In 1915, Jens Raben, then curator of Sønderborg Castle Museum, was hospitalised in the then German town of Sønderborg. It was during the 1914-1918 war, and in the same ward was another wounded South Jutlander, Jørgen Petersen. He told Raben that he had heard that ancient artefacts had been found in Hjortspring Mose near Guderup during peat digging in the 1980s. After signing out, Raben and Petersen went to the bog, where owner Christen Nymand told them that as a boy he had helped dig peat in the bog. They had found a long plank that had been dried and then burned. During peat digging, he had also been bothered by numerous spearheads that had been thrown into a fence. There had been no digging in the bog since 1889.
In 1918, the Verein für Heimatkunde carried out a short excavation without finding anything. Strange!
After reunification, Raben wrote to the National Museum in Copenhagen and reported Nymand's story. Museum curator K. Friis Johansen of the National Museum visited the owner of the bog and agreed on an excavation in 1921.
In 1918, the Verein für Heimatkunde carried out a short excavation without finding anything. Strange!
After reunification, Raben wrote to the National Museum in Copenhagen and reported Nymand's story. Museum curator K. Friis Johansen of the National Museum visited the owner of the bog and agreed on an excavation in 1921.
In July 1921, Gustav Rosenberg, a conservator from the National Museum, arrived to begin the excavation.
In 1921, 37 working days of excavation were spent unearthing large quantities of weapons.
In 1922, the boat was excavated over 52 working days, damaged as it was by peat digging and time.
A more detailed description of the excavation, the transport of the finds and the preservation can be found in G. Rosenberg: ‘Hjortspringfundet’ and F. Kaul: ‘Da våbnene tav’.
See Surces at the bottom of the page.
In 1921, 37 working days of excavation were spent unearthing large quantities of weapons.
In 1922, the boat was excavated over 52 working days, damaged as it was by peat digging and time.
A more detailed description of the excavation, the transport of the finds and the preservation can be found in G. Rosenberg: ‘Hjortspringfundet’ and F. Kaul: ‘Da våbnene tav’.
See Surces at the bottom of the page.
The history group interviewed Jens Raben's daughter, Mrs Hertha Raben Petersen, in 1995, which is quoted below:
The Hjortspring Boat was excavated in 1921-22 by the National Museum. I was a schoolgirl at the time and my father took me with him when he participated in the excavation.
The director of the National Museum's 1. Department at the time was Sofus Müller, a self-righteous gentleman whom everyone in the bog feared and no one dared to contradict.
The head of the excavation was G. Rosenberg, whom I later met during the excavation of the Ladby ship. I have fond memories of his quiet, considerate behaviour. Conservator Raklev was always up for a joke. He loved to tease young and old, and he could tell fantastic stories. Later, archaeologists like Brøndsted, Broholm and Friis Johansen came along. I was particularly interested in a Dutchman whose name I remember as Stein van Callenfels. I remember his appearance and demeanour clearly. Callenfels had spent many years on Java and participated in excavations there. Small and round as I remember him, I see him sitting, almost as if he was stuck, in a search trench. He could move enough to pull his long, thin cigars, which he had sent from Holland, out of his breast pocket. Once, the cigar delivery didn't arrive on time and he started to panic.
When the weather was good, I had to accompany my father to this little paradise. We travelled by ‘æ Kleinbahn’ from Sønderborg to Stevning and walked to the bog. Dad carried his rucksack containing our lunch, drawings and other utensils, useful things.
The bog was busy when we arrived. Ditches had been cut and Mr Rosenberg came to greet Dad and tell him about things. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't always good, and during heavy rain, the ditches would fill up with water, so they had to be pumped out.
In 1990, I saw the boat on display at the National Museum and memories of the excavation almost 70 years ago came flooding back - memories from childhood that have stuck with me.
The director of the National Museum's 1. Department at the time was Sofus Müller, a self-righteous gentleman whom everyone in the bog feared and no one dared to contradict.
The head of the excavation was G. Rosenberg, whom I later met during the excavation of the Ladby ship. I have fond memories of his quiet, considerate behaviour. Conservator Raklev was always up for a joke. He loved to tease young and old, and he could tell fantastic stories. Later, archaeologists like Brøndsted, Broholm and Friis Johansen came along. I was particularly interested in a Dutchman whose name I remember as Stein van Callenfels. I remember his appearance and demeanour clearly. Callenfels had spent many years on Java and participated in excavations there. Small and round as I remember him, I see him sitting, almost as if he was stuck, in a search trench. He could move enough to pull his long, thin cigars, which he had sent from Holland, out of his breast pocket. Once, the cigar delivery didn't arrive on time and he started to panic.
When the weather was good, I had to accompany my father to this little paradise. We travelled by ‘æ Kleinbahn’ from Sønderborg to Stevning and walked to the bog. Dad carried his rucksack containing our lunch, drawings and other utensils, useful things.
The bog was busy when we arrived. Ditches had been cut and Mr Rosenberg came to greet Dad and tell him about things. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't always good, and during heavy rain, the ditches would fill up with water, so they had to be pumped out.
In 1990, I saw the boat on display at the National Museum and memories of the excavation almost 70 years ago came flooding back - memories from childhood that have stuck with me.
Recent realisations can be found in these:
- Danmarks Oldtid, Early Iron Age, Volume 3, Jørgen Jensen.
- Hjortspring, Ole Crumlin-Pedersen & Athena Trakads
- Sejrens triumf, Exhibition catalogue, National Museum of Denmark
Language
The text in this article has been translated from Danish to English using the free DeepL translation programme.