Download - Feveile 2014. At the geestland edge southwest of Ribe. On the track of a centre of wealth during the 1st millennium AD.

Wealth andComplexity

Economically specialised sitesin Late Iron Age Denmark

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Edited by

Ernst Stidsing

Karen Høilund Nielsen

and Reno Fiedel

Aarhus University Press a

East Jutland Museum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wealth and Complexity. Economically specialised sites in Late Iron Age Denmark

East Jutland Museum Publications vol.

© Museum Østjylland and Aarhus University Press

Graphic design: Jørgen Sparre

Typesetting: Ryevad Grafisk

Cover illustration: Aerial photo of Moeskær and the fields of Stavnsager (seen from southeast).

Photo: Michael Vinter.

Printed at Zeuner Grafisk, Denmark

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BECKETT-FONDEN

Den HIELMSTIERNE-ROSENCRONESKE STIFTELSE

Lillian og Dan Finks Fond

Landsdommer V. Gieses Legat

Contents · 5

Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 Foreword

10 Map of central-place sites referred to in the papers

Karen Høilund Nielsen

11 Key issues concerning ‘central places’

Andres Siegfried Dobat

51 Füsing – a metal-rich site in the vicinity of Haithabu/Schleswig dating

from c. AD 700-1000

Martin Segschneider

65 Centrality and trade on the North Frisian Islands during the Migration period

Claus Feveile

73 At the geestland edge southwest of Ribe:

On the track of a centre of wealth during the 1st millennium AD

Jens G. Lauridsen

91 he metal detector site of Sig Syd

Reno Fiedel

99 Stavnsager – small glimpses of something big

Ernst Stidsing

119 Haslund Øst – a newly discovered metal-detector site

Torben Trier Christiansen and Torben Sarauw

127 Central places in abundance?

6 · Wealth and Complexity

Sidsel Wåhlin

143 Metal-rich sites in Vendsyssel

Per Ethelberg

157 Early state formation in southern Scandinavia in the 1st-4th century AD

Mads Kähler Holst

179 Warrior aristocracy and village community

Jens Ulriksen

199 Find-rich settlements from the Late Iron Age and the Viking Age and their

external contacts

Christopher Loveluck and Kristian Strutt, with Philip Clogg

213 From hamlets to central places

Yossi Salmon

253 he application of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) at Stavnsager, Denmark:

Prospects and contributions

Michael Vinter and Esben Schlosser Mauritsen

269 Aerial archaeological survey of central places and other settlements:

An evaluation of possibilities

and limitations

Peter Hambro Mikkelsen and Tatiana Smekalova

281 Central places from a scientiic perspective: From geophysics

to micro-morphology

289 List of museums referred to in the papers

290 List of authors

At the geestland edge southwest of Ribe: On the track of a centre of wealth during the 1st millennium AD · 73

At the geestland edge southwestof Ribe: On the track of a centre ofwealth during the st millennium AD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Claus Feveile

Vester Vedsted and Hviding, has a quite remark-

able concentration of settlements from the Iron

Age, Viking Age and the Early Middle Ages, both

quantitatively and qualitatively. Besides the dis-

coveries made during the many modern excav-

ations, one only needs to think of the Vester Ved-

sted hoard from the th century, with its c. kg

of gold and a little silver, or the ground-breaking

excavations at Dankirke in the s where the

contents of a burnt-down building, together with

those of a nearby cultural layer, have contributed

to the almost mythical character of the site.

Since the middle of the s, metal-detector

archaeology has contributed to this picture in

many ways, supplementing our knowledge and,

not least, recovering astonishing finds time after

time. Not many archaeologists make extensive use

of metal detectors themselves, but I am one of the

few. I therefore know what a huge investment of

labour and effort is required and how small the de-

tecting head is relative to a large field, in respect of

which an archaeologist may say ‘we would just like

you to take a look at this …’. (is article could not

have been written without the enormous contribu-

tions – both in time and effort – made by the de-

tectorists, and many heartfelt thanks are therefore

due to the museum’s detector team: Jens Chris-

tian Lau, Gunnar Larsen, Henrik Christiansen and

Flemming Gadgaard.

Professional research efforts as regards Ribe

have so far been concentrated on the town’s ‘Viking

As has been the case in so many places across

Denmark over the last c. years, hundreds of

metal finds dating from the Iron Age, Viking Age

and Middle Ages have been recovered around Ribe

with the aid of metal detectors. A fair proportion of

the finds were discovered in places where past dis-

coveries, aerial photographs or actual excavations

suggested there might be something worth find-

ing; in other cases metal detectors have led – and

continue to lead – to the discovery of previously

unknown sites.

