Two rare houses from the Bronze Age

To the south of Vojens city on the place where a modern stable will be constructed, traces from two houses, dated by the Bronze Age has been found. This is an extremely rare find.

Some of houses are more than 30 m in length and consequently they are some of the longest houses  found in the vicinities. The houses confirm the assumptions by archaeologists that the territory near Vojens in a late Bronze Age was an special place. Only 1,5 km to the west the long Bronze Age house of 50 m at length has been dug out in Denmark. In 1935 remains of the woman from Skrydstrup (Skrydstrupkvinden, who lived approximately 3300 years ago – M.V.) was found here, and the territory is covered by burial hills.

One house is 34 m long and 8 m wide. For the late Bronze Age, 1500-1000 BC. This is a long house, in comparison with other houses of the same period. In the territory around of the house there is a part of a burial ground from the Bronze Age of the same period. The people living then, are sometimes named «the people of hills» because they buried all dead relatives in big burial hills. So now it is known, where these people buried their dead and where they lived.

This found house gives a lot of information about the past. The house was build on big columns.This is be possible to see now by the dark stains in the earth. There are 3 rooms in the house. One living quarter was in the western part of the house, where were are many fair places. In the middle of the house was the pantry with one or two small cellars which have been dug out for storage of food which should keep cool, i.e. this is a refrigerator from the past. The eastern part of the house could be a stable as we know from many other finds. But a grinding stone was found here too, which could have been used as a plumb in weaving. There have been found some crocks also. That means that this end of the house also has been used for living. More families lived in the same house perhaps.

The other house is smaller, than the first one and as well as the first it is a rarity. Round the house there is a ditch which specifies that there was a wall.

Excavation are finished and builders can begin to build again. There are some drawings, photos and items, which give a new presentation about the interesting history of the Bronze Age in Southern Jutland.

 

Source (text, photo): History-Online.dk