On a field near Fæsted outside the city of Ribe in Denmark, a group of archaeologists has discovered an ancient site that was used to worship the pagan god Odin. The site is estimated to date back to the middle of the iron age (0 – 450 CE), which was the period before the Viking age.
The pagan hall of worship was found in 2018, and it was found in a connection with another groundbreaking excavation that had already taken place in 2016 just 1 km away (0.62 miles), where a huge Viking treasure was found.
Inside the ruins of the ancient house, there were two pillars with around 50 spearheads plunged into the soil around them. Two bent swords encircled yet another pillar, and hidden underneath a few other pillars, the archaeologists found jewelry made from gold, that had been cut into small pieces.
There has not been found any similar buildings in Denmark before, however, there are speculations that there might be one on the island of Bornholm, something that yet has to be investigated.
In Uppåkra near Lund in Sweden, there has been found a similar building, and it is estimated that it was built around the same time, so there chould be a good chance of finding more ancient pagan sites like this in Scandinavia.
The National Museum of Denmark named this site as the most exciting discovery in 2018, and an important piece of the puzzle to understand our pagan past.
The archaeologists believe that the family that used to live here, was very powerful, and had a big influence in the region. There is also evidence that the house has been here for hundreds of years, and has been repaired and expanded up to six times.