Up until , Antikvarisk Samling in Ribe was

a museum with a very small geographic area of

archaeological responsibility. As such, museum

staff were able to acquire very detailed insights

into the archaeological sites and monuments

within the area. (ey employed four approaches

in particular: examination, review and presenta-

tion of all known finds and ancient monuments

prior to (Jensen (ed.) ); annual campaigns

of aerial photography, especially from until

the mid-s, though subsequently they were

more sporadic; since , reconnaissance of all

the planted windbreaks that have been ploughed

out for replacement – to date more than km

of windbreaks have been examined in this way in

the area around Ribe (Jensen ), and finally, a

combination of rescue and research excavations.

(e sum of all these diverse observations has

clearly demonstrated that the area to the southwest

of Ribe, comprising the present-day parishes of


Age’, i.e. the trading or market place dating from

the th and th centuries AD. (is decision is com-

pletely justified, as the latter is, without parallel,

the most important individual archaeological site

in southwestern Jutland. However, this focus has

resulted in otherwise very exciting and remarkable

sites being rather unfairly neglected. As a conse-

quence, the interplay between the market place/

town and the settlements of the surrounding area

is neither well studied nor well understood. It is

therefore my hope that attention will, in the future,

be focused on these ‘satellite sites’ around Ribe –

sites which were either a pre-requisite essential to

the founding of Ribe, or significant partners con-

temporaneous with the market place and the town.

In this respect, the area to the southwest of Ribe,

the present-day Vester Vedsted and Hviding par-

ishes, will undoubtedly come to play a very central

role.

In the following, an outline of a number of the

sites located to the southwest of Ribe will be briefly

presented, supplemented by some remarks of a

more methodological nature (fig. ).

Dankirke

(e Dankirke settlement is comprised of two dis-

crete parts: the wealthy farm towards the south,

which was excavated by the Danish National Mu-

seum in the s, and an apparently ordinary

farmstead settlement in an area to the northwest,

usually referred to as ‘Dankirke North’. (e ex-

cavations at Dankirke will not be dealt with fur-

ther here – they have already been presented in a

preliminary form (Jarl Hansen ; ), while

a more detailed analysis and presentation of the

extensive finds is still awaited. It should be noted,

however, that there are two unusual circumstances

relating to this site that have led to it being attri-

buted the status of a rich chieftain’s or magnate’s

farmstead. One concerns the remains of a burnt-

down building which, on excavation, revealed a

very rich finds assemblage. (e other concerns

a cultural layer formed in association with the

settlement that was preserved up until the time

of the excavation solely because it lay as the fill

of a natural depression (fig. ). When Dankirke is

compared with other settlements, it is necessary

to imagine how the site would have appeared as

an excavation object had the building not burnt

down and if natural conditions had not happened

to result in the preservation of the cultural layer.

What interpretation would, I wonder, have been

placed on these otherwise very ordinary buildings,

albeit oriented in an untraditional way?

In this respect it is also interesting to take a

look at the results of the metal-detector surveys

that have been carried out, both on the scheduled

(i.e. protected) part, where the excavations took

place, as well as on numerous occasions on the site

of Dankirke North. An estimated - hours of

surveys have been completed since .

Fig. 1. | !e area southwest of Ribe, showing

wetland areas and arable land. !e estimated

extent of the metal-detector sites mentioned in

the text is given; other sites from the Late Roman/

Early Germanic Iron Age are shown in blue, and

sites from the Late Germanic Iron Age, Viking

Age and Early Middle Ages are shown in red.


(e results for both areas were astonishing rela-

tive to what was expected: (ere were virtually

no finds – and nothing over and above the com-

monplace. Surveys on the scheduled part, the loca-

tion of the ‘chieftain’s’ farmstead, have yielded one

Roman denarius, a fragment of a cruciform brooch

and a piece of a silver arm ring from the Viking

Age. At Dankirke North, there were similarly very

few finds and these were of quite commonly oc-

curring artefacts. It is possible to argue that this

situation could be due to ploughing not having

been particularly destructive such that the cultural

layer was only disturbed to a limited extent, but

this is in no way the case. As early as the s,

a significant part of the now scheduled Dankirke

was subjected to deeper ploughing (Jarl Hansen

, ), and in the middle of the s, when the

land changed hands, the same happened in parts

of Dankirke North. If we were to rank sites today

according to the metal finds recovered by metal

detector, Dankirke would be somewhere close to

the bottom of the list.

