Swords, Lances, Spears, and a Unique Chainmail: Massive Iron Age Weapon Sacrifice Discovered Near Hedensted, Denmark

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2024-12-02 17:30:06

Archaeologists from The Vejle Museums have made a sensational discovery during the expansion of the E45 motorway: a massive, exceptionally well-preserved weapon sacrifice consisting of more than one hundred lances and spears, eight swords, and, most notably, a very rare chainmail.

Excavation leader Elias Witte Thomasen uncovering the massive weapon sacrifice discovered by The Vejle Museum's archaeologists during the expansion of the E45 motorway near Hedensted. Photo: Vejle Museums.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, during the Iron Age, a powerful chieftain buried enough weapons to equip a small army in two houses just northwest of Hedensted, between Vejle and Horsens.

Alongside the many weapons, an incredibly valuable chainmail and other artifacts were also interred, indicating that the site was once inhabited by a prominent chieftain. The manner in which the war equipment was buried suggests it was an offering to higher powers.

This remarkable discovery was made during archaeological excavations at Løsning Søndermark, Hedensted, where the Danish Road Directorate is currently expanding the motorway to three lanes.