The divine axe from Sarup


The Sarup Axe was found at a large cult site from the Neolithic (3400 - 3250 BC). It comes from one of the Sarup-site' s sacrificial pits, which also contained pots, axes and charred grain. The axe is now at Møntergården in Odense. Photo: Lars Skaaning.

Intro

One of Denmark's largest settlements from antiquity is located near Sarup. During the Stone Age, the area was used as a temporary burial site and, later, as a settlement. One of the finest examples of a Stone Age axe has been found near Sarup.

The divine axe from Sarup
One of the finest axes from Denmark’s Stone Age was found at a cult site and gathering place at Sarup in south-west Funen. The Sarup axe is made of fragile sandstone and has never been used as a weapon or a tool. On the contrary, it had been involved in religious ceremonies before it was buried in the ground as an offering to the gods. The Sarup axe dates from the Neolithic period (c. 3,200 BC).
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.
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.


The divine axe from Sarup
One of the finest axes from Denmark’s Stone Age was found at a cult site and gathering place at Sarup in south-west Funen. The Sarup axe is made of fragile sandstone and has never been used as a weapon or a tool. On the contrary, it had been involved in religious ceremonies before it was buried in the ground as an offering to the gods. The Sarup axe dates from the Neolithic period (c. 3,200 BC).
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.