Okholm

Okholm is the settlement name for the western-

most part of the village of Vester Vedsted and the

find site of a hoard discovered in . A farmhand

Fig. 2. | Dankirke. Simplified plan of the excavations. After Jarl Hansen , with additions.


quarrying sand found buried treasure including

arm and neck rings, ingots and ornaments, all of

gold, together with a small number of dirhems

and fragments of silver ornaments (Jørgensen &

Petersen , -). (e hoard has been dated

to the middle of the th century AD. In the s,

Okholm was drawn into the hunt for the earliest lo-

cation of Ribe in a joint excavation project involv-

ing Mogens Bencard of Antikvarisk Samling, Ribe,

and Hans Jørgen Madsen of Moesgård Museum.

(ough it quickly became apparent that the site

had nothing whatsoever to do with Ribe and its

predecessors, the excavations were significant for

the time and yielded several intriguing finds. (ey

were most recently followed up by a series of res-

cue and research excavations in -, which

investigated a number of Grubenhäuser, dating

in particular from the th and th centuries, with

clear links to trade and crafts. Together, the two

excavation campaigns have revealed important

evidence of a special site with numerous Gruben-

häuser and traces of both glass bead manufacture

and bronze casting. (e finds included, for exam-

ple, imported Rhenish and Frisian pottery and also

coins: a single Roman bronze coin, two sceattas

from the th century and three Nordic penninge

from the th century, plus a couple of special coins

from the th century. A grave from the late th

century was also investigated (Bencard ; Fe-

veile ; Høilund Nielsen ; Nielsen ).

As regards metal-detector surveys, not much

time has been invested in the fields around the

excavated areas – no more than an estimated -

hours. (e first attempts did not yield any finds

and so there has been little interest in continu-

ing to survey the area; there are other much more

productive sites in the vicinity. Whether these first

impressions represent the real nature of the site,

however, it is difficult to say with certainty. I am not

convinced that a few hours of survey can provide

a truly indicative picture of a site, and further ef-

forts should certainly be invested in the Okholm

area in the future. On the other hand, it should

be borne in mind that at other sites which were

‘discovered’ in an equally short time, many hours

of further metal-detecting have only confirmed the

good results encountered in the first few hours.

Perhaps, then, the impression of Okholm as a site

at which there is next to nothing to be found by

metal-detector is not mistaken.

Gammel Hviding

(is site comprises a large but still partially ill-

defined area to the west of Gammel Hviding

Church (fig. ). It was discovered by aerial pho-

tography in when Stig Jensen recognised the

clear outline of a ‘Trelleborg house’ in the cereal

crop. (is led to a major research and rescue ex-

cavation in the years -, involving the inves-

tigation of a c. . ha area located - m west

of the church, running directly up to the boundary

between the wet salt marsh and the dry, higher

sandy geestland. In the first year of excavation,

a metal-detector survey of the topsoil was initi-

ated prior to its removal from the excavation site

(Jensen a), together with areas in the immedi-

ate vicinity. In , a smaller area was excavated

just west of the planting by the church. Collec-

tively, these excavations demonstrated that there

was scattered settlement in the large area towards

the west throughout large parts of the Pre-Roman

and Early Roman Iron Age. After this, there was

a lull until some time most likely in the th or

early th century AD. From then on, and until

the middle of the th century, there was prob-

ably continuous occupation within the excavated

area. Up until the second half of the th century,

however, the traces are generally poorly preserved.

Often only wells, deep pits and postholes from

pairs of roof-bearing posts are preserved. Between

the time of the ‘Trelleborg house’ and the middle

of the th century, the settlement traces are much

better preserved, and a series of main phases can

be identified. To date, only a few aspects of the

excavations have been presented in preliminary

articles. (ese include the metal-detector finds

resulting from the surveys carried out during the

first years (Jensen a; b; ). A thorough

analysis is still lacking; it is therefore conceivable

that the ‘phases’ shown could require revision on

a number of points (fig. ).


Metal detectors have been employed more or

less annually at Gammel Hviding since the middle

of the s. At a very conservative estimate, at

least - hours in total have been invested

in these surveys. (e finds to date lie spread over

an area of c. x m, and though we prob-

ably now know the main extent of the site, we

are still unsure about the boundaries of the finds

distribution towards the south and east; they are

clearer towards the north and especially the west,

where the salt marsh constitutes a natural finds

boundary, at least in preservation terms (table

and fig. ).

