Over the years, a field on the island of Bornholm in Denmark has been the site of many surprising archaeological finds. Recently discovered is a golden statue of a nude woman.
Large diagram of a golden statue. Notice the harness and loops around the legs and arms.
The bent figurine is only 4.2 cm tall and weighs 3g, showing many details and bearing the mark of aristocratic craftsmanship.
The woman has a long and slender body, the statue may have been made from a fine gold bar.
Head tilted with a protruding jaw and slit hair. The breasts are sunken and under the shoulders there are carvings to bring the hands out. The hands are gentle, the big toes pressed together, while the fingers point downward.
Towards the upper belly, a belt is clearly engraved and decorated with a zigzag pattern.
Panoramic view of the three corners of the statue’s head
This can be a symbol of fertility and health
The golden woman could be standing upright on her toes or dancing with soft feet. Above the graceful legs, the calves and knees are clearly visible.
Looking in front of the statue, scientists try to associate this nude woman with health and wellness.
Simply put, the spine has 10 protruding “teeth”. This is something that has never been seen before (vertebrae maybe?).
Nude female statues are rare in Nordic Iron Age art, where figurines of men often dominate.
The 5th figurine in the series found in the area.
The Golden Woman is the fifth in a series of golden figurines found at Smorenge, in the fields of Bornholm.
The first four statues are all male, as soon as the gender of the last statue is confirmed, it is added to the found sequence.
The first statue was found in the spring of 2009, with several other finds including many figures made of gold leaf. The next three statues were found in the spring of 2012.
Five statues were found in a field in Bornholm.
Plowing scattered the statues.
The five figurines may have been buried in the same place, either individually or collectively, at a time during the 6th century, which was a period of migration.
Three of the statues were found 5 meters apart from one to the other, while the other two were found 10 to 15 meters further away. One can assume that they were scattered by plowing.
This location may have been chosen due to the presence of one or more springs. But it is necessary to conduct excavations to get more information about the features of the area…