Site Report: Jelling Mounds Denmark (OC)

Preface

I majored in anthropology in college. I wrote this paper for an archaeology class about a site in Denmark. The paper was written in 2013 and some things may have changed since then. I updated some things that needed attention but most of this paper is untouched from that time. I hope you find this interesting and if there is a desire I can post more of my writing from school.
Thank-you!
Akuda (Zach)

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE LISTING

Site Name: Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church
Country: Denmark
Inscription Date: 1994
Reference Number: 697
Listing Includes: Various burial mounds and stones inscribed with runes.

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Site Location

The Jelling Mounds, Runic Stone and Church are all located at a site north of Veljle city, in Central Jutland, Denmark (UNESCO 2013:825). The site is within the city of Jelling from which it gets its name. The Mounds and Stones currently surround a church.

Figure 1 Location of Jelling Mounds, Denmark (Google Maps 2017)

History of Archaeology Investigation

The Jelling Mounds and Runic Stones at Jelling in Denmark have undergone numerous excavations over the years. Early excavations of the site were made in 1821 and 1861 however these were inconclusive (Dyggve 1948); these earlier excavations were preceded by people that had already found the tombs (likely looters), the bulk of the burial goods are suspected to have been taken before this time (UNESCO 2013). Excavations were then made in 1941, 1942, and 1947. These excavations were exclusively done on the Royal Barrows themselves and were done on the charge of the Danish National Museum (Dyggve 1948). More recently there have been a series of excavations done in 2006 (UNESCO 2013). At the time of this writing the most recent dig I have been able to find evidence of was performed in 2008 (Randsborg 2008).

Summary of Archaeology Results

The many excavations over the centuries have revealed a great deal about the Jelling site. Fortunately the older excavations appear to have been done quite well by modern standards. The excavations in 1821 and 1861 revealed a good deal of information regarding the well preserved wood interior of the burial mounds (Dyggve 1948).

Figure 2 Drawing of internal design of Northern burial mound. (Dyggve 1948)

Figure 2 shows an illustration of the interior of the Northern burial mound. The mound was well preserved and even opened to the public for a short time; the exposure to the atmosphere caused degradation of the structure until the mound collapsed (Dyggve 1948). The excavations during the 1940’s under the charge of the Danish National Museum were done with the purpose of discovering if the southern burial mound contained a burial chamber which was popularly believed to have belonged to King Gorm (Dyggve 1948). The excavations determined that the southern burial mound was in fact used for some other purpose than to entomb the late King Gorm. Dyggve concludes that the thought that the burial mounds in Jelling contained King Grom and his Queen had been proliferated by local lore in which women are to be buried Northerly oriented to men (originally done in church) (Dyggve 1948). It was concluded that both King and Queen Gorm had both been entombed in the northern mound where a triangular pagan temple was built housing a monument to Queen Thyre (Dyggve 1948). The interior of the burial mounds was thought to have been shaped to symbolically resemble a ship as seen in Figure 2. The interesting thing about the burial manner of these mounds is that it also goes to suggest a good deal about the embracing of Christianity in Scandinavia. The first Christian church to be built on the site is thought to have been built around 960CE; it was the largest church of its kind in Scandinavia at that time (UNESCO 2013). This church was ordered built by King Harold Bluetooth in commemoration of his father and mother. The church was built between the burial mounds and King Gorm’s remains were interred there upon its completion. A rune stone was then set as monument to King Gorm’s achievements (Figure 3).

Figure 3 Stone inscribed to recognize King Gorm's achievements. (Jelling Monumenterne 2008)

The inscription reads “King Harald bade this monument be made in memory of Gorm his father and Thyre his mother, that Harald who won for himself all Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christians.” (UNESCO 2013).

Importance

The Jelling Monuments have a great deal of importance to the history of Denmark and Scandinavia. The site honors the King and Queen that are said to have been the first to unite Denmark under one banner; a banner which to this day is the oldest monarch lineage in continental Europe. The site gives us a great deal of clues as to the changes that King Gorm was facing in his time. The changes that led to a unified and Christian Denmark. What I find particularly interesting is the evidence of King Grom’s hesitation and slow shift to support the new Christian ways (Dyggve 1948). These changes made a visible difference in the art styles depicted on this site; it is the first site to show depictions of Christ in Denmark (Carver 2003). The merging of culture and beliefs is evidence on the rune-stones at the Jelling site with images of the cross adjacent to images of animal motifs (Carver 2003). The site today is now protected for the public to enjoy and learn about (Figure 4).

Figure 4 Jelling site today. (Jelling Monumenterne 2008)

Due to extensive research of the site it can be preserved to show how the site looked in Harald’s time. Figure 4 shows the church between the mounds that once housed the monarchs that unified Denmark in the 10th century (Randsborg 2008). The excavations in the 1940’s showed how well these burial mounds preserved vegetation. The wood used in the construction of the burial chambers for instance was determined to have been weathered for one season before being buried; it was also said that “Vegetable substances of the packing were surprisingly well preserved, and there were instances of some of the workers taking home heather from the turves for planting in flower pots in the hope that they would begin to grow again-a vain hope after a rest of a thousand years.” (Dyggve 1948).

Due to the richness of the site’s history I would argue that this site is a monument to some of the most important events (for modern Denmark). From the burials of the first monarchs of unified Denmark to the symbolic representation of Christianity’s take-over of the land there is a lot to learn here about what formed Denmark. This in part may be a vain monument built by kings to honor their own achievements but I like to think that it was in fact more realistically a monument built to honor loved ones of a royal bloodline.

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References Cited

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
2013 Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church. Electronic document, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/697/, accessed January 21, 2013.

Carver, Martin
2003 The Cross Goes North: Processes of Conversion in Northern Europe, AD 300-1300. Boydell Press, Rochester, New York.

Google Maps
2013 Jelling Mounds Jelling, Denmark, Electronic document,
http://goo.gl/maps/16GCO, accessed July 10, 2017.

Jelling Monumenterne
2008 Jelling Monumenterne Photos, Electronic document,
http://jellingmonumenterne.onlinephotos.dk, accessed February 7, 2013.

Dyggve, Ejnar
1948 The Royal Barrows at Jelling, Electronic document,
http://goo.gl/lxYXY, accessed February 7, 2013.