The Nydam Mose, also known as Nydam Bog, is an
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
located at
Øster Sottrup, a town located in
Sundeved
Sundeved is a peninsula on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. It lies between Åbenrå Fjord and Als Fjord to the north, Alssund to the east and Flensborg Fjord to the south. The westernmost part of the city of Sønderborg ...
, eight kilometres from
Sønderborg,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
.
History
In the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
, the site of the bog was a sacred place, where the weapons and ships of vanquished armies were offered to the
indigenous gods in thanks for victory over the fallen enemy. Many items were deliberately destroyed (bent, broken or hacked into pieces) in ritual sacrificial acts, from the period 200–400 CE.
The first known finds from the bog date from the 1830s, when a local farmer gave old swords and shields as toys to his children.
Amongst numerous other items, three boats were found in Nydam Bog. In particular, the long oak boat, commonly known as "the Nydam Boat", maintains a distinguished position amongst Danish Iron Age finds, as it is one of the oldest known rowing vessel in
Northern Europe (the
Hjortspring boat, also found in Denmark, is even older). The oak boat (''egetræsbåden'') is on display at the archaeological museum in
Gottorf Castle,
Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...
, Germany.
Excavation
First excavation
From 1859 to 1863, archaeologist Conrad Engelhardt excavated the bog. Engelhardt found weapons, tools, pieces of clothing and two intact clinker built boats, one made of oak and one made of pine. The weapons include
lance
A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unli ...
s,
spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...
s,
bows,
arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...
s and round
shield
A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of ...
s. Under these finds were the remains of a third boat, which apparently had been demolished already during the sacrifice.
Engelhardt's work ceased with the outbreak of the
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...
in early 1864. Some of the discoveries from the bog were lost during the Second Schleswig War. The smaller of the two boats, perhaps 19 meters long and made of pine, was hacked up and used as firewood by troops.
Second excavation
The
National Museum of Denmark
The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in Copenhagen is Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from Strøge ...
resumed excavation of the bog in 1989. During excavation a large quantity of weapons have come to light, in the form of swords, spears, bows and arrows; and also personal effects such as belt buckles, brooches and ornate clasps. These finds originate from the Iron Age, in the period between 250–550 CE.
Nydam boat
The Nydam Mose sacrifice site was probably used on different occasions during the years 200–450 CE. Conrad Engelhardt on August 17, 1863 discovered the Nydam Boat.
The oak boat was the first and largest of the three boats that were found in the Nydam bog, and the only one still preserved (the pine boat was entirely destoyed during the Second Schleswig War). It has been
dendro dated to 310–320 CE. It is long, wide, of
clinker type, weighed over three tonnes, had 14 pairs of oars and likely had a crew of around 45 men. After the end of the Second Schleswig War (1864), Denmarks was forced to transfer the Nydam Boat to
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
and today it is displayed at
Gottorf Castle in Schleswig, Germany.
Nydam Society
Interest in the archaeology of Nydam Bog has always been particularly lively in the local area. The Nydam discoveries were and remain a significant theme in the relationship between Danish and German cultures in the border region. On this basis, the "Society for Nydam Research" – commonly known as the Nydam Society - was formed in 1983. Through its work, this interest group has contributed to the resumption of National Museum of Denmark's investigation of the bog.
Today, the site is a green meadow. Parking is available on Nydamvej. From here, there is a path (''Nydamstien'') to the small white house, ''Nydamhuset'', which is situated beside the site of the archaeological discoveries. It takes about 10 minutes to walk there.
The Nydam Society's long-standing desire to build a replica of the Nydam Boat has been realized. The Nydam Tveir was built employing the techniques of the time – both to exploit the material characteristics of the timber and to develop an understanding of how large vessels were built in that period. Construction of a replica of the Nydam Boat was based on the oak boat found in 1859. The construction of the Nydam Boat was divided into two phases. Phase 1 was a feasibility study to investigate the construction of the boat. Here the builders investigated prerequisites and gathered experience for use in Phase 2, which comprised building the complete boat.
Image:Nydam.2.jpg, Engelhardt's pictures
Image:Nydam.5.jpg, From the pine boat
Image:Nydam 037.jpg, Swords
Image:Nydam.8.jpg, A 3rd or 4th century comb with a Swastika
The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. I ...
found in the bog
Panorama
See also
*
Alu (runic)
The sequence ''alu'' () is found in numerous Elder Futhark runic inscriptions of Germanic Iron Age Scandinavia (and more rarely in early Anglo-Saxon England) between the 3rd and the 8th century. The word usually appears either alone (such as on ...
*
Weapons sacrifice
*
Ship burial
A ship burial or boat grave is a burial in which a ship or boat is used either as the tomb for the dead and the grave goods, or as a part of the grave goods itself. If the ship is very small, it is called a boat grave. This style of burial was ...
References
External links
The Nydam Society homepage Private site - Nydam Mose
{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)
Archaeological sites in Denmark
Germanic paganism
Germanic archaeological sites
Iron Age Scandinavia
Sacred lakes
Votive offering
Viking ship burials
Prehistory of Denmark