Risbebjerg is an archaeological site on the Danish island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

. Located 7 km west of

Snogebæk Snogebæk is a fishing village and tourist resort in the south-east of the Danish island of Bornholm some 5 km south of Nexø Pedersker Pedersker is a little village in the southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm, southeast of Aakirkeby and southwest of Nexø. As of 2023, it has 230 inhabitants. Description Pedersker is a quiet Danish village surrounded by farmed fields. T ...

, it contains both the remains of a

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

sun temple and

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 ...

earthworks.

Description

Bordered by the Øleådalen valley, the site is marked by Iron Age earthworks consisting of semicircular ramparts high and a dry ditch deep, dating back some 2,000 years. There are also remains of a number of 5,000-year-old

woodhenge Woodhenge is a Neolithic Class II henge and timber circle monument within the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England. It is north-east of Stonehenge, in Durrington parish, just north of the town of Amesbury. Discovery Woodheng ...

s, one of which has been recreated with stumps of wood in the original holes, giving an impression of the size of the ancient site. An observation tower provides information and views over the historic area.

Early finds

The site was discovered in 1897, leading to finds near a spring of six flint axes and four flint chisels from the mid-Neolithic. The following year, a further 13 flint axes and two chisels were found, making it one of the principal sites for finds of flint axes and chisels. The fact that the finds were made near a spring indicated that the site had religious significance.

Ancient wooden circles

The site contains a number of ancient wooden circles from about 2,800 BC. Traces of the original wooden poles have been found and recently marked out with stumps of wood. From the clay pieces, burnt flint and burnt bones found on the site, it has been suggested that the circles may have served as a sun temple. They apparently supported a clay-covered platform, accessed by a flight of steps, on which experts believe fires could have been lit, possibly for sacrifices. Clay disks with ancient sun symbols have also been found, ritually buried under the poles. It appears as if the wooden circles were constructed over three separate periods."Soltemplet på Rispebjerg"
Naturstyrelsen. Retrieved 1 November 2012.

External links

Rispebjerg - soltempel og tilflugtsborg
with illustrations from Bornholms Historiske Samfund.

References

{{coord, 55, 01, 042, N, 14, 01, 09, E, display=title Bornholm Archaeological sites in Denmark Henges Stone Age sites in Europe