(e metal-detector finds include a few pieces

from the Early and Late Roman Iron Age, together

with a number of fragments of brooches from the

Early Germanic Iron Age. (e excavation to the

west uncovered a Grubenhaus and a pit from the

Early Germanic Iron Age, presumably represent-

ing the westernmost parts of a village, as reflected

in the scattered finds of brooches to the east of

the large excavated area. (e Late Germanic Iron

Fig. 3. | Gammel Hviding. West of the church, two excavated areas are marked in grey while all the

recorded metal-detector finds (after ) are shown in black.


Age is also only relatively sparsely represented, but

the finds do include two coins from the early th

century, both sceattas of Continental runic type, a

bird brooch of Ørsnes type D and a small (oval)

tortoise brooch. (e great majority of the metal

finds belong to the period extending from the th

century up to and including the th century. (ere

is a rich selection of Scandinavian find types: orna-

ments, articles for everyday use and various fittings

(Klæsøe ). (ere is also a selection of dirhems

from the th to theth century and German coins

from the th to the th century; these are accom-

panied by several ingots and pieces of hack silver.

In addition to these scattered stray finds, there

was a concentration of hack silver and fragments

of dirhems within an area of c. x m that must

be interpreted as a ploughed-up hoard (Moesgaard

, ).

Imported finds are also prominent, especially

Carolingian-Ottonian enamel brooches, of which

there are examples (Baastrup ; ; and

later finds); there are also a couple of Carolingian

coin brooches and a quatrefoil Råhede-type brooch,

all from the th century (Feveile a, fig. .). (e

transition between the Viking Age and the Middle

Ages is represented by several bird brooches and

a number of Urnes-style brooches. (e point on

which Gammel Hviding differs from other metal-

rich sites is in its many foreign, imported ornament

types. By and large, these types must be considered

as simple and common in the areas of their origin –

and are perhaps attributed too great a significance

when they appear in Scandinavia. (e number of

enamel brooches found in Denmark is steadily in-

creasing and every year new finds are added, both

from new find sites and from those which have

Fig. 4. | !e four main phases of the farmstead at Gammel Hviding, c. AD to the th century.

Final analysis and interpretation of the excavation results will probably add further elements to the

individual phases, and possibly also another main phase, but is unlikely to change the relative chron-

ology.


previously yielded this kind of brooch. In -

years, it will probably become clear that these rath-

er unremarkable brooches are present at a great

many sites. (e tendency towards concentrations

of find sites around Ribe, Aalborg and Roskilde is

probably more the result of a long tradition of the

use of metal detectors in these areas, rather than

any cultural-historical factor or factors. Whether

southwestern Jutland – including the part south of

Gammel Hviding – will ultimately demonstrate a

higher proportion of finds due to its proximity to

northwestern Europe and its relatively early ex-

posure to Christian influences, with which these

kinds of brooches are linked (Wamers , ),

only the future can tell.

Råhede

In , about km directly east of Gammel

Hviding Church, Stig Jensen discovered the re-

mains of a large ‘Trelleborg house’ during aerial re-

connaissance. It lay on the top of a small ridge that

provided open views to the north, south and west.

Subsequent aerial survey has identified numerous

buildings dating from the Early Middle Ages. No ex-

cavations have yet been carried out at this location.

Shortly after Råhede was discovered, metal detect-

ors were employed at the site. (e presence of a

‘Trelleborg house’ and its proximity to Gammel

Hviding alone was enough to attract the atten-

tion of detectorists. In the first years, however,

efforts were somewhat half-hearted as only a

few scattered finds were forthcoming. (e site

Table 1.

Gl. HvidingEarly Roman

Iron Age

-

Late Roman

Iron Age

-

Early Germanic

Iron Age

-

Late Germanic

Iron Age

-

Viking Age

-

Medieval

-

Total

Jewellery

Jewellery,

imported

Personal, keys,

box, mounts

Riding gear incl.

strap-distributors

Strap-ends,

buckles

Weight lead/

bronze

Hacksilver/-ingots

Bronze ingots,

casting sprues

Coins (Roman) (Sceattas)

(Dirhams)

(German)

Rune stick

Total


was subsequently left alone, and only since ex-

ploration resumed in has it yielded a large

number of finds. (e lack of finds resulting from

the preliminary investigations at Råhede prompts

caution when expressing an opinion about sites

that have rarely produced finds, such as Dankirke

and Okholm, discussed above. Sometimes many

hours of work must be spent conducting trials

over a much greater area than perhaps was im-

agined in the early stages before the finds really

begin to emerge. An estimated - hours

have been invested in metal-detector surveys at

Råhede (table ).

