Archaeology: in Sweden, a walker discovers by chance an exceptional treasure from the Bronze Age
According to archaeologists, this batch of bronze objects is the most important discovery of the last 40 years
Mats HellgrenSwedish authorities have announced that an orienteering enthusiast had given them a batch of Bronze Age objects that he discovered by chance in the forest. It seems that these jewels and relics belonged to a local dignitary almost 2,500 years ago.
Tomas Karlsson initially couldn't believe his eyes when he discovered bronze objects in the open air, arranged in front of a rock. This amateur cartographer from Alingsås, a town in southwest Sweden , did not expect to come across such a lot of Bronze Age artifacts and initially thought they were forgeries. However, according to the Swedish authorities, who presented the objects to the public on April 29, this set of jewels and relics is particularly precious and dates back to 2,500 years ago. This find will undoubtedly allow us to learn more about the organization of Scandinavian society at the time of the so-called Danish Bronze Age (1800-500 BC).
The most important discovery of the last 40 years
“It looked like metal trash. At first I thought it was a lamp,” Tomas Karlsson told the Swedish newspaper “Dagens Nyheter”. He subsequently thought that they could only be fake bronze objects, “made in Hong Kong”, in his own words. It indeed seems surprising, at first glance, that such ancient objects were found at the outcrop, and by chance, what's more. For specialists, it is possible that these relics were dug up by wild animals, which is strongly reminiscent of the recent discovery of objects dating from the Mesolithic by rabbits in Wales. In Sweden, there is already talk of the most important archaeological discovery concerning the Bronze Age since the 1980s. This date corresponds to the discovery of bronze shields, called "Fröslunda" in a field in Skaraborg, a village located 200 kilometers southwest of Stockholm.
This piece of bronze necklace could have belonged to a high-ranking Bronze Age woman
Mikael AgatonA “fantastic” state of conservation
For researchers at the University of Gothenburg, notably Johan Ling, professor of archaeology, the fifty objects found, including chains, necklaces and clasps, represent a “spectacular” discovery and are in a state of conservation. " fantastic ". He estimates that these objects were used between 750 and 500 BC. BC, probably by a “highly placed woman”. These objects, which seem, for some, ornamental and, for others, religious, could therefore provide more information on the hierarchies existing in the Bronze Age in the region. Current knowledge of the so-called Danish Bronze Age, which in fact corresponds to a large part of the Scandinavian coasts, reveals a culture where the importance of navigation was strong and where a cult was probably devoted to the Sun. Due to a lack of written sources, the period remains poorly known, hence the importance of this discovery. It appears even more atypical in the eyes of Swedish archaeologists as Bronze Age objects are usually discovered near waterways, and not in forests, because the rites of this era included the immersion of objects.
Archaeologists continue to study the terrain where the objects were discovered
Johanna LegaSource: websites