Saxo Institute, section for prehistoric archaeology

Rock carvings in the Bronze Age have been subject to various interpretations as a consequence of their magnificent nature but none of them has a more interesting character than the wheel cross. When it comes to this rock carving symbol, it seems to have both a religious/cultic and a practical meaning, while the religious interpretation has a dominant position in the archaeological discussion of the symbol. By studying the literature, that describes the different meanings of the wheel cross, three theories can be separated. The first one sees the sign as a symbol of the sun because of its circular form and within the context it has been found both on physical objects and together with other rock carvings on rocks and larger stones. The second theory differs from the first one by taking the interpretation a step further and relates the wheel cross especially its four spokes to the four seasons of the year and four times a day with reference to cyclic motion of the sun as the so called “cult-wagons” seems to symbolize. The last theory is based on the fact that the wheel cross has a practical function as a wheel. To emphasize this point, an analysis of the Danish incidences of wheel crosses with alternative editions of the symbol, rock carvings of Sweden with depictions of carts and chariots, physical material such as equestrian equipment within the modern Danish borders and single wheels from abroad will be used as arguments for this understanding of the wheel cross. In addition to this theory, and as an argument for its eligibility in the discussion of the meaning of the wheel cross, a critical analysis of certain contexts where the wheel cross is not to be seen as a religious or cultic symbol have their own chapter. Finally, the author will try to make an answer to a question that deals with the lack of rock carvings of wagons in the Danish area but a relative abundance of physical bronze objects related to it compared to the Swedish material.

On the island of Als, southern Jutland, Denmark, a high-status grave from the beginning of the 1st Century A D was excavated by Jens Raben in 1932. Prior to the excavation, the landowner had found several cremation graves during ploughing.
The cremation urn contained a number of grave goods including two Roman copper alloy vessels. A large washing bowl was used as a lid for the urn and a saucepan was found inside the urn. Other important artefacts include a silver brooch, five glass and amber beads, mountings for four drinking horns, bridles for two horses, a knife, and four copper alloy objects of unknown function. Clearly visible traces of wear can be seen on these objects and on two similar finds from Denmark. In order to understand better the function of these latter objects, a metal analysis and a wear-trace analysis have been carried out. The results of this analysis are presented in this article as well as some remarks concerning the possible function of the two copper alloy objects.
In 2016, a group of detecting people began surveying the field using metal detectors systematically and several fine artefacts have been found so far. These artefacts clearly indicate that also several high status women were buried here. These graves, however, have been destroyed by modern ploughing, but the artefacts date the graves to the last half of the 1st Century A D and the first half of the 2nd Century A D.
In this article, the circumstances surrounding the excavation in 1932 will be described and the new detector finds will be presented.

Ved Gram i Sønderjylland blev der i 1937 udgravet en gravhøj med tre begravelser fra ældre romersk jernalder. Det centrale lerkar var fyldt med udstyret til en germansk kriger i fuld bevæbning og til hest. Men der var ingen brændte knogler i lerkaret, udover en brændt fingerknogle. Der er muligvis tale om en kenotaf.

In 2018, the Museum Sønderjylland carried out an excavation of the cemetery site of Tombølgård on the island of Als, southern Jutland, which has been partly destroyed by modern ploughing. The cemetery site dates to the Early Roman Iron Age, B1 and B2. The site is known from a small excavation of a single urn in 1932, and from metal detector finds found between 2016 and 2018. During the excavation in 2018, the last four cremation graves, of which two were intact, were excavated. This article presents the grave goods from one of these two cremation graves. It included a gold berlock pendant, a Roman saucepan, a bridle, and horse headgear. The bridle and headgear belong to the earliest Germanic types, and parallels may be drawn to the Rhine area and the auxiliary cavalry units posted there during the Roman expansion of the area up to the Elbe.