(e earliest finds are from the Early Germanic

Iron Age and consist of a few fragments of cruci-

form brooches. (ese are followed by two beak

brooches – a very unusual brooch type for this part

of the country. (e great majority of the finds can,

however, be ascribed to the later part of the Viking

Age and the Early Middle Ages (fig. ).

(e differences between Råhede and Gammel

Hviding are especially striking in terms of the re-

lationship between local and imported ornament

types; there are many more imported examples at

Gammel Hviding than at Råhede. (is is strange,

considering the very short distance between the

two sites and also the fact that they probably

both include material from large parts of the Late

Germanic Iron Age, the Viking Age and the early

Middle Ages. Are we seeing the difference between

Fig. 5. | Gammel Hviding. A selection of metal-detector finds.


Table 2.

Fig. 6. | A selection of

metal-detector finds from

Råhede.

Råhede

Early

Roman Iron

Age

-

Late

Roman Iron

Age

-

Early

Germanic

Iron Age

-

Late

Germanic

Iron Age

-

Viking Age

-

Medieval

-

Total

Jewellery

Jewellery,

imported

Personal, keys,

box, mounts

Riding gear incl.

strap-distributors

Strap-ends,

buckles

Weight lead

Gold ingot

Hacksilver/-

ingots

Bronze ingots

Coins (Roman, copper) (Dirham)

Patrix die

Bronze droplets > >

+ >

Total


years and - hours of detector survey

at Gammel Hviding and - years and -

hours of corresponding work at Råhede – or are

other factors involved?

Råhede South

Located approximately halfway between Gammel

Hviding and Råhede, a small number of metal arte-

facts have been found at Råhede South since work

began there in . No more than an estimated

c. hours of detector survey have been carried

out. Reconnaissance has been conducted in the

vicinity, focusing on a number of windbreaks, and

this has revealed the presence of settlement from

the Early Iron Age as well as the Middle Ages; there

are no definite finds from the intervening period.

It was almost by chance that the site came to be

partially surveyed by metal-detector, yet within the

course of a few hours a German coin from c. AD

was found as well as an Urnes-style brooch

and a bird-shaped brooch from the early Middle

Ages. Subsequent surveys did not yield nearly such

impressive finds.

Høgsbrogård

At Høgsbrogård, a series of crop marks were ob-

served relating to presumed pits and similar struc-

tures, but no building foundations could be recog-

nised. An old sb. number (i.e National Museum site

number) refers to the find of a Roman coin. +ese

observations led to the area being subjected to a

metal-detector survey for the first time in the win-

ter of -. To date, finds have been recovered

from an area measuring about x m with

no definite boundaries; an estimated c. hours

were spent on surveys in and the spring of

(table ). +e finds are evenly distributed in

date from the Late Roman Iron Age to the early

Middle Ages. +e overview (table ) includes all

the finds from a hack silver hoard dating from the

Early Germanic Iron Age, though only about half

of these originate from the plough soil and were

found by metal detector (fig. ). +e rest of the

hoard lay in a feature beneath the plough soil. A

minor excavation in connection with the hoard re-

vealed settlement traces from the Early Germanic

Iron Age (Feveile b). +e metal detector finds

show, furthermore, that metal items were lost regu-

Table 3.

Høgsbrogård

Early

Roman Iron

Age

-

Late

Roman Iron

Age

-

Early

Germanic

Iron Age

-

Late

Germanic

Iron Age

-

Viking Age

-

Medieval

-

Total

Jewellery

Jewellery,

imported

Personal, keys,

box mounts

Weight lead/

bronze

Coins (Roman) (Sassanid drachma)

(Dirham)

Hoard

Total


larly during the course of the Late Germanic Iron

Age, Viking Age and early Middle Ages without it

being clear at the moment whether these represent

a continuous occupation.

Vivegrøften

Aerial photographs showing traces of at least -

longhouses have revealed the presence of a village

from the Roman/Germanic Iron Age at Vivegrøften

in the southern part of Hviding parish. %e site was

first detected from the air by St. Joseph at the end

of the s, and a minor excavation carried out

in by Olfert Voss revealed the well-preserved

remains of a building from the Early Germanic Iron

Age (Jensen ). A metal-detector survey was

carried out on the field containing many building

foundations in without leading to the discov-

ery of very many finds (only two or three brooches

and a ring-shaped piece of gold), and the metal

detectorists began to talk about going home. A

few hundred metres to the south they could see a

field that ‘looked promising’ – not least because it

contained a small but striking elevation and it was

known that there were a few scattered and undated

crop marks. After just a few hours it was clear that

Fig. 7. | �e Høgsbrogård hoard. Photo: J. Lee.


