The Metal Hoard from Pile in Scania, Sweden

Helle Vandkilde

Description

In 1864, a large metal hoard of copper, bronze and silver objects was discovered at Pile in the southern Swedish region of Scania. The hoard has been dated to the onset of the rich Nordic Bronze Age, and emerges as the earliest, finest and one of the largest of the Nordic sacrificial deposits of metalwork in or near water. The Metal Hoard from Pile in Scania, Sweden provides the first detailed documentation, scientific examination and historical interpretation of the assemblage. Around 2000 BCE the site of Pile was networked with places near and far in a manner that boosted the political economy of Southern Scandinavia, adding to an atmosphere of tensions and charge - and it made history. The chapters unfold as a 'history from beneath' beginning with place, Things and time and concluding with metals and the worlds that intersected in Pile at the threshold of the long Bronze Age.

Sujets

• Archaeology
• Sweden
• Prehistoric Europe
• Nordic Bronze Age
• Artifact (archaeology)
• Northern Europe
• Ancient history
• Scandinavia
• History of Europe
• Suède
• Scandinavie

Informations

• Publié par: Aarhus University Press
• Date de parution: 01 août 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9788771844986
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 36 Mo

Extrait

Vandkilde
THE METAL HOARD FROM PILE
THE METAL HOARD FROM
PILE IN SCANIA, SWEDEN
In 1864, a large metal hoard of copper, bronze and silver objects
was discovered at Pile in the southern Swedish region of Scania.
The hoard has been dated to the onset of the rich Nordic Bronze Place, things, time, metals, and
Age, and emerges as the earliest, finest and one of the largest of the
Nordic sacrificial deposits of metalwork in or near water. worlds around 2000 BCE
The metal hoard from Pile in Scania, Sweden provides the first detailed
documentation, scientific examination and historical interpretation
of the assemblage. Around 2000 BCE the site of Pile was networked By Helle Vandkilde
with places near and the far in a manner that boosted the political
economy of Southern Scandinavia, adding to an atmosphere of
tensions and change – and it made history. The chapters unfold as
a ‘history from beneath’ beginning with place, things and time and
concluding with metals and the worlds that intersected in Pile at
the threshold of the long Bronze Age.
106351_cover_bogen om pile_.indd 1 15/06/17 10:01THE METAL HOARD FROM
PILE IN SCANIA, SWEDEN
Place, Things, Time, Metals, and Worlds
around 2000 BCE
by Helle Vandkilde
with contributions by
Peter Northover, Katharina Becker and Zofia Stos-Gale
The Swedish History Museum, Studies 29
& Aarhus University PressTHE METAL HOARD FROM PILE IN SCANIA, SWEDEN
Place, Things, Time, Metals, and Worlds around 2000 BCE
© Aarhus University Press, The Swedish History Museum & Helle Vandkilde 2017
ISBN 978-87-7184-498-6
Editors: Aarhus University Press and The Swedish History Museum
English revision: Sharon Rhodes
Proofreading: Sharon Rhodes
Cover: Louise Hilmar
Layout: Louise Hilmar & Ea Rasmussen
E-book production: Narayana Press
Aarhus University Press
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DK-8200 Aarhus N
Denmark
www.unipress.dk
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Published with the fnancial support of
Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond
/ In accordance with requirements of the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, the certification
means that a PhD level peer has made a written assessment justifying this book’s scientific quality.
106351_bogen om pile_.indd 4 07/06/17 09:46CONTENTS
7 Preface
9 1. Prologue
13 2. Place
55 3. Things
109 4. Time
123 5. Metals
159 6. Worlds
181 Bibliography
193 Appendix 1. Metal Analysis of the Objects from Pile
Peter Northover
201 Appendix 2. Corrosion and Wear in the Pile Hoard
Katharina Becker
205 Appendix 3. Interpretation of Lead Isotope Results from the Pile Hoard
Zofia Stos-Gale
213 Appendix 4. A Metallographic Study of Microstructure and Corrosion
Peter Northover
222 Appendix 5. Lists 1-2 of LN II Metal Objects from Sweden



