Henriette Rensbro | The National Museum of Denmark (original) (raw)
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Papers by Henriette Rensbro
Routledge eBooks, Jul 1, 2021
This study provides an in-depth numismatic and archaeological study of archaeological finds, with... more This study provides an in-depth numismatic and archaeological study of archaeological finds, with an emphasis on coins, from the excavations of Aggersborg church in northern Jutland, Denmark. It aims to present the unique character of church floors as archaeological objects and discusses the value of coin finds in churches. As in all archaeology, the value of finds is determined by their preservation, context, methods of excavation and documentation. In churches, the historical redeposition of cultural layers during construction and rebuilding works is taken into account by archaeologists and numismatists but rarely in a fully systematic way. In a significant number of cases, the levelling of church floors was carried out using material from outside the building or from another place within the building; in some cases, earth was taken out of the church and dispersed elsewhere. In the Aggersborg church, the distinction between original and subsequent building events is especially important. The complexity of the archaeological situation and the challenge of interpreting coin finds from disturbed cultural layers are examined here. The distribution of the coin finds at Aggersborg will be discussed in light of inferred disturbances in the stratigraphy, and this underlines key methodological challenges faced in the study of church floors generally. The nature of church archaeology is complex, partly not only because of the longue durée and the re-levelling and extension of building structures but also because of the changes in devotional practice that attended an evolving liturgy and, last but not least, because of significant lacunae in the available information due to a lack of high-resolution data capture during excavation. We recommend an increased focus on precision in the archaeological execution and documentation of churches as a consequence of the material from Aggersborg church and experiences of Danish church archaeology in general.
Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 2014. The St. Birgitta Chapel in Roskilde Cathedral – burial site for... more Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 2014. The St. Birgitta Chapel in Roskilde Cathedral – burial site for 1000 years In the summer of 2013 the church archaeologists of the National Museum excavated an area of 10 m2 in the St. Birgitta Chapel in Roskilde Cathedral. The reason for the archaeological investigation was that a sepulchral monument and crypt are to be built for Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik in the chapel. Roskilde Cathedral is on the UNESCO list of world heritage and the archaeological investigation was conducted in close collaboration with the cathedral staff, who were responsible for the ongoing press coverage and the many visitors. The present cathedral had a predecessor of tufa built by Bishop Sven Nordmand in the 1080s (fig.1). At the end of the 1100s and on through the 1200s the present brick church was built, and in the 1400s the St. Birgitta Chapel was added on the north side of the cathedral as a sepulchral chapel for Bishop Oluf Mortensen. In the 1600s three of King Christian IV’s children were buried in a crypt in the chapel, which will not be affected by the new crypt. Besides 40 graves from the 11th-17th centuries, the excavation also revealed information about the monastery that lay in the 11th century on the north side of Sven Nordmand’s church (fig.3). Bishop Oluf Mortensen’s grave was not found; it was probably destroyed by the later graves. There were no traces of activities at the spot before the burial site was established in the 11th century, an observation also made earlier in archaeological excavations outside the church. Co-author David Høyer
Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark, 2007
Det sker ofte, at der findes både kendte og ukendte tilbygninger omkringkirker i forbindelse med ... more Det sker ofte, at der findes både kendte og ukendte tilbygninger omkringkirker i forbindelse med anlægsarbejder som afgravning og etableringaf kloakledninger og varmeforsyning. Dog er det ikke set i nyeretid, at der på samme tid er fundet så meget som i Nørre Snede. Men dadet af antikvariske hensyn ikke er almindeligt i vore dage at foretageafgravning på alle sider af en kirke, er mængden af mulige tilbygningermåske ikke så usædvanlig endda. Nedrivning af tilbygninger harforekommet mange steder før i tiden, og resterne under jordoverfla-den er kilder til kirkens bygningshistorie. Når det drejer sig om fastekonstruktioner, er bevaring oftest at foretrække frem for arkæologiskundersøgelse og destruktion. Dette naturligvis under forudsætning af,at bevaringen er pålidelig, som det