the field contained many finds – and much more

than had been anticipated. e extent of the site

is not yet securely defined, but the concentration

of finds appears to lie within an area of c. x

m. However, this does not correspond to the

area within which the aerial photographs had re-

vealed traces of longhouses and ‘ordinary’ village

settlement. An examination of the chronological

distribution of the metal finds at Vivegrøften re-

veals a completely different distribution than that

seen previously in the region to the southwest

of Ribe (table ). e great majority of the finds

can be dated to the Late Roman and Early Ger-

manic Iron Age, with more than brooches dat-

ing from this time. As an extra bonus more than

glass beads and numerous of the very scarce

(apart from in Ribe’s th-century cultural layer)

glass mosaic tesserae were found on the surface of

the field during the course of the metal-detector

survey. e later finds, somewhat fewer in number,

are evenly distributed in time through the Late

Germanic Iron Age, Viking Age and early Middle

Ages. A find very much in a class of its own is a

small pyramid with inlaid semi-precious stones on

a background of honeycomb silver and gold foil.

e piece originates from a sword baldric and is of

a type known, in particular, from England, includ-

ing the Sutton Hoo graves (Carver , plate IV);

there are also numerous examples of correspond-

ing mounts from the Continent. In Denmark, how-

ever, there are only three finds of this type: this

example from Vivegrøften, a less well-preserved

one from Gammel Hviding (fig. ) and one from

Sandegård on Bornholm (Watt , fig. ). As

far as I have been able to discover, the only similar

examples from the rest of Scandinavia are from

Valsgärde grave ; these are of a slightly different

type without inlays (Arwidsson , Tafel ).

Methodological considerations

Are metal-detector surveys nothing more than

simple treasure hunting or can we archaeologists

use the results professionally? At the beginning of

the s, the view was that the metal detector was

‘ e work of the devil’ (Fischer ). Are we now

saying it is a gift from Heaven? ere are certainly

those who do not share the latter view, but attitudes

to the metal detector and its use have nevertheless

changed decisively in a positive direction. is is

partly a result of the special Treasure Trove leg-

islation in Denmark, which ensures that virtually

all finds are submitted to museums, but especially

because there are numerous cases of successful col-

laborations between museums and the many metal

detectorists (Henriksen ). is is a form of col-

laboration that we have also been able to export to

Scania, northern Germany and Norway.

Is it at all possible to use the locations of metal-

detector finds for intra- or inter-site analyses? In

Ribe, for example, we have never had a tradition of

recording precisely where and how areas have been

surveyed by metal detector. We do not divide the

fields up into small grids; we do not record from

year to year where we have surveyed and howmany

times we have gone over the same area. In the

positions of finds began to be recorded using GPS.

Before then we generally have much less precise

descriptions of find sites: ‘north of the excavation

trench’ would be a typical example. ismeans that

we do not know which areas have been surveyed or

howmany times we have covered the same ground.

On several occasions, I have observed ‘holes’ or

‘gaps’ in the scatters of survey points. It is impos-

sible to tell whether these are of cultural-historical

relevance and reflect a real absence of finds, or

simply mark areas that have not been surveyed at

the same intensity as adjacent areas. What should

be recorded and what should be retained? How

significant are the conditions for preservation? To

make a very general comparison between finds

from southwestern Jutland and those from east-

ern Denmark, as presented on metal-detector club

websites, it appears that conditions of preservation

for metals are generally poorer in the former area.

e same conclusion is also indicated by an analy-

sis of more than metal finds from southern

Jutland (Brinch Madsen ; Brinch Madsen et al.

). is study examined finds in various cat-

egories (settlements, graves, and hoards), types of

corrosion and soils. In particular, finds from settle-

ments were found to be heavily affected by corro-


sion, especially those from the Germanic Iron Age

(which was also represented by the least number of

finds). Brinch Madsen et al. () conclude that

soil type and whether a find was discovered prior

to or after modern agricultural developments in-

volving the heavy use of chemical fertilisers both

play a significant role – in unison – as regards the

appearance of metals. In my view, this conclusion

also perhaps extends to the matter of the survival

of more fragile artefact types. Its consequences also

need to be considered with respect to our ability

to recognise different find types, as well as to our

interpretation of finds in general. At Stavnsager,

for example, the many fragments of cruciform

brooches are interpreted as evidence for the de-

liberate collection, cutting up and melting down

of older ornaments (Høilund Nielsen & Loveluck

, -). In contrast, I have always understood

the many fragments at for example Gammel Hvid-

ing as being the result of the degradation of previ-

ously more complete artefacts – a degradation that

I believe takes place in the plough soil where many

of the artefacts have, in my view, lain for centuries.