PREFACE
Many people have assisted me with this research RAÄ) Åsa Norlander for providing and commenting
project, which evolved around the metal objects from on a number of X-ray photographs. Archaeological
Pile in Scania. The objects were discovered in 1864 consultant Jonas Paulsson, who surveyed the felds of
on the coast south of Malmö city in Sweden. Sixteen former Pihle 1 with his metal detector. Archaeologist
years later, in 1880, Oscar Montelius published the at Malmö Museer Bengt-Åke Samuelsson for
explainobjects in Kongl. Vitterhets Historie och Antiqvitets ing the principles behind the national recording of
Akademiens Månadsblad and they have since played prehistoric fnds and monuments in 1968 versus 1985;
a part in academic debates about the earliest metal PhD fellow at the Department of ArchaeologyFr, eie
age in Scandinavia and Europe. Renewed studies Universität Berlin, Stefan Schwenzer who helped with
of Pile were therefore undertaken from 1989 to the technical interpretations of metal-hilted daggers
2014, and intensively from 1998 to 2003. The book on the basis of X-ray photographs. Archaeological
has now fnally appeared, and this is not least due consultant Arne Sjöström for having supervised the
to the assistance and labour input of a number of GIS of Tygelsjö Parish. Marie Göransson and Louise
students, specialists, colleagues and residents at and Petersson Modée from the Department of
Archaearound the locality of Pile. I would like to express ology in Lund for organising the feld survey and
my sincere thanks and gratitude to them all, in the for carrying out the GIS-mapping. Conservator at
order of appearance: Moesgaard Museum Helle Strehle for assistance in
My former colleague at AU Moesgaard Char- interpreting X-ray photographs. MA students Jessica
lotte Fabech for bringing me – in the 1980s – photos Kreuzer, Maria Olsson, and Louise Petersson Modée
of Pile from the old exhibition at SHM. Curator at for having contributed to the database of metal fnds
Malmö Kulturmiljö Nils Björhem for general infor- and burial places in southwestern Scania. Geologist at
mation about the Malmö region and in particular Lund University, Ronnie Liljegren, for having carried
for making available to me the large archaeologi- out borings at the site of the fnd. My colleagues at
cal datasets from excavations and surveys related the Department of Archaeology and the Historical
to the construction work of the Öresund Bridge Museum in Lund, who shared with me the excitement
with connected highways and subsequently of the of re-discovering Pile and who put their expertise
Cityring (subway) in Malmö. Cecilia Bonnevier at the in different felds at my disposal, especially
DeboSHM, Statens Historiska Museum, now The Swedish rah Olausson, Mats Riddersporre, Hampus Cinthio,
History Museum in Stockholm, did all drawings of Lars Larsson, and Ann Tobin. Mats helped with
locatthe metal objects from Pile while Ola Myrin, also at ing and explaining the old maps of Tygelsjö (most
SHM, did all of the photographs of the same objects. are today available at Lantmäteriet.se). Moreover, I
Antiquarian at Regionsmuseet in Lund, Anders Brun- would like to thank the residents of the Pile area for
din, who was most helpful during my visit there. their patience with the ‘feldwalkers’ and for showing
Former Head Curator of the Bronze Age Collections us their heritage of farm collections of stone and fint
at SHM Gunborg Janzon for her encouragement and items. Ingemar Pihlsgård (Tygelsjö) and Jan Hansson
for raising the necessary funds for a project upstart. (Solhem) were particularly helpful as they conferred
Former Head Curator of the Bronze Age Collections valuable knowledge of the area’s recent history and
at SHM Anita Knape for her enthusiasm, patience, therefore could provide clues as to where the hoard
and help with all sorts of antiquarian matters and was originally retrieved.
her advice on the exciting question of silver use in At a later stage, Kristian Kristiansen, Johan
the Early Bronze Age. Conservator at The Swedish Ling and Lene Melheim (all Gothenburg
UniverNational Heritage Board (Riksantikvarieämbetet or sity) generously aided the investigation process by
7
  Contents
This page is protected by copyright and may not be redistributed.bringing me into contact with Kjell Bilström and his my sincere thanks to the DFG-Deutsche
Forschungsgelaboratory for isotope geology in Stockholm and by meinschaft Exzellenzcluster “Asien und Europa” at the
facilitating contact with the expert of lead isotope University of Heidelberg for inviting and hosting me.
signatures Zofa Stos-Gale. In addition they gave me This book has not least beneftted from discussions
the opportunity to present the metallurgical results with Joseph Maran and Philipp Stockhammer in
addifrom Pile within the auspices of the “Rise Project”. tion to my good colleagues at home at the Department
Casper Skaaning Andersen, Peter Jensen and Carsten of Archaeology who over the years have heard much
Meinertz Risager at Unit of Archaeological IT AU about Pile. Together with the generosity of Bjarke
Moesgaard kindly assisted with various data-driven Paarup Laursen, head of the Institute of Culture and
maps. They went through the GIS mapping and Society, and Mette Svart Kristiansen, former head of
the ‘Oxie database’ and solved the diffcult task of the archaeology department, this ensured that the
coupling my databases of early fnds of metalwork manuscript about Pile could be prepared for
publiin the entirety of Scandinavia to maps of dispersal cation. Finally, my husband Flemming Højlund has
and density. Moreover, BA student Clara Fischer ceaselessly encouraged me to get ‘Pile’ published,
Stephansen made a number of maps more precise especially when I announced plans for new projects!
and readable. Additionally, Hjalte Maak Raun helped The actual publishing of this book has been
to br