Aggersborg. The Viking-Age settlement and fortress (Else Roesdahl, Søren M. Sindbæk, Anne Pedersen & David M. Wilson eds). Jutland Archaeological Society Publications Vol. 82 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Borgring. Uncovering the strategy for a Viking age ring fortress in Denmark
Danish Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 10, 2021
In 2014, Borgring, near Køge, Denmark, was identified as the fifth geometrical Viking age ring fortress in Denmark, complementing an exclusive group of monuments including Trelleborg. Excavations and surveys in 2016-18 allow a detailed reconstruction of the site and its history. Borgring is a fortification with the same type of geometry, construction, and location as other Trelleborg-type fortresses, though exhibiting notable differences. Finds, including beads, ornaments, and iron tools, reflect limited activities and links to other fortress sites. The dating of Borgring is established with reference to wiggle-matched 14 C dates.
Eight papers presented at the 36th Interdisciplinary Viking Symposium in Odense may 17th 2017. PREFACE / THE FORTIFIED VIKING AGE 36th Interdisciplinary Viking Symposium – 17 May 2017................................................7 Mette Bruus & Jesper Hansen Henne Kirkeby Vest, a fortified settlement on the West coast of Denmark...................8 Lene B. Frandsen Erritsø – A fortified Early Viking Age manor near Lillebælt. New investigations and research perspectives................................................................ 16 Christian Juel & Mads Ravn …nú knáttu Óðin sjá: The Function of Hall-Based, Ritualised Performances of Old Norse Poetry in Pre-Christian Nordic Religion...................................................26 Simon Nygaard Early Viking camps in Scandinavia and abroad..............................................................35 Arjen Heijnis New archaeological investigations at Nonnebakken, a Viking Age fortress in Odense........................................................................................44 Mads Runge The Borgring Project 2016–2018..........................................................................................60 Jonas Christensen, Nanna Holm, Maja K. Schultz, Søren M. Sindbæk & Jens Ulriksen The Danevirke in the light of recent excavations.............................................................69 Astrid Tummuscheit & Frauke Witte Emporia, sceattas and kingship in 8th C. “Denmark”.....................................................75 Morten Søvsø
Pasztor, E. - Roslund, C. 2001. Orientations of Danish Viking Geometrical Fortresses
J.A. Belmonte (ed) Astronomy and Cultural Diversity, Oxford VI. and SEAC 99, La Laguna 2000.
Three geometrical Viking ring-fortresses in Denmark have generally been taken to be orientated closely towards the four cardinal points. By measuring the orientations of their main axes with a precision theodolite, it was found that the fortresses differ considerably from each other in orientation, inspite of their similar geometric design and from the cardinal points. Alternative suggestions for the deviation in orientation are presented. In Denmark four impressive circular fortresses built around 980 at the end of the Viking Age have come to light.They are known for their precise layout.Their ground plans are dominated by a perfectly circularring-rampart divided into four segments of equal length by the gates for two straight roads that meet at right angles in the centre of the ramparts.The construction is enhanced by the fact that the roads seem to be aligned with the cardinal points of the compass.
Landscapes of Defence in Early Medieval Europe, 2013
The VIking Age proves complex when viewed from a military historical perspective. There is inconsistency in the correlation between home and abroad and between literary sources and archaeological remains. The break in continuity from fortification traditions of earlier periods represents a change in the societal structure where individuals become landowners, and there is both the will and the strength to dominate territories. This essay focuses on the continuity and discontinuity of fortifications in Eastern Scandinavia in an attempt to understand the paradox of the Viking Age landscape of defence.
Journal of Danish Archaeology, Vol. 10, 2021
Geoarchaeological investigations at Borgring, a recently identified Danish Viking Age ring fortress, reconstructs the original landscape showing how the site was expanded and modified to accommodate a structure of pre-defined size, and how this large-scale project demonstrates the willingness to invest significant resources in its precise positioning. The investigations also assess the possibility of navigating along the nearby stream from the coast and show that access by anything larger than a dinghy was impossible, hence navigability was not important for the location and function of the fortress. This has implications for the functional interpretation of all Danish Viking Age ring fortresses.
Danish Journal of Archaeology
This study explores the underlying reasons behind the construction and topographical location of the Viking Age ring fortress, Borgring and the impact it had on the society on a regional scale. A key question is whether this manifestation of power is also expressing a disruption of the existing power structure in the region. The evidence from Borgring will be compared to the other four ring fortresses as well as other fortifications and large structures of the Viking Age in Denmark. In the end we will propose a new theory explaining the Viking Age ring fortresses along with other monumental structures dated to the reign of King Harald Bluetooth (c. AD 958 – AD 986/987) represent a manifestation of a new order of society instigated by the conversion of the King in AD 963. The shape, the size and the positioning of the structures in the landscape were premeditated to impress both locals and travellers following important roads throughout the realm and to remind them of the King´s pres...
Borgring: the discovery of a Viking Age ring fortress
A massive tenth-century AD ring fortress was recently identified at Borgring, south of Copenhagen in Denmark. The combination of high-resolution LiDAR mapping, geophys-ical survey and targeted small-scale excavation has demonstrated that the site belongs to a rare class of monuments—the Trelleborg-type ring fortress. Borgring is the first such monument to be found in Denmark in over six decades, and provides an opportunity to investigate a type-site of Viking Age military organisation and conflict. The authors argue that Borgring complements a varied group of fortification structures in late Viking Age Denmark, part of a military network close to contemporaneous European ideas of military kingship and defence.
Danish Journal of Archaeology, 2021
Viking Age ring fortresses were some of the largest construction projects in Danish prehistory. In this article we reconstruct the amount of turf and timber used in the construction of the Borg ring ring fortress and estimate the resource area needed to supply the building materials. Using REVEALS pollen data modelling we quantify the regional oak land cover and estimate the resource area. The results show that even though Borgring was built in an open cultural landscape, sufficient supply of oak for the construction would have been accessible within a few kilometres of the fortress.