Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, chairman of the Swedish Skeptics Society, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
My friend Lars at Arkland always comes through with ace photographs when I ask for them. Here's a pic he took in 1995 when a landowner at Vittene in Västergötland had come forth with an Early Iron Age gold torque he had kept in a closet for many years. In this picture, our late colleague Ulf Viking is wearing a makeshift rain coat made of a black plastic garbage bag, ready to search for more parts of the hoard. Read more here!
Dear Reader, feel free to follow Lars example and send me archaeopix! Just tell me a few words about what's in the pic to aid my dull understanding.
Comments
Is not the the torque in the picture very similar to the one from Havor on Gotland, which was stolen from a museum at least 20 years ago? In that case it seems so that at least two of this kind of objects were imported to Scandinavia.
Posted by: JG | June 27, 2007 11:18 AM
Indeed, very similar. Both made in the final century BC, one soon buried in a Campanian situla on Gotland, the other kept above ground until buried in Västergötland in the 4th or 5th century.
Posted by: Martin R | June 27, 2007 11:21 AM
Not necessarily "Kept" (curated, heirloomed) above ground, eh? Could it not have been found and adopted some time after initial burial/loss? Is there evidence of extensive wear (polishing, attrition, use damage) that would indicate several centuries of active use? Is there in general evidence of ancient cache-retrieval or mound-robbing, or intentional desacration of such sites?
Posted by: mary | June 27, 2007 2:24 PM
Okey, sorry, should have read the whole article first.
Posted by: Mary | June 27, 2007 2:30 PM