Sorte Muld
Sorte Muld — Bornholm sortmuld · Sorte Muld Bornholm Sanctuary · Sorte Muld — Black Soil · Sorte Muld Central Place Bornholm
Roman Iron Age → Vendel–Viking 200–1100 (Bornholm central place)·Bornholm Iron Age (Burgundians? Bornholm island central place, guldgubbar sanctuary)·🇩🇰 Capital Region, Bornholm island, Sorte Muld plateau 2 km south of Svaneke and 8 km northeast of Nexø, eastern Bornholm (central-place Bornholm), Denmark
Photo Björn Falkevik with editing by Cheyenne Olander · Public domain
About
About Sorte Muld
Sorte Muld (Black Soil) — Iron Age central-place and sanctuary (Late Roman 200–400 → Viking Age 400–1100, peak Vendel 600–800) on Bornholm plateau 2 km south Svaneke, eastern Bornholm's richest site. Excavated O. Klindt-Jensen 1980s: 15 ha black soil deposit 1 m thick with 2,500+ gold foils (guldgubbar, 2,485 Bornholm foils), 100+ bracteates, 30+ silver hoards, Roman glass, Vendel brooches, and 1,000+ pit houses. Danes' Sorte Muld name from soil colour. Sanctuary hall 12×5 m with guldgubbar concentration. Bornholm central-place parallel Gudme–Uppåkra–Helgö. Baltic–Roman trade gateway. Continuous 600-year elite.
Why it mattersBornholm sanctuary 15 ha — 2,485 gold guldgubbar and 30 silver hoards eastern Bornholm
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 012,485 foils — temple tax vs votive?
Theories
- 01Bornholm island central place as Baltic sanctuary
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.200 CE Late Roman black soil start; 600–800 Vendel sanctuary peak 2,485 gold foils
- Period
- Roman Iron Age → Vendel–Viking 200–1100 (Bornholm central place)
- Culture
- Bornholm Iron Age (Burgundians? Bornholm island central place, guldgubbar sanctuary)
- Builders
- Bornholm Iron Age elite (Svaneke–Nexø plateau lineage)
- Purpose
- Eastern Bornholm black-soil sanctuary and trade centre 15 ha 2 km south Svaneke
- Abandoned
- c.1100 (shift to Nexø–Rønne Christian Bornholm)
- Rediscovered
- 1980s Klindt-Jensen 2,485 guldgubbar black soil
- Excavation
- Excavated
200 CE
Black soil accumulation start Late Roman Bornholm
600–800 CE
Sanctuary hall 12×5 m 2,485 gold foils Vendel peak
1980s
Klindt-Jensen 15 ha black soil 2,485 foils reveals
On the ground
Structures & features
55.1090° N · 15.1300° E · 70 m · 3 mapped features
Black Soil Gold-Foil Sanctuary Hall 12×5 m
templeHall 12×5 m with 2,485 gold guldgubbar concentration Svaneke–Nexø plateau
55.1095° N · 15.1305° EPit-House Cluster 1000+
house1,000+ pit houses with Roman glass and Vendel brooches Sorte Muld black soil
55.1085° N · 15.1290° ENexø Plateau Edge
plateauBornholm plateau 70 m a.s.l. edge above Svaneke coastal plain 2 km south
55.1100° N · 15.1320° E
Gallery