er tilfældet i Nørre Snede. På denmåde går vi glip af oplysninger her og nu, men om en generation ellerto vil man være klogere og have andre spørgsmål.Der er sket mange ændringer på kirkegårdene gennem tiden, ikkemindst i forbindelse med, at der opstod et ideal om vandrette gravsteder.For at opnå det, har man mange steder flyttet jord og tilsyneladendeofte ligefrem hentet jord ind udefra. I nogle tilfælde er dergravet af omkring kirkerne, og i andre er der fyldt jord på lige op admurværket. Jordarbejderne kan kun somme tider dateres, men vi ved,at en del er foregået allerede i middelalderen, og at der tilsyneladendeer sket meget i 1800-tallet. I Nørre Snede har den senest påførte jordomkring kirkebygningen beskyttet resterne af tidligere bygninger, menkan desuden have været en del af årsagen til fugt i murværket.Gamle kalkmalerier i kirker har ikke kun værdi som dekoration.De er også kilder til vor forståelse af tro og gudsdyrkelse og er højtværdsatte for deres fremstillinger af klædedragter, værktøj med mere.I mange tilfælde kan de hjælpe til at datere bygningsdele, såledesogså i Nørre Snede, hvor det nyfundne kalkmaleri fra begyndelsen af1500-tallet kun kan være ganske lidt yngre end hvælvslagningen, dadet er malet på hvælvets ældste kalklag.Ved den nylige renovering af de indvendige kalkede flader var detforudset, at der kunne dukke kalkmalerier op under afrensningen afløse kalklag. Også i kirker, hvor der ikke tidligere er fundet malerier,kan der dog dukke fragmenter op. Somme tider er de dog svære at tyde,og det er altid en afvejning, om de bør stå fremme eller skal dækkes tiligen. I Nørre Snede er kalkmalerierne en gevinst for kirkerummet medderes gode stand og heldige placeringer.Det var almindeligt, at sognepræster i renæssancen havde en signetog bar den på sig i form af en fingerring, men vi finder ikke retmange signeter i kirkerne. Det skyldes formodentlig, at de ofte straksved ejerens død, for at undgå dokumentforfalskning, blev smeltet omeller kom med i graven. Det hænder sjældent, at anlægsarbejder i kirkernødvendiggør gravearbejde i en dybde, som berører kister, skeletter ogaltså eventuelle signeter. Alligevel er der på Nationalmuseet flere signetringe af samme type som den fra Nørre Snede. De fleste er løsfund og skyldes formodentlig, at deres ejere har tabt dem
I Kulturhistoriske Studier 2001
Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 2016. Co-authors: Nils Engberg and Jakob Kieffer-Olsen. The church th... more Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 2016. Co-authors: Nils Engberg and Jakob Kieffer-Olsen. The church that fell into the sea– Excavations in Mårup Church in 1998, 2009 and 2015. When Mårup Church was built around 1200 it lay some 1.2 km inland. Now the coastal slope transects the church site, but before this happened the church building had been taken down and investigated, and in 1998, 2009 and 2015 there were archaeological excavations in and around the church (fig.4). Three extensions have been documented: a Late Medieval tower with the same width as the nave, walls 1.2 m thick and a floor that once rose 0.8 m above that of the nave; a presumably High Medieval annexe east of the chancel, probably functioning as a sacristy, and a Late Medieval porch with a ground plan of 4 x 4 m. Tower and sacristy were demolished at the beginning of the 1700s, while the porch was succeeded by a new porc in the 1800s. Inside the church two side altars were realized in the nave as well as stairs up to the higher-lying floor of the tower. The altar was renovated and moved twice. A child’s grave was found in front of the first altar. There were surprisingly many graves in the church, also from the Middle Ages, several with a nonstandard orientation. In other contexts this phenomenon has been interpreted as graves from an older church, but the theory could not be confirmed in the case of Mårup Church. Nevertheless there is a grave that is certainly older than the foundations of the stone church. It is likely that there was a predecessor to the known stone church, probably built in wood. Nature – that is, the sea – has taken the graves from the churchyard. Skeletal remains are continously collected and reburied. The graves were therefore not an object of investigation in the excavations. The present wall, which is covered with earth and grass, conceals two older walls: a first wall built of turf with a ditch in front of it; it has been proposed that it was linked with the churchyard of a wooden church. Then a stone wall, also with a ditch. Bricks have been found in this connection, and it must have belonged with the stone church; then, after much sanding-up, another stone wall, now without an accompanying ditch. Two nearby abandoned churches, Rubjerg and Lyngby (fig.3), are also in danger of falling victim to the sea. It is the hope of the authors that they too can be investigated. Much new knowledge can be gained here about the medieval churches and their churchyards.
