NORTHERN RELICS—GROUND FINDS.
The custom of hiding objects—Discovery of numerous golden objects
near the surface—Necklaces of gold—Golden horns discovered at
Mögletönder—The Bangstrup find.
The objects found in the earth, and classified under the name of _ground
finds_, are often not only very valuable but also very beautiful; in
many instances they are of the same type and period as those of the bogs
and graves. The custom of intentionally hiding objects which existed in
the stone and bronze age lasted until the end of the Viking age, and one
of the finest archæological fields in the whole of Scandinavia is that
of Broholm, situated on the island of Fyen. These finds are divided into
three principal groups, viz.:—Lundeborg, Gudme, and Elsehoved. Almost
all the objects were so near the surface of the soil that they were
discovered either when ploughing, or digging with a spade.
[Illustration:
Fig. 491.—Denarius; Trajan (98–117). Broholm. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 492.—Fibula of bronze. Broholm. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 493.—Solidus: temp. Constantine II. (337–61), found near
Hesselagergaard, Broholm, 1875. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 494.—Largest Neck-ring, Broholm. Heaviest rings, weight 3 lbs., 1
lb. 14½ oz., 1 lb. 2½ oz.; ½ real size. Among other objects
discovered with this neck-ring were three other neck-rings, one
weighing about 2 lbs. 2 ozs., another 1½ lb.; six pieces of massive
gold belonging to neck-rings; six spiral gold rings; a spiral
finger-ring of gold; bent gold bars probably used as money; and
bracteates.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 495.—Roll of flat gold band.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 496.—Gold bead. Real size. Broholm.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 497.—Gold band.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 498.—Solidus: temp. Constantine II. Broholm. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 499.—Gold Neck-ring, from Hesselagergaard, Broholm. ⅗ real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 500.—Fibula of gold. Broholm. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Reverse of Fig. 500.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 501.—Hollow gold object, ornamented with cornelians, found at
Lundeberg, Broholm. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 502.—Gold Mounting for sword scabbard. Real size. Broholm.
]
[Illustration:
Reverse of Fig. 502.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 503.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 504.
Gold bracteates. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 505.—Mosaic bead. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 506.—Gold bracteate, showing fibula on the neck. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 507.—Gold ring used as money. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 508.—Gold spiral ring. Elsehoved, Broholm. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 509.—Fibula of copper covered with gold, and ornamented with
garnets, one of which remains intact; a bird will be seen at the
bottom. ½ real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 510.—Roman coins of the 5th century, forming part of a necklace,
with a string of gold beads (Valentinianus, 425–455; Julius
Majorianus, 457–461; two Leo I., 457–474; Zeno, 474–491; two
Anastasius, 491–515).
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 511.—Gold rings used as money. Real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 512.—Ring of gold. Real size.
]
Among the finest and most valuable objects found in the North were the
two superb golden horns discovered at Mögeltönder on the peninsula of
Jutland, which were once the pride of the great Museum of Northern
Antiquities in Copenhagen.
They were without equals in any part of the world; their exterior was
made of different bands of gold, with figures in repoussé work, fastened
to the harder gold of the body of the horn. Both were stolen from the
old Danish Museum on the 4th of May, 1802, and the ignorant thief melted
them; thus those two superb specimens were for ever lost to science, and
with an unfortunate fatality the cast of each has also been lost; but
luckily the drawings made can be relied on. The thief was captured a
year after, and his punishment was not adequate to the crime he had
committed.
The representations given upon them must have had a meaning; these were
symbolical, and were probably very significant and not used for mere
ornamentation; what the figures and symbolical signs meant is impossible
for us to tell. Among the most remarkable of the former is the
three-headed man, holding in one hand what appears to be an axe, while
with the other he leads some kind of horned animal.
[Illustration:
Fig. 513.—Golden horn discovered at Mögeltönder, 1639, with thirteen
broad rings round it. Length, 2 feet 9 inches; weight over 7 lbs.
⅕ real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 514.—Golden horn discovered at Mögeltönder, 1734. The exact
length of this horn, which had round its broadest end an inscription
in earlier runes, has not been stated, but, judging from a
_facsimile_ in silver gilt made by command of Frederick VII. from
the old drawing, and presented by him to the old Northern Museum, it
must have been over 20 inches long. Though the lower part was broken
off and lost, it still weighed more than 8 lbs.
⅕ real size.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 515.—Inscription in earlier runes on horn.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 516.—Facsimile of each ring of the damaged horn (Fig. 514).
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 517.—Facsimile of the rings of the perfect horn (Fig. 513).
]
_Bangstrup Find (Fyen)._—Conspicuous among many remarkable finds is the
Bangstrup find (Fyen, 1865), in which rings of gold used as money,
ornaments of peculiar shape, and 46 gold Roman coins, which were pierced
or had a loop attached to the top, were discovered. The coins, ranging
from the time of Trajanus Decius (249–251) to that of Constantine II.
(337–351), give an approximate idea of the time of the deposit of the
find; for, while most of the earlier coins are well worn, the later ones
are very well preserved and the coinage is very sharp and clear, thus
indicating that they cannot have been long in circulation. As the dates
of these later coins are about 340–350, the find cannot have been buried
much later than that time.
[Illustration:
307–323.
Fig. 518.
IMP. LICINIVS. P. F. AVG.
ORIENS AVGVSTORVM.
]
[Illustration:
306–337.
Fig. 519.
CONSTANTINVS PFAVG.
VICTORIA. CONSTANTINI. AVG.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 520.—Gold coin.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 521.—Crescent-shaped pendant of gold.
]
The crescent-shaped ornaments have, so far as is known, never been found
elsewhere in the North; but in the Ukraine similar ones have been
discovered, and are described in the work “Account of the Mounds, &c.,
of the Government of Kiew,” by Privy Councillor J. Foundoukleï, Kief,
1848.
BANGSTRUP FIND.
[Illustration:
Fig. 522.—Crescent-shaped pendant of gold.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 523.—Crescent of gold pendant-shaped: representing two lions
drinking out of a cup.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 524.—Leaf-shaped pendant of thin sheet gold.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 525.—Leaf-shaped pendant, sheet gold.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 526.—Rectangular pendant of sheet gold, with embossed human
figure.
]
[Illustration:
Fig. 527.—Semi-spherical gold ornamentation of unknown use.
]