Dette indlæg bygger på de foreløbige undersøgelser af fundkomplekset "Kastrup“ ved Gram i Sønderjylland, et materiale jeg bruger i forbindelse med mit speciale i Forhistorisk Arkæologi ved Københavns
Universitet. Højen blev udgravet i 1937 / 38 af H. Neumann (1957) fra Haderslev Museum. Tolkningen af Kastrup fundet er noget omdiskuteret, og et endeligt tolkningsforslag er endnu ikke blevet fyldestgørende fremlagt. H. Neumann tolkede fundkomplekset som værende en hedensk offerplads af hidtil ukendt karakter. Meget tyder dog på, at denne tolkning ikke længere kan opretholdes, idet der i genstandsmaterialet er klare paralleller til andre samtidige våbengrave. Mit speciale vil omfatte en grundig typologisk gennemgang af hele genstandsmaterialet samt en diskussion af samfundsstrukturen i ældre romersk jernalder i Sydjylland og Slesvig. Den typologiske analyse af genstandsmaterialet er endnu ikke fuldendt, hvorfor de her fremlagte resultater er meget foreløbige.

This article presents the last of the graves excavated in 2018 at the Tombølgård cemetery site on Als. The cemetery site dates to the Early Roman Iron Age, B 1 and B 2.
The site is known from a small excavation of a single urn in 1932, and from metal detector finds found between 2016 and 2018, and finally from the excavation in 2018. The grave goods from this last cremation grave from 2018 include a silver hair pin, shears, knives, and the remains of a lock for a wooden box. The box had probably contained some odd and old objects, which were found in the urn. These objects suggest that the deceased may have had a significant role in the society at the time.

Jeg har mødt muren. Jeg er igen nået til det punkt, hvor en fortsættelse syntes at ville kræve overmenneskelige kræfter. For på Københavns Universitets humanistiske fakultet er vi i denne tid ikke alene hjemsøgte af den ny universitetslov, økonomiske nedskæringer, institutsammenlægninger og arbejdet med nye studieordninger – men lokalt er mit fag tilmed ramt af praktiske problemer med flytning fra indre by til Amager og en deraf følgende øget (og glædelig) studieaktivitet. Så på det stakkels lille fag bruger vi mange, mange flere timer på administrativt arbejde end på faglig udvikling.
Det var selvfølgelig derfor, jeg mødte muren. Det helt uventede var, at den denne gang antog skikkelse af en kørelærer.

"The frequent application by archaeologists of
Werner Christensen’s distribution map for the occurrence
of bog iron ore in Denmark (1966) is queried, and
the argument is made for the use, relative to Zealand,
of Kristian Rørdam’s mapping data in combination with
actual observations. Subsequently, against the background
of the archaeological and geological record, metallurgical
analyses and experimental archaeological research, the
contours are sketched of iron production based on bog
iron ore from Zealand."

Den gode historie er som et prisme, der først samler fortællingens mange tråde for derefter at sprede dem i et nyt og
måske helt uventet mønster. En sådan historie lå i de kasser,
som Inge Linnet Seeman overlod til Museet for Varde by og
Omegn i 2008.Kasserne var fyldt med Robert Thomsens papirer
og dermed fortællingen om, hvorfor vi ved, det vi ved,
om jernfremstilling i jernalder og vikingetid (og ikke alene
fortællingen om, hvad vi ved). Og bruger vi Thomsens papirer
som et prisme, kan fortællingens tråde spredes, så vi ikke
længere tænker i sandheden, men i mangfoldigheden om den
vestjyske fremstilling af jern. På den måde kan vi få øje på nye
og uventede nuancer i det arkæologiske kildemateriale.