Routledge eBooks, Jul 1, 2021
This study provides an in-depth numismatic and archaeological study of archaeological finds, with... more This study provides an in-depth numismatic and archaeological study of archaeological finds, with an emphasis on coins, from the excavations of Aggersborg church in northern Jutland, Denmark. It aims to present the unique character of church floors as archaeological objects and discusses the value of coin finds in churches. As in all archaeology, the value of finds is determined by their preservation, context, methods of excavation and documentation. In churches, the historical redeposition of cultural layers during construction and rebuilding works is taken into account by archaeologists and numismatists but rarely in a fully systematic way. In a significant number of cases, the levelling of church floors was carried out using material from outside the building or from another place within the building; in some cases, earth was taken out of the church and dispersed elsewhere. In the Aggersborg church, the distinction between original and subsequent building events is especially important. The complexity of the archaeological situation and the challenge of interpreting coin finds from disturbed cultural layers are examined here. The distribution of the coin finds at Aggersborg will be discussed in light of inferred disturbances in the stratigraphy, and this underlines key methodological challenges faced in the study of church floors generally. The nature of church archaeology is complex, partly not only because of the longue durée and the re-levelling and extension of building structures but also because of the changes in devotional practice that attended an evolving liturgy and, last but not least, because of significant lacunae in the available information due to a lack of high-resolution data capture during excavation. We recommend an increased focus on precision in the archaeological execution and documentation of churches as a consequence of the material from Aggersborg church and experiences of Danish church archaeology in general.
Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 2014. The St. Birgitta Chapel in Roskilde Cathedral – burial site for... more Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 2014. The St. Birgitta Chapel in Roskilde Cathedral – burial site for 1000 years In the summer of 2013 the church archaeologists of the National Museum excavated an area of 10 m2 in the St. Birgitta Chapel in Roskilde Cathedral. The reason for the archaeological investigation was that a sepulchral monument and crypt are to be built for Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik in the chapel. Roskilde Cathedral is on the UNESCO list of world heritage and the archaeological investigation was conducted in close collaboration with the cathedral staff, who were responsible for the ongoing press coverage and the many visitors. The present cathedral had a predecessor of tufa built by Bishop Sven Nordmand in the 1080s (fig.1). At the end of the 1100s and on through the 1200s the present brick church was built, and in the 1400s the St. Birgitta Chapel was added on the north side of the cathedral as a sepulchral chapel for Bishop Oluf Mortensen. In the 1600s three of King Christian IV’s children were buried in a crypt in the chapel, which will not be affected by the new crypt. Besides 40 graves from the 11th-17th centuries, the excavation also revealed information about the monastery that lay in the 11th century on the north side of Sven Nordmand’s church (fig.3). Bishop Oluf Mortensen’s grave was not found; it was probably destroyed by the later graves. There were no traces of activities at the spot before the burial site was established in the 11th century, an observation also made earlier in archaeological excavations outside the church. Co-author David Høyer
Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark, 2007
Det sker ofte, at der findes både kendte og ukendte tilbygninger omkringkirker i forbindelse med ... more Det sker ofte, at der findes både kendte og ukendte tilbygninger omkringkirker i forbindelse med anlægsarbejder som afgravning og etableringaf kloakledninger og varmeforsyning. Dog er det ikke set i nyeretid, at der på samme tid er fundet så meget som i Nørre Snede. Men dadet af antikvariske hensyn ikke er almindeligt i vore dage at foretageafgravning på alle sider af en kirke, er mængden af mulige tilbygningermåske ikke så usædvanlig endda. Nedrivning af tilbygninger harforekommet mange steder før i tiden, og resterne under jordoverfla-den er kilder til kirkens bygningshistorie. Når det drejer sig om fastekonstruktioner, er bevaring oftest at foretrække frem for arkæologiskundersøgelse og destruktion. Dette naturligvis under forudsætning af,at bevaringen er pålidelig, som det er tilfældet i Nørre Snede. På denmåde går vi glip af oplysninger her og