained a permanent stronghold in Sweden and spread to become the foremost religion in the land. 

Norway was the most difficult to transform from polytheism to Christianity, as its history was filled with rulers who constantly dictated the religion. Most of the conflict was seen during a fifty year period (from 950 to1000 CE), under King Haakon. Haakon's method was simple: temples were left to the pagans with churches built right beside them, and though he refused on his own part to sacrifice to the Aesir and Vanir, he also refused to punish those who continued this practice. Haakon was able to begin the spread of Christianity throughout this region by showing kindness to the established polytheistic religion.

King Haakon was one of a kind, unfortunately, a rare sort of man in this period of great changes. After his death, Jarl Haakon replaced him, himself being a pagan man. All the Christianization that King Haakon had established was utterly destroyed. In acting this way, not only did Jarl Haakon create a stricter war against Christianity, but in the years to come he forged a reason for the Norwegian Christians to detest the Aesir and Vanir followers. With the end of the 10th century, the Christian king Olaf Tryggvason was very much ready to eliminate every pagan follower of the old religion. King Olaf had had a very strict christian education, and pagans were seen as the evil sort of "creatures" which worshiped the devil.

However, Tryggvason only ruled for five years, (from 955 to 1000 CE), but he made certain that they were prolific years. He travelled all over Norway to enforce the Christian faith, destroying pagan areas of worship, including temples and everyone we could find. Those who refused to submit to the new religion were tortured and severely punished, ending up dead anyway. By the end of the 12th century, Tryggvason's successors saw Christianity dominating Norway.

With the rise of the new religion, there came a need for building structures linked to the faith. The first church buildings were modelled most specifically from the longships, towering structures that loomed toward the sky like the future Gothic cathedrals with dragon heads on the roof reflecting the strength and power. These churches, called stave churches because of the stars at the heart of their post and lintel structure, were the highlight and symbol of the new religion that had swept through Scandinavia and became a symbol of the unification between the three lands at the cost of many wars, bloodshed and suffering.

Alken Enge

In the meadows of Alken, Denmark, archaeologists made a wonderful discovering in a bog. The bodies of what appeared to be an entire army of soldiers dating back some 2,000 years ago. More than two hundred ancient warriors' skeletons were unearthed in the excavations held in 2009. It was also found a small number of spearheads, shields, clubs, and axes, and scientists have been studying them ever since, trying to piece together the final moments of these warriors.

The archaeological works took place in an area close to Jutland's Lake in Denmark, and it was very hard to unearth the bodies because they were some two meters below the surface of the thick bog. It appears that the low-oxygen content of the water had delayed decomposition so the bones were still in a well-preserved state.

The human remains, which have been found to belong to males between the ages of roughly 13 and 45, date to a time in which the Roman Empire had extended its northern border some 185 miles south of Alken. This expansion resulted in unrest, skirmishes between Romans and Germanic tribes, and increased militarization of local peoples, leading researchers to believe that the men had died in battle and their bodies dumped in the bog. It is true that their bones revealed traumatic injuries such as slices, cuts, and blows from sword, axes, and other weapons.

Ever since this discovery, archaeologists have been working to find out who these victims were and what the sequence of events led to such a gruesome ending for these warriors. Based on latest findings, some scholars now believe that the bodies of the victims underwent complex post-war rituals before being cast into the bog more or less 6 months after their deaths.

Several sacrificial sites of a different nature had been observed in nearby areas, leading to the suggestion that ritualistic activity was commonplace in the region at the time. For instance, one site known as Forley Nymolle was believed to be an area of daily rituals in which the inhabitants made offerings of pottery, wooden objects, and various stone collections. Archaeologists and other experts maintain that one of the wooden objects recovered at the site is a goddess figurine, and perhaps may have been the deity that they were making offerings to.

But there were even more clues leading scientists to believe that the Alken Wetlands was a location for complex sacrificial events. Among the Alken Enge remains, archaeologists found a wooden stick threaded through the pelvic bones of four different men. More proves that after these warriors' death, a violent sequel took place.

Researchers believe that these facts may have formed part of a religious ritual in preparation for offering the remains as a sacrifice, the bodies of the warriors were entirely defleshed, the bones sorted, and in some cases, they were threaded onto sticks. The pile of remains was then tossed into the water, along with the remains of slaughtered animals and clay pots that probably contained food sacrifices. This indicates that this place was certainly a holy site for the germanic pagan religion.

The buried army at Alken Enge are not the first set of human remains to have been found in this specific area. The Illerup River which runs into Lake Mosso is well known for its store of human bones along with other finds such as the world-renowned offering of weapons near Fuglsang Forest.

