Dozens of 1,500-year-old gold pieces discovered

Norway Archaeologists discovered 35 small gold pieces dating back to the 5th - 8th century under an ancient temple in the village of Vingrom, on the outskirts of Lillehammer.

Small gold pieces are intricately carved in Norway. Photo: Nicolai Eckhoff

The gold pieces are square, about the size of a fingernail, extremely thin, and depict women and men in elaborate costumes, Newsweek reported on September 18. Some depict couples facing each other, the man on the left and the woman on the right, said archaeologist Nicolai Eckhoff of the University of Oslo, who is part of the excavation team at Vingrom. The gold dates back to the Meroving dynasty, the family that ruled the Frankish kingdom from the 5th century until about 751.

"The gold pieces are very small, but the motifs are extremely detailed. Typically, the women wear dresses, sometimes with straps and capes, and the men wear shorter skirts that expose their feet and may also wear capes. Both may wear jewelry, have different hairstyles, and hold different objects such as drinking cups, wands, rings, or use their hands to make different gestures. These gold pieces are so detailed and varied that they are a resource for studying the clothing and symbolism of the time," said Eckhoff.

Finding such gold pieces in Norway is extremely rare. Only 10 sites have ever found them, usually ancient places of worship.

"Most interpretations attribute the gold pieces to mythological or ritual significance. Some suggest that the gold pieces with the couple motif depict the sacred wedding between Froy and Gerd, or were used as offerings during weddings or fertility rites," Eckhoff said.

However, there is also another theory that they were a form of temple money. "The gold pieces found in this year's survey were associated with drill holes and corridors. Their presence in the building and in the holes of the roof support columns suggests that they could have been offerings, markers for seats, halls or worship rooms," Eckhoff added.

Thu Thao (According to Newsweek )

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