Weapon sacrificial offer find at Viemose
The spearhead is part of a large weapon sacrifice consisting of weapons, harness and personal belongings, which were offered at Viemose, west of Odense, almost 2000 years ago. It is now at Møntergården in Odense. Photo: Jens Gregers Aagaard.
Intro
Almost 2,000 years ago, equipment belonging to an entire army was offered at Viemose, west of Odense – perhaps to the god of war in return for their victory? This is the largest war booty deposit from the Danish Iron Age.
Weapons, harness and personal belongings, c. AD 150-350
Almost 2,000 years ago, equipment belonging to an entire army was offered at Vimose, west of Odense – perhaps to the god of war in return for their victory? The quantity of weapons and equipment suggests a clash between two armies that each numbered several hundred men. This is the largest war booty deposit from the Danish Iron Age.
At the bidding of the gods
Faith and rituals have shaped life on Funen since antiquity. In the hope of gaining the gods’ favour, Funen’s inhabitants dispatched grave goods to the kingdom of the dead, constructed churches and wore both Thor’s hammers and Christian crosses.
Water – gateway to the kingdom of the gods?
Did the prehistoric gods live beneath the water – deep in the muddy depths? Or was water merely the gateway to their kingdom? These two questions about our ancestors’ faith will never be resolved, but we do know that bogs, lakes and watercourses were used for offerings and sacrifices – of everything from pots, weapons and tools to animals and people.
This location is part of the exhibition 'Funen – at the centre of the universe', at Møntergården in Odense. Read more about the exhibition on our website.