Allgemein

Identity in the Mirror of Past and Present  Identity is a frequently used concept today, although no universally accepted definition exists. It emerges through the interaction of self-perception and external attribution and changes over the course of a lifetime. Characteristics such as gender, origin, age, occupation, or social environment shape both how individuals understand themselves and how they are perceived by…

What Became of the Boats from the Nydam Moor?  The largely intact oak boat from the Nydam Moor was kept in storage in the attic of the Flensburg Grammar School throughout the war. The pine vessel, recovered in the presence of King Frederik VII, was covered with peat and left on a meadow close to the excavation…

Audio transcript: Oh, hello. I wasn’t expecting any visitors. But please, come closer! Do excuse the chaos… I am currently packing the objects from the collection of Nordic antiquities into crates, to safeguard them from hostile hands. It’s such a shame! Ten years of work on the collection. Ten years of meticulous effort, but also frustration and trouble.  I should have seen it coming. From…

Christian Jürgensen Thomsen  Christian Jürgensen Thomsen (1788–1865) was a Danish archaeologist and director of the Danish National Museum in Copenhagen. While curating and organising the “Collection of Nordic Antiquities,” he developed the Three-Age System: the division of prehistory into the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. This framework provided human history with its first chronological structure…

Bent & Broken Several sword blades from the Nydam Moor had already been broken prior to deposition.  Place of discovery: Nydam Moor  Material: Iron  This sword fragment from Kalkriese is likewise broken at both ends. The fracture edges are bent, indicating that the damage occurred before the sword had corroded.  Place of discovery: Kalkriese  Material: Iron 

Torn Off & Broken Apart  The shield rim fittings from the Thorsberg and Nydam moors were violently torn from the shields and broken into fragments. In some instances, the entire shield rim was removed, and the fittings still preserve remains of the wooden shield board.  Place of discovery: Thorsberg Moor  Material: Copper alloy, wood  Numerous torn-off shield rim fittings were also…

Pried Off & Damaged  Many shield bosses from the Thorsberg and Nydam moors display a pronounced wavelike deformation of the rim. This indicates that they were forcibly levered from the shield board.  Numerous shield bosses are dented and pierced. In isolation, such damage might still be interpreted as traces of combat. However, many of the punctures clearly originated not…

Twisted & Bent  Several spearheads and lance heads from the Nydam Moor are severely bent – to such an extent that this cannot plausibly be interpreted as damage caused in combat.  Place of discovery: Nydam bog  Material: Iron  This pilum is likewise bent far too extensively for the deformation to be explained by combat activity. Damage associated with…

Driving a Wedge Between the Enemy  The wedge formation was particularly effective against a line formation due to its flexibility and great penetrating power. It was able to exert considerable pressure on a limited section of the line, thereby causing it to collapse. At the very front, at the tip of the wedge, fought the most…

A Rigid Grip  The warriors carried their shields by a rigid handle that ran across a recess in the centre of the shield-board. This was made of wood and was often covered with metal fittings. On the front, the handle recess was covered by a shield boss. This could take various forms and be made of a thin sheet…