ABSTRACT
One of the Viking magnates’ complexes is situated on the west bank of Lake Tissø in west Zealand in Denmark. The settlement is situated at a distance of 7 kilometres from the coast and extends along the west bank for 1.6 km (Figure 7.1.1). The total settlement area is about 50 ha. As early as the nineteenth century weapons and other objects appeared in the lakebed near the settlement when the level of the lake was lower. To date some fifty objects have been found in the lake – swords, axes, lances, brooches and tools – the great majority of which are from the Viking Age. In this connection the name of the lake is interesting – Tissø, which actually means Týr’s lake. Týr was one of the Viking war gods, and probably the lake finds represent offerings. The objects found so far show that this votive tradition goes back at least to around ad 600. The most spectacular find was made in 1977, when a farmer found a tenth-century gold neck-ring weighing 1.8 kg. To this can today be added at least four silver treasures. In 1979 the graves of two executed men emerged at the crossing over the River Halleby Å. The burials can be dated to the mid-eleventh century, which corresponds closely with the end date for the settlement. In the same excavation were found the remains of a 50-metre-long wooden bridge over Halleby Å from the Viking Age.
