Golden enigma: What are the tiny spirals dug up in Denmark?

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Denmark have made a remarkable yet baffling discovery: almost 2000 tiny gold spirals dating from the Bronze Age.

Golden enigma: What are these spirals?

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Denmark have made a strange discovery: almost 2000 tiny gold spirals buried in the ground.

The original purpose of the artefacts remains a mystery, with the Copenhagen Post dubbing the finding “the golden enigma”.

Each spiral is around 3cm long and made of very thin, flat gold wire. Experts have dated the valuable relics to the Bronze Age, between 900-700BC.

Flemming Kaul, a curator with the National Museum of Denmark who found the spirals, said he thought they probably came from the clothes of a religious leader.

“Maybe the spirals have been attached to cords which have served as a small fringe on a hat or a parasol,” he said. “Perhaps they have been braided into the hair or been embroidered on the suit.

“The fact is that we do not know, but I tend to believe they were part of a priest king’s costume or headwear.”

Boeslunde, a small city in the Danish region of Zealand where the spirals were excavated, is the site of some of the largest Bronze Age gold discoveries in Northern Europe.

Kirsten Christensen, a curator at Museum Vestsjælland who unearthed the spirals along with Mr Kaul, said they had chosen to dig in this particular field after an earlier excavation.

“A couple of years ago, two local amateur archaeologists made a great discovery,” said Mr Christensen. “They found four heavy gold arm rings, so-called oath rings. This magnificent find prompted us to carry out an excavation proper, in order to find out whether there should be more prehistoric gold hidden in the field.”

Some of the inexplicable spirals were found in a pile along with black flakes, which museum experts said came from a box, probably made of birch with a leather lining. It could have held a gold embellished dress, headpiece or other fine garment.

Two gilt dress pins and six more large gold rings were also dug up within just a few square metres of the spirals.

In the 1800s, six gold vessels were found by local farmers just 500m away, at Borgbjerg Banke. One farmer used his share of the bounty to pay for his son’s education. The family took the surname Borgbjerg and the farmer’s grandson, Frederik Borgbjerg, became Denmark’s Minister for Social Security and Education.

“It shows that the place had a special significance for the Bronze Age people when they chose to sacrifice several kilos of gold,” said Mr Christensen.

The curators believe Boeslunde must have been a sacred place for prehistoric people, where they performed rituals and offered gold, symbolising the eternal sun, to higher powers.

For now, the metal detectors are out as the archaeologists search for more gold, which they are certain they will find.