Pre-Roman, or Celtic Iron Age in Denmark (500-0 BCE)

from:

Erling Albrectsen

Fynske Jernaldergrave I: Førromersk Jernalder, Einar Munksgaard, 1954

[Iron Age Graves from Fyn: Pre-Roman Iron Age]

"

VI Conclusion

...

This new material from Fyn is furthermore important in that it so to
speak shows the island as a connecting link between east and west in
Denmark, a crossing point for eastern and western cultural flows.
Both pottery and certain other ancient artifacts confirm this. With
respect to pottery, a number of types are in common, although they
may have local characteristics. ... These are just examples of a
series which shows that the Fyn group of islands has cultural
historical features in common with both west and east in Denmark. The
same is seen also from the Fyn sphere fibulas (p 97), as some of them
have cross-shaped ornamentation on the spheres as the Sjælland and
Bornholm parallels, while others with ring ornaments on the spheres
are closer to the corresponding Jutland and North Schleswig forms. In
the same way also "East Germanic" one-egged swords are known on Fyn
and Langeland in a not insignificant number, while the two-egged "Mid-
Germanic" ones show western orientation.

As discussed before (p.67), further the dominant position of the fire
spot [you'll have to forgive me for this literal translation, I don't
know the exact English term. T.] among the grave types is a signicant
testimony of cultural-political connections. The Fyn grave fields
with fire spots will perhaps, juxtaposed with *future* [marked by me,
T.] central and eastern Jutland finds of the same type demonstrate,
that the until now isolated grave fields in Vendsyssel [in north
Jutland, old Danish Vendlæ Syssæl, T.], the culturally divergent
features of which has been sought explained by migrations, perhaps
are not so isolated, but rather make up a northern link in a large
contiguous eastern cultural area. As the picture looks until now,
this eastern area seems to stand isolated against a west and south
Jutland area, which, although its culture rests on old domestic
tradition, is influenced by Celtic and Germanic impulses from the
South and Southwest, an area, however, to the culture of which we
only have a rather limited knowledge in period II [300-150 BCE],
partially also in period III [150-0 BCE], as the finds here are not
yet present in large numbers. That Fyn-Langeland receives influences
also from the western area, is evedently apparent from the late
Langeland grave fields from period III. The two-egged swords found
here are of the western "mid-Germanic" type, suspended in eyes on the
side of the sheath, while also the sheath terminates in a straight
ferrule. It is the same type which is found is South Jutland finds
and across the Baltic in the grave sites at Körchow in Mecklenburg
and Harsefeld south of Hamburg.

But why are the graves missing on the islands in the oldest sections
of Pre-Roman Iron Age? It is a puzzle which stands in the strangest
contrast to the contemporary abundance of finds in large parts of
Jutland, and which only unsatisfactorily may be explained thereby
that the graves might have been annihilated by the intensive farming
of the islands. The lacuna stands, however, until so far. Only later,
from period II, do the finds occur progressively in such a number
here that one may form an impression. based on them, of the
continuing development. There seems to emerge a picture, which shows
many common features allover the country, but also several local
special forms in the separate regions. Smoothly and without
discernible transition this deverlopment continues into Roman Iron
Age. In the local features one might reasonably see reflections of
ethnicity, a division of the country into tribes, which even more
clearly is outlined in the local groups of artifacts of the Roman
Iron Age, more clearly perhaps only because the number of finds is
overwhelmingly rich in this time period, while still rather scarce in
Pre-Roman Iron Age.

"

In other words, Albrectsen is puzzled that there is gap in finds
between South and Southwest Jutland and those in Jutland north of the
Limfjord and in the east. Now, I speculate, does that possibly mean
that South and South West Jutland were Celtic and the eastern and
nothern "cultural sphere" was (proto-) Germanic (ie. pre-Sciri and
Bastarnae Germanic)? Perhaps Albretsen's "mid-Germanic" is Celtic?
South and South Western Jutland are those areas of Jutland where
gender has disappeared in Danish, as it has in English, which has
(also?) a Celtic substrate.

Torsten