Archaeologists have not been able to determine the nationality of the slaughtered warriors based on the objects found alongside them, as very few weapons were found at the site and radiocarbon dating on those that were found has revealed that they could not have belonged to the buried army. However, some DNA has been preserved, so we can get a good profile of what Iron Age man looked like. An anthropological analysis of the bones will provide us with a picture of their diet and their physical appearance. It is also hoped that the DNA analysis may help to reveal who the soldiers were and where they came from.

The Tollund Man

Those of you who are interested in the study of "bog bodies" and the history and religious rituals behind such theme, the Tollund Man is definitely one of the most interesting archaeological findings on this matter.

The Tollund Man ,as it was named, is the naturally mummified body of a man who lived during the 4th century b.C., during the period characterised in Scandinavia as the Pre-Roman Iron Age. He was hanged as a sacrifice to the gods and placed in a peat bog where he remained preserved for more than two millennia. Today, the face of the Tollund Man is as preserved as the day he died. The look upon his face is calm and peaceful, as though looking upon a sleeping man.

It was the 6th of May, of the year 1950, when two brothers cutting peat in the Bjaeldskov bog, an area about 10 kilometres west of the Danish town of Silkeborg, came upon the lifeless body of a man. The man's physical features were so well-preserved that he was mistaken at the time of discovery for a recent murder victim and the police was called. Puzzled by the appearance of the remains and recalling the discovery of two other ‘bog bodies’ in the same bog in 1927 and 1938, the police asked an archaeologist named P. V. Glob to come and view the discovery. Recognizing that this was an ancient burial, Glob began efforts to remove the body for further study.

The examination of the Tollund Man at the National Museum of Denmark in 1950 revealed an unusually well-preserved body of an adult male who was slightly over five feet tall and approximately 40 years old when he died. The stubble on his chain, eyelashes, and the wrinkles in his skin can still be observed in minute detail. His last meal was porridge made from 40 different kinds of seeds and grains.

The Tollund Man was naked apart from a leather cap and a wide belt around his waist. Around his neck was a braided leather rope tightened in a noose.  It was clear that he had been hanged, but why? Was he a criminal, a victim of crime, or part of a ritual sacrifice? Archaeologists embarked on an investigation to find out.

Like all the other "bog bodies" that have been found, the Tollund Man showed no signs of injury or trauma, apart from that caused by the hanging. It was clear that he had also been buried carefully in the bog , his eyes and mouth had been closed and his body placed in a sleeping position, something that wouldn’t have happened if he was a common criminal.

When someone died in the Iron Age, the body was cremated in a funeral pyre and the ashes placed in an urn, but the Tolland Man was buried in a watery place where the early people of Europe believed they could communicate with their many gods and goddesses. He was also killed in the winter or early spring, a time that human sacrifices were made to the goddess of spring.

Taking into account all of these factors, archaeologists believe that the Tollund Man was ritually sacrificed. He may have been an offering to the gods in return for peat that was taken from the bog. The incredible discovery of Tollund Man has brought to life in vivid detail the lives and deaths of the people of prehistoric Denmark. He now resides in a special room of the Silkeborg Museum.

The Discovery of Thor's Hammer - The mystery of Viking amulets

A 10th century Viking artifact resembling the Hammer of Thor was discovered. This discovery has solved a long mystery surrounding more than 1.000 ancient amulets found all over northern Europe. These relics, known as the Mjöllnir amulets, appear to depict hammers, which historians have linked to the Norse god of thunder, Thor. However, this could not be concluded with certainty as their shapes are not conclusive, and none of them contained inscriptions revealing their identity.

Another similar pendant has been found in Købelev, on the Danish island of Lolland, which is the first one to be discovered with an inscription. The runic text reads “Hmar x is”, which translates to “this is a hammer”.  Cast in bronze, and likely plated with silver, tin and gold, the 1,100-year-old pendant shows that Thor’s myth deeply influenced Viking jewellery. It seems that his is the only hammer-shaped pendant with a runic inscription (so far found). This is a good indication tha the pendants are in fact depicting hammers.

According to the Norse mythology, (which I have mentioned countless times in this blog) Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, friendship, honour, the protection of mankind, healing and the fertility of the land along with his wife Sif. Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania, to the tribal expansions of the Migration Period, to the high popularity of this deity during the Viking Age, when, in the face of the process of the Christianization of Scandinavia, the Mjölnir amulets were worn in defiance and Norse pagan personal names containing the name of the god bear witness to his popularity. In fact, Thor was much more worshiped than his father, Odin.

Featuring an interlacing ornament on one side of the hammer head and the short runic inscription on the other, the newly discovered Mjöllnir amulet is believed to have been made by a local craftsmen. Fragments of silver needles and a mould for making pendants indicate that the jewellery was produced in a silversmith’s workshop on Lolland island.

