Åker treasure trove
The treasure trove of Åker was made on the eastern shore of Norway 's largest lake, Mjøsa , not far from the town of Hamar , in Fylke Innlandet around 125 km north of Oslo . The site is on the large Åker farm.
The Merovingian treasure that came to light (early 5th to mid-8th century) could have belonged to a chief who had connections with leading families outside Norway. The find contains splendid pieces made of gold and pewter-coated bronze , including belt fittings and fittings, parts of harness and weapons. The closest parallels to this type of find are Sutton Hoo (around 625 AD) in England and finds in Uppland in Sweden, as well as in some places in Central Europe.
First finds
Åker's first discoveries were made in 1868 by a woman cutting grain. Archaeologists visited the site three years later and reported that the objects were lying on a partially leveled burial mound on Smerkøllehaugen. A total of 15 items had been picked up there by 1912. Everything indicated that they came from the burial mound. Although they were all gems, no follow-up examinations were made at first, so that the site was forgotten. When the question was asked where these rare pieces came from, the location could not be identified at first. Thorough archive and site studies only carried out in the early 1990s revealed that Smerkøllehaugen was about 400 m north of Åker Farm.
Follow-up examination
In 1992, the University of Oslo commissioned a surface survey on Smerkøllehaugen, which soon uncovered other magnificent objects. A sword fitting matched a bird's beak found in 1889, proving that the excavation was carried out at the same location. In 1993, two additional cuts totaling 30 m² were made across the slope and further discoveries were made. The objects were scattered across the slope at a depth of 5 to 40 cm on an area of 500 m².
Craft
The notable components of the find, which must be regarded as a related grave find, include two belt sets . One belonged to a belt, the other probably served as a sword hanger . The large, relief-decorated, 11 cm long belt clasp is impressive. Here we encounter an expressive imagery. Two bird heads form the bracket of the belt. The clasp is made of bronze, gold, silver and tin and shows engraved figures as jewelry. The center of the plate defines the face of a man with well-coiffed hair, mustache and stubble wearing a crown. In addition, animals with tusks (probably wild boars) and birds are stylized. The unique piece by a first-class craftsman, which was recovered in 1868, is also decorated with cloisonné . The set probably includes a belt runner with animal heads arranged opposite and a cloisonné work in the middle.
The second set consists of the belt clip, a fitting and an S-shaped belt runner. The gold-plated objects decorated with stamp decorations probably belonged to the sword hanger. The belt was decorated with rectangular fittings, five of which have survived. They are partly gold-plated, partly tin-plated and decorated with niello and embedded silver and wear animal figures, human masks and geometric patterns.
From the Ring sword only the uppermost part remained the handle with knob and bronze ring. The pommel is decorated with inlaid silver wires that form a so-called false cloisonné pattern. The scabbard was reinforced with bronze fittings and could have been decorated with a gold-plated pommel surrounded by silver wires and a stone in the middle. The ring sword is a specialty. So far only two other ring swords have been found in Norway. Ring swords are known from the Franconian Empire , Anglo-Saxon England, Italy and Hungary. A head en face with garnet eyes is also attractive. Its partly gold-plated, partly tin-plated surface bears stamped ornaments. The object, broken off on both sides, probably adorned a shield or a helmet.
The shield
The specially made shield speaks for the high rank of the chief of Åker. The fitting on the shield boss originally had three arms that ended in gilded animal heads, one of which has broken off. A tinned hemisphere occupies the center of the fitting. Bird heads also adorned the shield, three of which have been preserved. Their surfaces, decorated with pearl lines, circles and semi-circles, are partly gold-plated and partly tin-plated. Her eyes are highlighted by grenade. Shields of this type are only known from important royal families in Europe.
Time position
The find contains works of the highest quality. The technique is particularly impressive, with the frequent use of gold and tin-coated bronze: 27 objects are gold-plated, 11 are tin-plated. They are decorated with animal and bird heads, human masks and stamp decoration. Nine have garnet eyes; three pieces show cloisonné work. Some of the work could have been imported from the Merovingian Empire. Some pieces of the Merovingian period find bear animal ornaments in style II. The treasure seems to date to the transition between the older and the younger Merovingian period, i.e. in the period from 560/570 to 630/640 AD Relations between the chiefs were getting better and better and marriages from a distance were no longer uncommon. In the year 551 AD, Jordanes reported for the first time about Norwegian tribes in his work "De origine actibusque Getarum".
context
The prestige objects must have belonged to a person who ruled over a larger area. The explanation for a center of power in the hinterland , far removed from the great centers of power in Europe, can be found in various factors. Initially, Åker was centrally located and at a junction of the most important north-south connection from the inland settlements to the coast. It led across the Mjøsa along the Vorma and Glomma rivers . From Mjøsa, traffic also ran east to Sweden. Furs, hides, iron bars and forged weapons came to Åker. There was also good soil for agriculture. The names of the surrounding farms indicate that the area was a religious center. Here sacrifices were made and this is where people met for the thing . In addition, the importance of the site is reflected in numerous grave fields and large individual burial mounds . The largest is six meters high and 60 meters in diameter. Around 550, prosperity suddenly broke off in Norway. There is no generally accepted explanation for this. A number of cultural changes are identified. The ornamentation expands into wickerwork, the armament is adapted to the Franconian, the language changes to the well-known Norrøn . The grave goods are generally sparse, which, however, does not apply to this find, which was deposited 100 or 150 years later. A leader who ruled a place like Åker had power and wealth. Through his familiarity with the greats in Europe, he acquired prestige objects in the pre -Viking era that no one else in his vicinity owned.
literature
- Perry Rolfsen: Power center at Mjøsa In: Archeology in Germany 1/2000 p. 54 ff
Web links
- Åkerspenna og Åkerfunnet (Norwegian)
Coordinates: 60 ° 47 '58.9 " N , 11 ° 7' 17.4" E