+at which remains is often just the solid core – the

head plate of the brooch with its pin catch for ex-

ample. +e less robust brooch types, such as those

from the Late Roman Iron Age, are by and large

absent from our metal-detector assemblages. My

guess is that, due to the fragility of the metal, they

are now so degraded that they are no longer recog-

nised – or they simply no longer exist. If my view

Table 4.

Vivegrøften

Early

Roman Iron

Age

-

Late

Roman Iron

Age

-

Early

Germanic

Iron Age

-

Late

Germanic

Iron Age

-

Viking Age

-

Medieval

-

Total

Jewellery

Jewellery,

imported

Personal, keys,

box, mounts

Riding gear incl.

strap-distributors

Strap-ends,

buckles

Weight lead

Hacksilver/-

ingots

Coins (Roman) (Dirham)

Ring gold

Total

Fig. 8. | Pyramidal fittings, to the left from Gam-

mel Hviding, to the right from Vivegrøften.


is correct, the absence of certain date-conferring

finds for a period can, therefore, be explained to

some extent by preservation conditions. Perhaps

this is of no great consequence when comparisons

are made within a narrow geographic area, but be-

tween different regions and provinces, or between

sites located on different soil types, it can be of cru-

cial significance.

In several parts of Denmark – and this includes

to some degree the Ribe area – only a small num-

ber of sites have been subjected to metal-detector

survey and often at very variable intensity, whereas

other areas appear as complete blanks on a distri-

bution map of metal-detector finds.!is is a classic

archaeological problem, and a situation we have to

live with. However, all things being equal, it also

means that we are far too easily led to believe that

find-rich metal-detector sites were also important

sites in the society of their time. !is is doubtless

true of a number of ‘first division’ examples, such as

Tissø, Haithabu, Gudme and Sorte Muld. But can

the same be said of the next ‘layer’ of sites? I believe

we will only be able to answer this question when

we have achieved the same level of insight into a

large number of comparable sites within a given

area. Often, however, we are forced by many differ-

ent factors to limit our efforts to a few or perhaps

even a single site within each of our study areas.

!is is a limitation dictated both by the possibility

of access for metal detectorists, the enthusiasm

of museums (or lack of it) with respect to finding

new sites, limitations imposed on local museums

and the possibility of financing other methods of

investigation.

As professional archaeologists, we are perhaps

too enthused by the finds recovered by metal

detectorists so that sites where good finds are

encountered, often by chance, are quickly high-

lighted as being central places with far-reaching

contacts. Experience in this respect from south-

western Jutland, particularly concerning the finds

fromHviding parish, shows how dangerous it is to

concentrate on a single site selected on the basis

of the first exceptional finds from a parish or a

district. In Hviding, metal-detector archaeology

began in the mid-s at Gammel Hviding, west

of the church, on the basis of one aerial photo-

graph. Had there been sugar beet or grass on the

field that particular year and not cereals – and on

the other hand, had we invested all our energy in

that single site – it would be unlikely that we would

know about Råhede, Høgsbrogård or Vivegrøften.

And I wonder what still remains hidden – what

we still do not understand or have yet not found.

Why is Vivegrøften so rich in metal finds from

the Germanic Iron Age when we can apparently

find nothing whatsoever at the locus classicus,

Dankirke? And can we be at all sure that Dankirke

and Dankirke North are ‘detector negative’? I do

not feel convinced with respect to either question.

!e data foundation is much too uneven from site

to site. At the moment we are comparing metal-

detector sites where several thousand hours have

been expended over many years with sites where

the metal detector has scarcely been taken out of

the box, for example at Okholm. Such comparisons

cannot stand up to close critical scrutiny.

A centre of wealth emerges

Problems with the very heterogeneous data foun-

dation will not, however, prevent me from sketch-

ing a picture of the situation here in the area south-

west of Ribe during the st millennium AD. Let

me just refer to this as a working paper – future

investigations must correct any errors as necessary.

