Unique Bronze Age Treasure Discovered In Swedish Forest Was A Gift To Norse Gods

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - What at first glance looked like garbage turned out to be a valuable Bronze Age treasure. Tommy Karlsson, an orienteering enthusiast, accidentally stumbled upon a treasure trove of 50 Bronze Age relics dating back over 2,500 years.

Tommy Karlsson found unique Bronze Age jewelry in a forest in Alingsås, Sweden. Credit: Frida Nygård/Sveriges Radio

Karlsson is no treasure hunter, and this find was quite a surprise to him. The cartographer made the discovery when he was out updating a map,

“I was standing on a rock, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw that there was some scrap metal on the hill. I was a little surprised because it was not a place where you would find scrap metal. But then I saw that it was something that looked like old jewelry. Very old jewelry. But it looked pretty new, and not as expected,” Karlsson explains in an interview with the Swedish Radio.

Karlsson contacted authorities and archaeologists who came to the site examining the objects, and it was soon obvious this was an extraordinary find.

One piece of the Bronze Age jewelry. Credit: Mats Hellgren/TT Nyhetsbyrån

Archaeologists suggest people buried the objects in the ground as a gift to the Norse Gods. The jewelry belonged to one, or possibly several wealthy women.

"Most of the finds are made up of bronze items that can be associated with a women of high status from the Bronze Age," Johan Ling, professor of archeology at the University of Gothenburg, said in the statement.

A foootring made in bronze. Credit: Mikael Agaton/TT Nyhetsbyrån

"They have been used to adorn different body parts, such as necklaces, bracelets and ankle bracelets, but there were also large needles and eyelets used to decorate and hold up different pieces of clothing, probably made of wool," Ling added.

Ling also emphasizes this is one of the biggest Bronze Age discoveries made in Sweden.

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It is easy to dismiss such unearthed objects as trash, and it is a good thing Tommy Karlsson looked twice, or we would never have heard of this significant archaeological discovery.

Written by Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com Staff Writer