Bronze Age Sword Found in Danish Bog Leads to Hoard

A Bronze Age sword, ritually bent before being deposited as an offering, has been unearthed in Værebro Ådal by a metal detectorist on his first outing. Described as “a very rare find”, an entire hoard with several objects dated to the time of the transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age were discovered in a bog near Veksø, including a beautiful neck ring. What makes the finds even more precious is that there are very few finds in bogs from the late Bronze Age.

A Continuity of the Offering Tradition

According to archaeologist Emil Winther Struve, speaking to the Danish museum organization ROMU, the bending rendered the sword unusable as a weapon, but the design and materials made it a valuable offering.

 “We have many hoards from the early and middle Bronze Age, where bronze items appear in bogs, but far fewer from the late Bronze Age. The offering tradition, which was so visible and dominant in earlier periods, is retreating by the end of the Bronze Age,” said Struve, responsible for archaeological excavations in Egedal Municipality. This indicates that the objects were buried around 500 BC, approximately 2,500 years ago.