One Of The Biggest Gold Treasures Ever Discovered In Denmark Is 1,500-Year-Old

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - When archaeologists in Denmark say they have struck gold, they do really mean it! One of the biggest gold treasures ever discovered in Denmark has become an archaeological sensation.

Scientists have unearthed almost a kilo’s worth of golden treasure in Jutland dating back to around 1,500 years ago.

One of the biggest gold treasures ever found in Denmark. Credit: Vejlemuseerne

The discovery was made in Jutland that is also home to the famous, massive Jelling stones from the 10th century. Around the year 965 King Harald Bluetooth erected the large rune stone in Jelling. The stone was raised in memory of King Harald's parents, Gorm and Thyra.

King Harald Bluetooth wanted to be remembered for some specific achievements; therefore, he erected a runic stone intended to last forever.
He converted to Christianity in 965 and erected a runestone in Jelling, with the inscription:

"... Harald who conquered for himself the whole of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian."

Credit: Vejlemuseerne

“This runestone is today considered the most well- known example of runic inscriptions in Denmark. Featuring an easily distinguished image of Christ on the cross, the Jelling Stone erected by Bluetooth is often referred to as the "Baptism Certificate of Denmark," which symbolizes the end of the polytheistic traditions followed by much of the Danish population.

He also honored his parents by Commissioning a second Jelling Stone, which was found in the town of Jelling, Denmark.

Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson died of wounds received in an uprising against him in 985 or 986.” ¹

Credit: Vejlemuseerne

“According to Vejle Museums, which will include the find in its big Viking exhibition next February, the find is one of the biggest gold treasures ever discovered in Denmark. The museum’s head of research, Mads Ravn, ranked the discovery in the top five all time,” the Copenhagen Post reports.

“This is really in the top. We have the Golden Horns of Gallehus, which weigh seven kilos, and ‘fæstedsskatten’, which weighs one kilo. This weighs in at about 945 grams,” Ravn said, according to TV2 News.

“But qualitatively, it’s also quite special because there are runes and special motifs not seen before.”

See also: More Archaeology News

According to the museum, the treasure was buried in a longhouse by a wealthy man back in the Iron Age, which indicates that the area was a center of power at the time.

The discovery was actually made by a private citizen using a metal detector back in December, but the find was kept secret until now.

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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