Juellinge

Facts

Rich women's graves

By Dorte Veien Christiansen, Souschef (3 stories)

A small burial ground with four graves was built near Juellinge in the Iron Age in about the year 100 AD. Three of the graves contained adult women and the fourth contained a girl of nine years of age. The women's graves were especially richly equipped with fine Roman objects of silver, gold and glass. The graves from Juellinge match the picture we have of the graves in East Denmark from that time very well. Here, leading families underlined their status by giving their women rich gifts to take on their final journey. Wealthy men's graves are rare, though, and graves containing rich finds of weapons are notably absent in this area.

Partly a public place

Selected entry

Female chieftain?

Story written by Dorte Veien Christiansen

Time / Periode 100

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Though the women's graves contained fine objects, they were probably not chieftains. The wealthy belongings in the women's graves were probably put there due to a link with North-east Germany where women had high status. This was partly because the women entered into important marital alliances that linked leading families together. The alliances helped create stability, and East Denmark may also have been united under one king. The situation in West Denmark was quite different. This area was not united and was therefore plagued by conflict and war. That is probably why horsemen's and warriors' graves had high status there.