Iron Age sacrificial site unearthed in Denmark

Danish archaeologists have uncovered well-preserved traces of an entire Iron Age community, including several bogs filled with the skeletons of human and canine sacrifices.

An archaeological dig at Skodstrup north of Aarhus has uncovered what Moesgaard Museum called a “remarkable” discovery that could shed new light on Iron Age customs, reports The Local.

An entire society dating back to around the time of the birth of Christ was found, including signs of both human and canine sacrifices. The museum’s archaeologists found a bog that was used to offer both humans and dogs as sacrifices for the gods.

Thus far, they have uncovered one human skeleton and eight dog skeletons. The dog skeletons were found lying next to three tethering stakes, a discovery that could grant new insight into religious practices of the time.

“We expected great things of the excavations because a settlement, a burial ground as well as extensive offerings and sacrifices in the bogs around Skødstrup have previously been found. But these new discoveries more than live up to our expectations and the finding of a human skeleton is the crowning touch,” Per Mandrup, an archaeologist at Moesgaard Museum and the excavation’s director, said.