Archaeologists have uncovered a trove of some 2,000 gold spirals dating from between 900 and 700 BCE. The spirals were recovered from a site that had been excavated before, when a team found four gold bracelets. Each is made of pure gold thread and measures up to 3 cm in length. The entire find weighs between 200 and 300 grammes.
     Researchers are unsure what the spirals may have been used for, as this is the first time such a find has been made in Denmark.
     Flemming Kaul, of the Danish National Museum, says: "The sun was one of the holy symbols in the Bronze Age, and gold was presumably seen as having some sort of particular magic power. It is coloured like the sun, it shines like the sun, and because gold lasts forever, it was also seen as containing some of the Sun's power. Maybe the spirals were fastened to threads lining a hat or parasol. Maybe they were woven into hair or embroidered on a ceremonial garb. The fact is that we do not know, but I am inclined to believe that they were part of a priest-king's garb or part of some headwear."
     Located in the Boeslunde district in southwestern Zealand, the excavation area has been a veritable treasure trove of archaeological finds. This latest discovery makes it the area where the most gold jewellery and artefacts - in terms of sheer weight - have been recovered from the north European Bronze Age.
     Kirsten Christensen from the West Zealand Museum said that besides the spirals and gold bracelets, six golden bowls were discovered in the area by local farmers in the 1800s.
     Archaeologists from both the National Museum and West Zealand Museum are convinced that there is still more golden treasure to be found at Boeslunde.

Edited from The Local (8 July 2015)