25 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

One of the greatest gold treasures in Danish history found in Vindelev

Near the town of Jelling in Denmark, one of the biggest treasures ever found dating from the sixth century has been found.

One of the largest, richest, and most beautiful gold treasures in Danish history was found at Vindelev, just outside Jelling.

Ole Ginnerup Schytz had just purchased a metal detector and was wandering the fields when he stumbled upon the gold, according to the Vejle Museum, where the hoard will be displayed.

The treasure, which weighs just under a kilogram, includes a medallion the size of a saucer and approximately 22 gold objects.

The discovery of an enormous amount of gold indicates that the site was a powerhouse in the Late Iron Age. The discovery was made around six months ago, but it was kept a secret until now.

Golden treasure after excavation. Photo: Vejlemuseerne
Golden treasure after excavation. Photo: Vejlemuseerne

“Although the place-name Vindelev can be associated with the time of migration, there was nothing to suggest that an unprecedented warlord or great man lived here long before the Danish kingdom emerged in the following centuries,” said Mads Ravn, research director for Vejlemuseernes.

Mads Ravn said in his statement at the Vejle Museum: “In the early 500’s this man chose to close the treasury. Maybe to save him in case of war, maybe as a victim of higher powers.”

The Vindelev treasure consists of saucer-sized medallions and Roman coins turned into jewelry. Most important, a heavy gold coin from the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (285-337 AD). Some of the objects have runic patterns and inscriptions that may allude to the kings of the time, but also to Norse mythology.

One of the finds is a bracteate with a series of runes and a braided male head. He is seen in front of a horse under the head and a bird communicating with the man. Between the muzzle and forelimbs of the horse is a runic inscription, which reads ‘houaʀ’ according to early interpretations; ‘Supreme’.

Vindelev treasure
The gold haul is one of the biggest ever found in Denmark Photo: Copyright Konserveringscenter Vejle

‘Supreme’ may refer to the ruler who abolishes the find, but is associated with the god Odin in later mythological contexts.

According to preliminary studies, the wealth might have been placed as a sacrifice to the gods during a tumultuous time when the climate in northern Europe was turned upside down following an ash-filled volcanic explosion in Iceland in the year 536.

Some believe that the foundation of Viking Age society and a unified Danish kingdom lay in this period.

More than 40 kg of gold from these centuries was found during the Iron Age. But the size, quantity, and technical details of the objects in the treasure now found in Vindelev are completely unique.

The treasure will be on display at the museum in Vejle from February 2022.

Source: Vejle Museerne

Related Articles

Ancient tools discovered in Maryland show the first humans came to America 7,000 years earlier than previously thought

23 May 2024

23 May 2024

When and how humans first settled in the Americas is a subject of considerable controversy. A Smithsonian Institution geologist now...

Evidence of Intentional Roman Use of Narcotic Seeds, Found in Bone Vessel in the Netherlands

8 February 2024

8 February 2024

Archaeologists have discovered the first conclusive evidence of the existence of a hallucinogenic and poisonous plant thought to have been...

The rich-poor distinction draws attention in the nutrition of the inhabitants of the Ancient City of Pergamon

27 November 2021

27 November 2021

The hegemony of wealth to the poor, arising from the ruler, elite structure, property ownership, unjust acquisition, and distribution of...

6,000-year-old Finds in Dorset Downs

11 June 2021

11 June 2021

In the Dorset Downs, a significant landscaping project has revealed a plethora of intriguing findings on a grand scale. Excavations...

Well-Preserved Funerary Enclosures, Mausoleums, and Gladiator Epitaph Discovered in Ancient Roman Colony of Liternum, Italy

22 March 2025

22 March 2025

Recent archaeological excavations in the ancient Roman colony of Liternum, located in present-day Giugliano in Campania, Italy, have unveiled significant...

Unprecedented necropolis site found in Cappadocia, one of Türkiye’s most important tourism centers

8 July 2024

8 July 2024

In Cappadocia, located in the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye, known for its unique moon-like landscape, underground cities, cave churches,...

The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at a Jewish synagogue in Israel

8 August 2022

8 August 2022

The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at a Jewish synagogue at Huqoq in Israel,...

World-first recreation of ancient Egyptian garden open

20 May 2022

20 May 2022

Have you ever wondered what an ancient Egyptian garden was like?  This is your opportunity to find out! The first...

New Research Shows Angkor Wat’s Incredible Population Density

11 May 2021

11 May 2021

Angkor Wat was the grand capital of ancient Cambodia. The population of Angkor Wat, one of the most magnificent cities...

Marvelous Marble Floor Of Sunken Roman Villa Restored in Bacoli

19 July 2024

19 July 2024

In Bacoli, Italy, an underwater restoration project has uncovered the marvelous marble floor of a submerged Roman villa. This remarkable...

In the Black Sea, there is a “Ship Graveyard” with 2,500 years of wrecked ships

15 February 2022

15 February 2022

The Black Sea is the inland sea lying between Europe and Asia. Blacksea is located in Eurasia, surrounded by Europe,...

Discoveries on the island of Minorca shed light on the history of Roman conquests in the Balearic Islands

31 July 2021

31 July 2021

The University of Alicante Institute for Archeology and Historical Heritage (INAPH) Researchs discovered a collection of buried Roman antiquities going...

Archaeologists discovered a 2,000-year-old rock-carved face at Spain’s Tossal de La Cala castle

20 May 2023

20 May 2023

Archaeologists have discovered a rock-carved face at Toscal De La Cala, a Roman fort in Benidorm, on the east coast...

700 Years After Dante’s Death, His Handwritten Notes Are Discovered

11 July 2021

11 July 2021

Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, and scholar are best known for his masterwork La Commedia (also known as The Divine...