Novice treasure hunter Ole Gunner Schytz had only recently started using his metal detector when he stumbled upon a remarkable discovery. Buried beneath the soil in a field near the town of Jelling in southwestern Denmark, he unearthed a remarkable collection of 1,500 gold artifacts dating back five centuries to the Iron Age. This astounding find, made in December of last year, is now regarded by experts as one of the most significant and expansive discoveries in the history of Denmark. It's a true triumph for a newcomer in the field.
Schytz recalls the moment he heard his device turn on and then proceeded to move dirt to reveal a small, twisted piece of metal.
Speaking with TV Syd, Schytz described the find as "the epitome of pure luck" and added, "Denmark covers an area of 16,621 square miles, and yet I happened to choose the exact spot where this discovery was made."
According to a statement, the hoard consists primarily of bracteates—medallions that were popular in northern Europe during the Migration Period (roughly 300 to 700 C.E.). Women would have worn these pendants, which were often inscribed with magical symbols or runes, for protection.
Many of the symbols on the newly unearthed bracteates are unfamiliar to experts, and interpreting them will help shed light on the little-understood societies that inhabited the region prior to the Vikings.
One of the medallions depicts the Norse god Odin and appears to be based on similar Roman jewelry that celebrated emperors as gods, as reported by TV Syd.
Artifacts discovered in the cache include gold coins from the Roman Empire that were repurposed into jewelry. One of the coins features Constantine the Great, who ruled from 306 to 337 C.E. This suggests that Jelling, known as a cradle of Viking civilization between the 8th and 12th centuries, was a hub of power with trade connections spanning the European continent, according to a report in ArtNet News.
The objects' immaculate craftsmanship points to their original owner's probable high status.
Archaeologists believe the gold was buried to protect it from invaders or as a last-ditch offering to the gods. The find is dated to around 536 when a volcanic eruption in Iceland covered the sky in ash and caused widespread famine in Scandinavia. Other gold troves found in the region, including a group of 32 artifacts unearthed on the island of Hjarno, have been dated to around the same time.
