The new excavations 2012

The new bone material

As previously described, the human bones are mainly larger limb bones, shoulder blades, cymbals, skulls and lower jaws, while the small bones of hands and feet as well as ribs and vertebrae are rarer. The main part of the investigation took place between two of the old trenches from the 1957 and 1960 excavations, and here was revealed a surprisingly large number of human bones along with the biggest surprise of the investigation. So far, we had found mostly scattered human bones without their anatomical context. Suddenly, we were confronted with a discovery that turned out to consist of bones from complete legs and arms. Could it be parts of an individual who was sacrificed as part of the great sacrificial ceremony connected to the loose bone elements? Was it the commander of the defeated army?

Other exciting finds

During the investigation appeared a number of unexpected finds in the human bone horizon. The most spectacular was a c. 75 cm long hilted iron axe. It is a common type of work axe, but must have played a role in the sacrificial act. Other finds included a big oak club and a smaller club shaped as a bat for rounders.

What happens to the finds?

Due to the excellent preservation conditions, the conservators needed only to wash the bones lightly, to remove salts from the bones by soaking them in demineralised water, and finally to subject them to controlled drying. The bone material does not require actual conservation. To preserve DNA, bone parts including teeth, for instance, are kept refrigerated. This secures DNA for studies in the future, when new methods and techniques in DNA research hopefully can provide new knowledge. From the teeth are also extracted samples for strontium analyses, which can provide information on where the individuals came from. The basic anthropological analyses have only just begun and are scheduled for completion in spring 2013.

Animal bones receive the same treatment, and the species distribution will be analysed. Some of the bones will be carbon-14 dated, and teeth from predators are furthermore tested for DNA and Strontium.

The many worked wood pieces are submitted for wood determination, and dendrochronological dating is carried out on oak pieces including a sufficient number of annual rings. A few special worked pieces of wood are carbon-14 dated. A number of worked wooden objects are preserved for posterity by freeze-drying.

Ceramic sherds are washed, dried and refitted to the degree possible. Fragments belonging to the same vessel are typically recovered from a small area. A distribution analysis will shed light on the deposition conditions on the old lake bed. The ceramic sherds are described and dated based on form, decoration, rims and handles.
 

Great interest from the first day

Visitors came to the excavation from day one and the interest for the first guided Thursday tour was overwhelming. Within two months, we had received 3700 visitors. During the excavation campaign, two press releases were sent via Aarhus University, and this generated further interest in the excavation. A monitoring tool reveals that news of the excavations in Alken Enge has received more than 50 million hits worldwide. It far exceeds our expectations. On the professional / scientific level, we have also been contacted by many people who are interested in following or being part of the project.