!e earliest layer of sites included Dankirke,

Høgsbrogård and Vivegrøften, where the majority

of the finds date from the Late Roman Iron Age

and the Germanic Iron Age. We can at present only

guess at the internal relations between these three

sites, all of which have generated numerous metal

finds.!e same is also true of the relations between

the many contemporaneous settlements lacking

metal finds. Is metal really absent or have we just

not spent enough time looking for it? Dankirke ap-

parently ceased being a special site in the middle of

the th century, whereas the metal-detector finds

from both Høgsbrogård and Vivegrøften show con-

tinued activity through the Late Germanic Iron

Age and the Viking Age. Dankirke has previously

been linked with the founding of Ribe shortly after


AD (Jensen ; Jensen & Watt ) on the

basis of, among other things, coins dating from

the th and th centuries that constituted the latest

finds from the s excavation. I have previously

argued that these coins are not an expression of

continued settlement but rather the result of the

burial of perhaps two hoards (Feveile ). To-

gether, these three sites display a wealth that ap-

parently distinguishes them from the majority of

coeval settlements across a very large area. At pre-

sent, it is necessary to go northwards to Dejbjerg,

or perhaps Billum to the west of Varde, in order

to find evidence for corresponding wealth among

finds recovered (Egeberg Hansen ; Frandsen

; ). /e reason why Vester Vedsted and

Hviding parishes stand out so conspicuously is

uncertain. At Brokær, just north of Ribe, remains

of graves have demonstrated the presence of a

princely environment that is a few centuries ear-

lier (Ethelberg , ff; Rasmussen ). And

at Dankirke, a special level in the social hierarchy

is represented by some fittings from a Late Pre-

Roman ceremonial wagon (Jarl Hansen ). /is

suggests that there was also wealth in the area in

earlier periods.

Although the metal-detector finds from the

th to the th century are not so conspicuous

as those from the periods both before and after,

there is, nevertheless, little doubt that the area

to the southwest of Ribe also represented a very

special environment during these centuries. /e

two pyramidal fittings from Gammel Hviding and

Vivegrøften have already been mentioned. Found

in Enderup, midway between Gammel Hviding and

Vester Vedsted, a fragment of a brooch from the

early th century similarly belongs to an aristo-

cratic environment (Høilund Nielsen ). It is

also worth noting that all four beak brooches found

in southwestern Jutland came from two sites in

Hviding parish: Råhede and Høgsbrogård.

Stig Jensen has previously pointed out that the

pre-requisites essential for the establishment of

the market place at Ribe were to be found in the

preceding magnate’s environment at Dankirke. In a

way, I agree with him. We have to look to the south-

west of Ribe; I am not willing to identify one par-

ticular site, let us say for example Dankirke, as the

‘origin’ of Ribe. I believe that the entire area around

Vester Vedsted and Hviding should be identified as

a collective power centre, central place, centre of

wealth, or some such similar category, and that it

was here that Ribe had its local starting point – just

as it was from here that, from the early th cen-

tury onwards, the trading place was controlled and

originally established jointly with Frisian contacts.

/e actual residence of power did not move at all;

it remained outside Ribe all along, though it was

of course represented in the town in some form or

other. It was the trading function, the controlled

site or location where exchange took place that was

Fig. 9. | �ree Carolingian coin brooches from the th century. �e one on the left is from Råhede; the

other two are from Gammel Hviding.


positioned on the bank of the river Ribe Å, whereaccess both to and from the sea and to and fromthe hinterland was controllable – but this was notthe seat of power.

!e rich sites at Vester Vedsted and Hvidingcontinued to be occupied throughout the LateGermanic Iron Age and the entire Viking Age:Okholm, Råhede and Gammel Hviding, in particu-lar, according to the present picture sketched bythe archaeological record. But to ‘rank’ the sites inany way would appear to be a risky business. Whatshould we rate highest: kg of gold at Okholm, orexamples of foreign contacts as seen in particularat Gammel Hviding? Perhaps these closely-spacedsites should be seen as several parts of the same lin-eage or dynasty, regardless of the social layer theyrepresent: a south Danish royal family, members ofthe king’s retainers or another branch of society’selite (fig. )?

Conclusion

Metal-detector archaeology has played, and con-tinues to play, a very important role in discussionsconcerning central places, chieftain’s residencesand magnate’s farmsteads as well as in the delimi-tation of such environments relative to more ordi-nary agrarian settlements. As a technique in itself,it cannot stand alone but must be combined witha number of other investigative methods in orderto produce a credible picture of past societies. Iwill continue to be enthused by every new metalfind that turns up, but at the same time I also urgecaution with respect to the drawing of conclusionsuntil a more adequate data foundation has beenbuilt up.

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Notes

!anks to Karen Høilund Nielsen and Anne Jørgensen

for their help in tracking down similar examples in

Scandinavia.