17 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

7 Gold Pendants Found Buried by Ancient Scandinavian Elites as a Sacrifice to the Gods

7 gold necklaces were found in a field near the Norwegian municipality of Østfold County Rade. Researchers believe that these pendants were buried as part of a sacrificial act in the 6th century.

The first four gold pendants were discovered by a metal detectorist, while the last three were discovered by archaeologists from the University of Oslo during a follow-up dig.

These artifacts with Scandinavian gods and stylized animal figures are known as “bracteates”. Bracteate is a thin one-sided gold medal used quite often in the Roman period (4th and 6th centuries).

To date, researchers have discovered approximately 900 bracteates, 160 of which have been discovered in Norway. The objects are unique to Scandinavia, but some have been discovered in Germany and England, probably as northern imports.

The gold bracteates served as a status symbol for sixth-century Scandinavian elites. (Margrete F. Simonsen / Cultural History Museum)
The gold bracteates served as a status symbol for sixth-century Scandinavian elites. (Margrete F. Simonsen / Cultural History Museum)

The pendants were undoubtedly part of a generous donation, or sacrifice, to the gods, according to archaeologists. They were dated to the 6th century, a few hundred years before the Viking Age began.

“There is little doubt that these were items connected to aristocratic communities within a Germanic elite in Scandinavia,” said the team of archaeologists in a recent blog post on Science Norway.

Only those of high social standing and wealth could afford such a lavish sacrifice.

Archaeologists from the University of Oslo Museum of Cultural History led the excavation: Jessica Leigh McGraw, Margrete Figenschou Simonsen, and Magne Samdal.

Considering they’ve spent over a thousand years in clay earth, the pendants are in amazing condition. This is due to the fact that gold does not corrode. They are, though, very delicate. The gold has a high purity, which makes it soft and bendable.

Related Articles

New Study shows Early Native Americans in Alaska were freshwater fishermen 13,000 years ago

15 June 2023

15 June 2023

A team led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers has discovered the earliest known evidence that Native Americans living...

A 4000-Year-Old Trading Port was Discovered in Istanbul

4 May 2021

4 May 2021

Archaeological excavations carried out on a peninsula in the middle of Istanbul Küçükçekmece Lake unearthed a very important 4,000-year-old trade...

Scandinavia’s first farmers slaughtered the hunter-gatherer population, according to a new study

9 February 2024

9 February 2024

Following the arrival of the first farmers in Scandinavia 5,900 years ago, the hunter-gatherer population was wiped out within a...

Multiple Burials found at Çatalhöyük

17 September 2021

17 September 2021

Multiple burials were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the house on the eastern mound of the Neolithic settlement Çatalhöyük....

Oil drilling uncovers a 2,000-year-old cemetery with giant Urn-like tombs in Southwest Iran

16 July 2022

16 July 2022

An ancient cemetery with urn-like tombs was discovered in Ahvaz, the capital city of Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. The...

Ancient golden neck ring found in Denmark

24 April 2022

24 April 2022

A one-of-a-kind golden neck ring from the Germanic Iron Age (400-550 A.D.) has been discovered in a field not far...

Archaeologists unearth 6,000-year-old two monumental mounds containing wooden grave chambers in Germany

16 March 2024

16 March 2024

Archaeologists from the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt (LDA) have uncovered a significant Neolithic burial landscape on...

A 3,400-year-old Pyramid from the Scythian-Saka period found in Karaganda region of Kazakhstan

2 November 2023

2 November 2023

A pyramid belonging to the Scythian-Saka period was found in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan. Experts announced that the Karajartas...

Using Algorithms, Researchers Reassemble Jewish Text Lost Centuries Ago

27 January 2022

27 January 2022

Using new technology, researchers were able to comb a 19th-century text for the original study of a Bible interpretation attributed...

A Roman sarcophagus bearing the title of “Emperor’s Protector” was found for the first time in Anatolia

29 April 2022

29 April 2022

A sarcophagus carrying the title of “Emperor’s protector” was discovered in the province of Kocaeli in western Turkey. With the...

Hundreds of silver coins have been found near the castle of Lukov in Moravia

4 September 2021

4 September 2021

In the forest near the Southern Moravian Fortress Lukov, two members of the Society of Friends of the Lukov Fortress...

The 7th-Century Lombard Kings’ Tombs Found in Pavia, Italy

24 December 2024

24 December 2024

The excavations, conducted between September and October by the Catholic University, uncovered numerous burials attributed, on the one hand, to...

Artifacts used for ancient magic rituals discovered on Darb al-Hajj route from Cairo to Mecca

11 September 2023

11 September 2023

The artifacts, found in the 1990s on the ancient Darb al-Hajj route from Cairo to Mecca, may have been in...

60 Elongated Structures of Unknown Function and Neolithic Silos Discovered in France

12 October 2024

12 October 2024

The Pfulgriesheim site, located in northeastern France’s Alsace region, underwent extensive archaeological research before being developed as a new urban...

Part of lost star catalog of Hipparchus found hidden in Medieval parchment

22 October 2022

22 October 2022

Hipparchus’ fabled star catalog, which had been thought to be lost, was discovered concealed in a medieval parchment that had...