Spectacular find in the Netherlands: archaeologists discover 1300-year-old hoard of gold – probably sacrificed by ancient Germans, then forgotten.

In the small community of Hezingen, right on the border with Germany, archaeologists have made a spectacular find: a 1300-year-old treasure consisting of around 100 gold and silver coins, gold pendants, earrings, and raw materials made of gold and silver. The find was made during an excavation in the eastern Netherlands and is now causing an international sensation.

“It is very likely a Germanic place of worship”

As reported by the Bild newspaper, the treasure was discovered in a complex that apparently served ritual purposes. Evidence for this includes animal bones, which were probably laid down as sacrificial offerings. “It was most likely a Germanic place of worship,” Jan-Willem de Kort, an archaeologist at the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, told Bild.

Rare coins

According to the article in the scientific journal Medieval Archaeology, which documents the results, the coins date from the early 7th century and were minted in the Frankish Empire. Such coins are extremely rare and suggest a wealthy and ritually significant place.

The Germanic tribes who practised their cult here were under great pressure from the advancing Christianization at the time. Christian missionaries considered sacrificial offerings such as these to be “devil’s money”. Those who wanted to become Christians had to renounce gods like Wotan – and abandon such ritual practices. According to de Kort, these religious tensions are also reflected in the type of grave goods, as summarized by Focus Online in an accompanying report.

Further finds

In addition to the actual treasure trove, the archaeologists also discovered several post holes that may once have supported a wooden structure. One central post in particular is seen as an indication of a so-called “sacred pillar” – a kind of cultic center. According to De Kort, the alignment of the site may have been aligned with the spring and autumn equinoxes. These dates played a central role in pre-Christian agriculture.

It is not known exactly when the place of worship was abandoned. However, researchers assume that it lost its function around the year 700 AD at the latest during the Christianization process – and with it the treasure was forgotten for centuries.