Audio transcript:

Just look at these remarkable finds — beautifully crafted, silver-plated and decorated elements of a sword belt. In their form and workmanship, these pieces correspond so closely that there can be no doubt they belong together. One must imagine them mounted only a short distance apart on a leather strap. And yet, they were not found together! The individual parts lay some distance apart, in different plots of the Thorsberg Moor. This is certain, as I documented the discoveries with great care in my excavation diary.
Notably, this buckle derives from Trench Q in the parcel owned by Mr Callsen, whereas the remaining components originate from Trenches O, N, and L. The only plausible explanation I can think of, is that the objects were intentionally damaged before being deposited in the bog. Moreover, this pattern extends far beyond a single sword belt — no, no! In the Thorsberg Moor I found countless destroyed objects. Indeed, most of these antiquities had been rendered unusable prior to deposition. And in the Nydam Moor it was the same — just look at the spearheads in the case beside it. Their condition cannot possibly be explained even by the fiercest fighting!

It should be noted, however, that not everything was found scattered about. On the contrary, certain items were found arranged in a degree of order. Yet not in the sense that items belonging together lay side by side — no, instead, certain things seem to have been sorted by material. Many wooden objects were gathered in large piles. Shield boards were stacked in several layers, one above another, and sometimes pierced straight through by a spear, as if they were meant to be held together. The shield bosses lay in another part of the bog. Objects of gold, in turn, were found elsewhere, close together.
All of this shows that these antiquities were deliberately deposited in the bogs and that beforehand they were collected, sorted, and broken apart. But why was this done? These objects must have possessed considerable value for their owners at the time. Why were they discarded in the bog, apparently never to be retrieved? The reasons remain a mystery to me. It must be left to future research to uncover the answer.

Destroyed, Scattered, and Sunk

When Conrad Engelhardt excavated an ornamental bronze fitting from the Thorsberg bog on June 27th, 1860, he was most likely taken by surprise: he had seen this object before! Only a week earlier, he had recovered an almost identical piece. And he also discovered a matching buckle and two smaller fittings of similar workmanship in the same month.

On its own, this might not have been surprising — the pieces clearly belonged together. What was remarkable, however, was that Engelhardt had found them in different areas of the bog. This is recorded in his excavation diary, in which he carefully noted which finds came from which plot of the bog. This practice was necessary for the later compensation of the landowners. Today his notes help us better understand the finds.

Excavation plan of the Thorsberg bog based on Conrad Engelhardt’s excavation diary (1860). Engelhardt divided the bog into individual sections, which he referred to as “trenches.” He labeled these with letters and numbers. This way he was able to document which find came from which section of the moor. The individual parts of this sword belt were found in trenches L, N, O and Q.

Excavation diary, p. 79: 24 June 1860

Bronze fitting similar to p. 63, but with a gold sheet applied in the centre

Excavation diary, p. 90: 27 June 1860

Bronze fitting, similar to p. 58, but chopped up (cf. pp. 58 and 91)

Excavation diary, p. 98: 29 June 1860

Silver buckle, 3 inches long, with gold overlay and a bronze fitting on the underside. Cf. pp. 58 and 90. (This last piece was found at Färber Hansen.)

Excavation diary, p. 63: 20 June 1860

Silver-plated bronze fitting, see p. 79

Excavation diary, p. 58: 20 June 1860

An ornamented bronze fitting with silver and gold overlay (cf. pp. 90 and 98), containing two gold plates, each decorated with six concentric circles.

The original is today at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.