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Archaeologists in Sweden recently stumbled on a “highly unusual” find — two rare neck rings believed to be more than 2,500 years old, buried inside an ancient grave monument.
Arkeologerna, a Swedish archaeological consultancy, announced the discovery earlier in May.
The jewelry was found by archaeologists in Marby, near the city of Norrköping in eastern Sweden.
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The discovery site “looks like an ordinary wooded hillside in the sun,” officials said.
“Over the past few weeks, archaeologists have investigated parts of a larger archaeological landscape east of Norrköping, containing graves, rock carvings and settlement remains from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1100–500 BC),” Arkeologerna said in a statement.
Archaeologists have uncovered two rare Bronze Age neck rings buried inside an ancient grave monument near Norrköping, in eastern Sweden. (Arkeologerna)
“At the time, the area was located beside a bay close to the sea. The excavation is being carried out ahead of planned housing development in the area.”
Officials said the rings were likely buried as ritual offerings thousands of years ago.
They’ve been identified as wendel rings, which are a “rare type of bronze ornament dating to the final phase of the Bronze Age,” the statement noted.
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“They are characterized by their twisted form, where the cast bronze alternates between right- and left-handed twists,” officials said.
Wendel rings are “relatively rare finds,” said excavation leader Alf Ericsson.
“At least in ritual contexts, men have also been able to wear neck rings.”
“They are often discovered in hoards together with other objects, typically in wetlands such as bogs or marshes,” he said in a statement.
“But finding two neck rings placed together inside a grave monument containing burials is extremely unusual — perhaps unique.”
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Both pieces of jewelry are “well preserved,” said Ericsson, though the more ornate ring “is in better condition than the other.”
The excavation leader told Digital that the better-preserved ring is “broken in half.”
Experts said neck rings from the Bronze Age were commonly associated with women, though men may have worn them in rituals. (Arkeologerna)
“This break was likely made during the Bronze Age, probably as part of the ritual process,” he said.
He also said that it’s “highly unusual” to find these sorts of neck rings in a burial context in Sweden.
The excavation marks “the first time this has been documented in a modern archaeological context,” he noted.
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Ericsson said the neck rings were typically associated with women, though historical depictions suggest men may have worn them as well.
“At least in ritual contexts, men have also been able to wear neck rings,” he said.
The expert added that archaeologists also found “several deposits of cremated human bones,” which are undergoing analysis.
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“We never expected to find anything like this,” Ericsson said. “We still haven’t fully taken it in.”
Though officials are still learning more about the site, they believe the graves “belonged to a complex and symbolically rich culture.”
The bronze ornaments were discovered in a larger archaeological landscape containing graves, settlements and ancient rock carvings. (Arkeologerna)
“Archaeologists also uncovered house remains and investigated two burnt mounds built up from fire-cracked stones,” Arkeologerna’s statement said.
The discoveries are part of a string of major archaeological finds announced in Sweden over the past year.
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Last year, a person digging for fishing worms in Stockholm County found a cauldron filled with medieval rings, pendants and several thousand coins.
At around the same time, archaeologists found the remains of a forgotten 16th-century city beneath modern-day Gothenburg.