nu, men om en generation ellerto vil man være klogere og have andre spørgsmål.Der er sket mange ændringer på kirkegårdene gennem tiden, ikkemindst i forbindelse med, at der opstod et ideal om vandrette gravsteder.For at opnå det, har man mange steder flyttet jord og tilsyneladendeofte ligefrem hentet jord ind udefra. I nogle tilfælde er dergravet af omkring kirkerne, og i andre er der fyldt jord på lige op admurværket. Jordarbejderne kan kun somme tider dateres, men vi ved,at en del er foregået allerede i middelalderen, og at der tilsyneladendeer sket meget i 1800-tallet. I Nørre Snede har den senest påførte jordomkring kirkebygningen beskyttet resterne af tidligere bygninger, menkan desuden have været en del af årsagen til fugt i murværket.Gamle kalkmalerier i kirker har ikke kun værdi som dekoration.De er også kilder til vor forståelse af tro og gudsdyrkelse og er højtværdsatte for deres fremstillinger af klædedragter, værktøj med mere.I mange tilfælde kan de hjælpe til at datere bygningsdele, såledesogså i Nørre Snede, hvor det nyfundne kalkmaleri fra begyndelsen af1500-tallet kun kan være ganske lidt yngre end hvælvslagningen, dadet er malet på hvælvets ældste kalklag.Ved den nylige renovering af de indvendige kalkede flader var detforudset, at der kunne dukke kalkmalerier op under afrensningen afløse kalklag. Også i kirker, hvor der ikke tidligere er fundet malerier,kan der dog dukke fragmenter op. Somme tider er de dog svære at tyde,og det er altid en afvejning, om de bør stå fremme eller skal dækkes tiligen. I Nørre Snede er kalkmalerierne en gevinst for kirkerummet medderes gode stand og heldige placeringer.Det var almindeligt, at sognepræster i renæssancen havde en signetog bar den på sig i form af en fingerring, men vi finder ikke retmange signeter i kirkerne. Det skyldes formodentlig, at de ofte straksved ejerens død, for at undgå dokumentforfalskning, blev smeltet omeller kom med i graven. Det hænder sjældent, at anlægsarbejder i kirkernødvendiggør gravearbejde i en dybde, som berører kister, skeletter ogaltså eventuelle signeter. Alligevel er der på Nationalmuseet flere signetringe af samme type som den fra Nørre Snede. De fleste er løsfund og skyldes formodentlig, at deres ejere har tabt dem
I Kulturhistoriske Studier 2001
Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 2016. Co-authors: Nils Engberg and Jakob Kieffer-Olsen. The church th... more Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 2016. Co-authors: Nils Engberg and Jakob Kieffer-Olsen. The church that fell into the sea– Excavations in Mårup Church in 1998, 2009 and 2015. When Mårup Church was built around 1200 it lay some 1.2 km inland. Now the coastal slope transects the church site, but before this happened the church building had been taken down and investigated, and in 1998, 2009 and 2015 there were archaeological excavations in and around the church (fig.4). Three extensions have been documented: a Late Medieval tower with the same width as the nave, walls 1.2 m thick and a floor that once rose 0.8 m above that of the nave; a presumably High Medieval annexe east of the chancel, probably functioning as a sacristy, and a Late Medieval porch with a ground plan of 4 x 4 m. Tower and sacristy were demolished at the beginning of the 1700s, while the porch was succeeded by a new porc in the 1800s. Inside the church two side altars were realized in the nave as well as stairs up to the higher-lying floor of the tower. The altar was renovated and moved twice. A child’s grave was found in front of the first altar. There were surprisingly many graves in the church, also from the Middle Ages, several with a nonstandard orientation. In other contexts this phenomenon has been interpreted as graves from an older church, but the theory could not be confirmed in the case of Mårup Church. Nevertheless there is a grave that is certainly older than the foundations of the stone church. It is likely that there was a predecessor to the known stone church, probably built in wood. Nature – that is, the sea – has taken the graves from the churchyard. Skeletal remains are continously collected and reburied. The graves were therefore not an object of investigation in the excavations. The present wall, which is covered with earth and grass, conceals two older walls: a first wall built of turf with a ditch in front of it; it has been proposed that it was linked with the churchyard of a wooden church. Then a stone wall, also with a ditch. Bricks have been found in this connection, and it must have belonged with the stone church; then, after much sanding-up, another stone wall, now without an accompanying ditch. Two nearby abandoned churches, Rubjerg and Lyngby (fig.3), are also in danger of falling victim to the sea. It is the hope of the authors that they too can be investigated. Much new knowledge can be gained here about the medieval churches and their churchyards.