The Danish Roman Iron Age (AD 1-400) was a time of connectivity, but also a time of turbulence. The impact of this on the development of military power is well illustrated by the large votive weapon deposits discovered across southern Scandinavia, particularly in the regions forming modern-day Denmark and Sweden. Here, we tell the story of a fine example of one of these weapon deposits, from Illerup Ådal in central Denmark. Assessing this material sheds light on not only the nature of warfare in Iron Age Northern Europe, but also a connection to Rome that stretched far beyond the Empire’s borders. Indeed, assessing the finds reveals the existence of a regional military organisation that operated with sufficient sophistication to have likely earned the respect of Roman imperial forces.
Study of this subject is bolstered by approximately 15,000 items of weaponry and personal effects that have been recovered from a lake in the Illerup valley, where they were originally deposited in AD 205. Although no associated human remains were found, these objects probably belonged to Denmark’s first professional army, and in total represent elements of the kit and possessions of over a thousand soldiers. While this figure is unquestionably impressive, as we will explore below, it also amounts to less than half of the total deposit. Cumulatively, this material constitutes one of the most extensive assemblages of its kind from Scandinavia. Yet the insights that have been gleaned from it can illuminate a far wider area. This is in part because not all of the artefacts recovered at Illerup Ådal were manufactured in Denmark; instead, a range of origins are in evidence, which is perhaps best illustrated by the deposit constituting one of the most impressive collections of Roman weaponry ever found in Europe.
The Illerup Ådal deposit
The Illerup valley lies in the central-eastern part of Jutland, close to the town of Skanderborg. Jutland itself forms the mainland part of modern Denmark and is attached to continental Europe. The presence of finds in the valley was discovered in the 1950s, during land-drainage works. Major excavations followed in 1950-1956 and 1975-1985. Not all of the artefacts recovered during this work belong to the AD 205 episode, though, with the fieldwork revealing that there were multiple episodes of object deposition at this lake over the course of the Iron Age. Even so, the largest set of objects is unquestionably the effects of the entire standing army being considered here. All of the finds at Illerup Ådal were most likely placed in the lake as votive deposits – that is, offerings made to a deity or to the landscape itself – with those taken from the army presumably committed to the waters after it was defeated in battle. One unintended side effect of this act of veneration is that immersion in the lake led to exceptional preservation, enabling us to gain an invaluable insight into everyday military life and practices in southern Scandinavia at the turn of the 3rd century AD.
Changing conclusions