Lejre the pagan village

Lejre is the name given to a small village more or less near southwest of Roskilde on the Island of Sealand in Denmark. This small settlement was the stage of a very important part in the cycle of legends around the ancient Danish history. Norse sagas placed the residence of the oldest Danish royal house, the Scyldings, in this place. However, most of these traditions and tales have been rejected by recent critical research as mere legends, that is what happens when people start to forget their past and things start to seem a little bit impossible to be real, almost fairytale-like, and those times go from history to myth unfortunately. It has been proved that most of the tales told about this place, especially the ones from medieval times, and such accounts have been built upon common migratory legends, among which the Old English poem Beowulf plays a central part.

Scientific archaeological investigations were started around the area after the Second World War and the results, especially those of recent years, have once more stirred up the discussion concerning the importance of Lejre during the late Iron Age and Viking Age of course.
This place is located in the north coast of Sealand where the two inlets Isefjord and Roskilde Fjord cut their way approximately forty kilometres more or less towards the south into the central part of the island. Lejre is situated five kilometres south of the bottom of Roskilde Fjord at a place where a system of larger and smaller streams meet, and later divide into two streams, which both of them flowing into Roskilde Fjord to the north. The locality lies topographically on the boundary between the fertile plain "Heden" in the eastern part of Sealand, situated between Copenhagen, Køge, and Roskilde and the rather inaccessible woodland to the west.

The excavations of the 1940's started at one of the few visible monuments of the Viking Age, which is a large stone ship, or as i have spoken here before, a kind of stone circle in the shape of a long boat. During the times of this excavation a burial-place from the late Viking Age - l0th Century A.D.- was excavated here, as it was to be expected, and among these burial places there were several well equipped women's graves, also the grave of a blacksmith and a man's grave including a decapitated slave, probably killed in a ritual to Odin and to serve his master on the after life by the looks of it. This was a rich and great example of a burial-place.  On the same occasion a large burial mound, Grydehøj, only a little north of the stone ship, was investigated. It proved to contain one of the rare chieftain's graves of the Germanic Iron Age of 550 A.D. . During the 1970's  the excavations were started in the village of Lejre itself and here it was possible to reveal a settlement from the late Iron Age and Viking Age approximately around 700 - 1000 A.D. Closer investigations showed that the settlement area was not limited to the present village, but spread out to the hills west of Lejre. Only a minor part of this great area, has been excavated during the campaigns of recent years, but even these limited investigations give a basis for a description of the structure and function of the settlement.

On the hills west of the village the greater part of the settlement consisting of long houses of different sizes have been constructed there in the Viking period. It is only to the north that a proper limit to the settlement, in the form of a strong fence, has been found, while the settlement to the west and south is bounded by the presence of structures in the search trenches as well as by the natural landscape. A  great hall was there once, in principle, constructed in the same ways as the houses or fortresses of the Danish Viking Age. With internal ridge posts, probably a construction necessary for obtaining considerable width. It is this dimension in particular that makes the building a unique monument in Danish ancient history.
During the excavation of the wall trench of this house a distinctive feature was noticed. At intervals of about 38-40 centimetres pointed posts were driven down to approximately 50 centimetres below the surface of the trench. These posts may represent the remains of the wall planks firmly anchored in the subsoil during the erection of the building. This great building was divided into several sections, each with their own entrance. A cellar at the east end seems to have been a storeroom probably. The great room in the central and western part of the building may have been the central hall for in this part of the building the remains of a fireplace were found.
Part of the settlement is situated below and south of the present village. It is characterized by an approximately one metre thick black cultural layer containing artefacts from the late Iron Age from the7th to the 8th Century A.D. Viking Age and early Middle Ages. The small excavations made in this area have revealed a number of pit houses, a type of house and of settlement that seems to be characteristic of this area. The remains of a smithy were also found in this part of the settlement. They were recognizable by a solid layer of iron slag covered by a layer of turf which must have been part of the construction. A large heap of stones, approximately 1,5 metres high, 20 metres wide and at least 40 metres long, consisting of small fired stones mixed with soot and ashes is an unique phenomenon which is difficult to explain. The structure may be interpreted as a deposit of "used fireplaces".

This was a very busy town of the Viking Age and probably the most famous places of that time that held a very importante figure, a chieftain along with his family, lots of people might have also worked here, serving this chieftain.

