Archaeologists Reveal Rare Medieval Cult Site With Gold and Silver Offerings

Archaeologists have revealed a rare medieval cult site, dated to the 7th century, replete with gold and silver offerings, a study reports.

Well-excavated cult sites are key to understanding changing ritual behavior in the period of Christianization in Europe—a long and gradual process that took place roughly between the 1st and 15th centuries. But unfortunately, known examples of such sites are rare.

Recent finds uncovered by metal detecting efforts near the hamlet of Hezingen in the Netherlands, however, prompted archaeological excavations that have brought to light the remains of a 7th-century open-air cult site. These finds include a cluster of precious metal objects.

“The site consisted of a row of posts and a large boulder situated in a clearing near an ancient road junction, on a prominent elevation in the landscape. Gold coins and jewellery were deposited there at regular intervals over a period of about 100  years,” the authors wrote in the study, which was published in the journal Medieval Archaeology.

An analysis also revealed that animals were likely sacrificed at the site as well, according to the study.

The distribution of the finds at the site and their ages indicate that ritual activity shifted over time from south to north and then from east to west.

The offerings may have been linked to fertility rites given that the posts were aligned with the rising and setting of the sun during the spring and autumn equinoxes.

The site was used in the period when Christianity was slowly spreading northwards and eastwards from the realm of the Franks—a Germanic people who occupied large parts of Western Europe and Central Europe (with some expansion into Southern Europe) during the medieval era.

“The inhabitants of the area [Hezingen] were probably aware of this new religion, which was all-exclusive and did not tolerate competition. It may have been perceived as a threat, which could have triggered a more pronounced emphasis on old traditions, values and identity and a more dramatic way of worshipping the gods, spirits or ancestors,” the study authors wrote.

Use of the site appears to have ceased around the year A.D. 700—at least half a century earlier than the formal Christianization of the area.

“This could indicate that the local elite, with whom the site seems to have been associated, had become Christians at an earlier date, or had at least moved away from collective expressions of paganism,” the authors wrote.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about archaeology? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

Reference

De Kort, J., Brinkkemper, O., Van Doesburg, J., Groenewoudt, B., Heeren, S., Kars, M., Nicolay, J., Van Os, B., & Pol, A. (2024). Diobolgeldæ (The Devil’s Money): the Early-Medieval Cult site of Hezingen, the Netherlands. Medieval Archaeology, 68(2), 306–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/00766097.2024.2419198