In streams of light I clearly saw the dust you seldom see, Out of which the Nameless makes a Name for one like me. L. Cohen, 2001 Jeg hvilede et øjeblik i pedalerne på toppen af Valby Bakke. Ikke fordi jeg var udmattet. Nej. Jeg er god op ad bakke. Rigtig god. Nyder at overhale de der unge gutter, der aser med gearskiftet. Men i morges tog jeg en kort pause for at lade blikket glide hen over byen. Verden ses så tydeligt i oktobers skarpe sol. I sådan et lys ses alle de detaljer, helheden ellers skjuler. Hver en teglsten. Hver en vinduessprosse traeder frem. Det er som at se ind i en navnløs dimension, hvor selv støvet får betydning. Nøjagtig sådan er det med arkaeologien. Når den ses -og ses i det rigtige lys. I 1986 udgravede Nationalmuseet, til stor overraskelse for den arkaeologiske videnskab, tre jernudvindingsanlaeg på Vestsjaelland. Ovnene blev fundet ved rekognoscering forud for nedlaegning af det landsdaekkende naturgasnet og isaer den ene af dem var påfaldende velbevaret. Her lå beviset, for at jernalderbønderne havde fremstillet jern af myremalm -og kilderne, til forståelsen af, hvordan det var sket. På Sjaelland. Det var det sidste, der overraskede. I den arkaeologiske videnskab er det nemlig en til sandhed gentaget påstand, at jernudvinding primaert, for ikke at sige udelukkende, har fundet sted i Jylland. For det er her, man ikke kan udgå at bemaerke de hen ved éthundrede kilo tunge udvindingsslagger i pløjelaget. Gennem generationer har bønderne vaeltet den op og bugseret dem til naermeste dige eller skel, hvor de nu ligger -frit synlige -den dag i dag. Eller de har knust dem og anvendt dem som vejfyld. Ganske som gårdejer Kristian Højbjerg fra Grimstrup fortalte i 1926: Vi kunde ikke godt arbejde for dem og brød dem derfor op… Vi slog dem i Stykker med store Hamre og kørte dem hjem til Gaarden. Der var et helt Laes. Noget blev slaaet i mindre Stykker og brugt til at køre paa Vejen, og noget ligger her ved Gaarden endnu.

For more than ten years the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen has offered the course Experimental Archaeology, Ethnoarchaeology and Simple Technology to all students at BA level. The course has been developed and given in close cooperation with the Research Department at the Historical-Archaeological Experimental Centre in Lejre. During these years more than a hundred students have gained a basic knowledge about controlled and contextual experiments; they have learned about experience archaeology and the use of analogies in archaeology; and they have had hands-on experience with various materials such as clay, iron, bronze, flint and stone. The fundamental facts about the course have been the same through all the years. Every year we have had about 10–15 students, two teachers, a lot of good ideas and a modest bag of money for hiring craftspeople and guests lecturers.
This paper presents the two partners, the University of Copenhagen and the Historical-Experimental Centre in Lejre, and it summarizes their sometimes different goals and aims within the academic branch of experimental archaeology in Denmark. The paper also tries to give an outline for future perspectives on work in experimental archaeology – carried out by the students we educate today.

På kandidatstudiet i forhistorisk arkæologi her på Københavns Universitet. På fagelementet Almen arkæologisk kundskab er det nemlig en forudsætning
for at aflægge eksamen, at man har udarbejdet fire essays. De
skal indleveres sammen med pensumopgivelserne og indgår samlet
med vægt af 25% i bedømmelsen på den ellers mundtlige eksamen.
Forhindringen er, at dette fagelement – og måske netop de tilknyttede
essays – er dækket af et tågeslør for mange af fagets studerende.
Og usikkerheden i forhold til essaygenren forekommer
langt større end den usikkerhed, de studerende har i forhold til
uddannelsens andre krav til skriftlighed.
Efter min overbevisning er der to enkle råd, hvis efterlevelse kan
få tågen til at lette: overvær ældre studerendes eksamener. Alt for
ofte eksamineres for tomt eller for næsten tomt auditorium. Og læs
ældre studerendes essays. Alt for få studerende låner og diskuterer
essays med tidligere eksaminander. Så længe de studerende ikke
aktivt benytter sig af disse muligheder, vil de have vanskeligt ved
at afmystifcere prøven i Almen arkæologisk kundskab og dermed
også ved at tilegne sig essaygenren som et videnskabeligt værktøj.