A lot of artefacts were found and selected, those are both rich and varied in excellent conditions of preservation. The settlement displays a row of interesting features apart from the categories of artefacts which are always present such as pottery, plain metal pieces etc. There is also the presence of waste from different sorts of productions: Apart from those from the smithy, there was antler from the comb maker and cores, a matrix, and semi-manufactured articles from the bronze founder. In addition a large quantity of jewellery and ornamental pieces came to light, some of which were exquisite work. Another part of the general picture of the site was shaped by a series of weights, a few pieces of scrap silver as well as an early Viking Age coin. Fragments of soapstone vessels imported from Norway and Sweden and fragments of green glasses from the Rhine are examples of the imported goods which form a minor part of the material.
The dating of the settlement is set by the artefacts found. They are related to the period approximately 600 - 1000 A.D. with the great majority within the 8th to l0th centuries. So it seems that the settlement was in use from sometime in the 7th-8th Century till about 1000 A.D.

The structure of the settlement at Lejre might be compared to the contemporary Danish manors situated in Jutland. This settlement is similare to the house from below the Viking Age fortress Aggersborg at the Limfjord as well as a house at the settlement Runegärd on the Island of Bornholm.

In Denmark we have no knowledge of royal manors of the Viking Age, although they must have existed. However, royal manors are well known from Denmark's neighbouring countries.

From an archaeological point of view there is nothing to prevent the Impression that Lejre was the seat of a local princely house that may have ruled Sealand. Lejre belongs to the absolute "top" of Danish settlements in this period. It is still, however, impossible to prove that the Scyldings lived here. In spite of the fine archaeological material they still belong to the world of legends for now.

Staffordshire Hoard

Near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, Terry Herbert found a lot of golden artefacts in a field, he called  the archaeologists so they could do a proper work in the field and find what all of those golden objects were. In the excavation they found more than 3,500 items, dated more or less between the 7th and 8th centuries, in a time when the Anglo-Saxons were in the land. Why were these items buried in this place? Why this many?

We know that from time to time, hoards like these are found, the purpose of placing them in there is unclear, or at least we are never sure why the specific hoard is placed there, it could be for safe keeping, hidding the treasure so maybe later some one could retrieve it, or it can be a great gift for a dead king or any other person of great importance to the people who may have made the burial, or a gift to the gods or landspirits, for some hoards are found in rivers also.

From this finding other 91 pieces have been discovered subsequent to the initial excavation.  It was found that 81 of these items were part of the original treasure, they were close to the original spot , 8 of these were modern farm wastes, and 2 were from different deposits altogether, a bir far away from the original spot, more or less 50 meters away.  Of these 2 items, which were little more than 2-3 centimetres in length,were two scraps of copper alloy being Anglo-Saxon harness fittings, decorated with patterns of interweaving lines. They are unlikely to be chance losses, we can't expect that harness pieces just fall off a horse and two separate losses would be very unlikely. These two items are similar to  the items in the original hoard and it is clear that people returned to the place, possibly more than once, and buried similar material in this field.

As i have told, some findings similer to this one might have been gifts to deceased people, but the original excavation of the Staffordshire hoard snown no sign of a burial mound. Local folk tell of a small hillock in the field, right where the hoard was discovered. During the initial excavation, a later field boundary curved at this point, as if it were avoiding or perhaps respecting something pre-existing, perhaps the hillock. Soil surveys suggest the hillock was formed from sand and clay, which would have affected vegetation growth at this spot, making it even more noticeable.

Most items found here, are war-like, swords, axes, helmets and all kinds of things that support those weapons, like swords hilts and so on, and even a gold cross that may have been a standard to lead troops into battle. This is most likely to be war-loot, items taken from many foes in a battlefield and placed it in here for some purpose. The Norse people were used to loot many things from their foes, and place those items on a long boat such as the Hjortspring boat from Sweden, and deliberately sink them, giving all the loot as gifts to their war god Odin if he granted them victory ( Tyr was their war god, but it was Odin that would determine which army was to be victorious ). So it is clear that to the Anglo-Saxons this might have been a common thing to do, since they didn't abandoned their pagan past and costums.

The Hillock in this field might have been to these people a natural barrow for a god or a mythical character from their stories, or even a powerful ancestor, so it is possible that the mound had such stories like these that people started to visit it often and place in it the spoils of war, to pay homage to a deity, or it might have been possible that before the Anglo-Saxons, this place had already a story like this, from some ancient powerful/magical figure to the people native to this place, some sort of a Celtic deity or being, or even a hero, so great that it became a respectful figure to the Anglo-Saxons. It might have been the place to cal upon this figure, for aid, be that in battle, or having courage, being skillful in the arts of war and things like that. People would pray to a god, a spirit, an ancestor for victory in battle or any other thing, if they granted them what they wished, they would give them great gifts, and if they won, always true to their words, they would return to the place to give those gifts and all that they could loot, thankful for being alive and achieve victory. This might explain the other objects slightly different but war-like also, placed not in the same spot but near the excavation sight, probably small offerings.

This is just speculation, a possible reason for the burial of this hoard, although very much plausible.

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