The discovery illuminates previously unknown information about the polytheistic religion.
By Declan Gallagher
Archaeologists recently stumbled across a medieval pagan cult site in the Netherlands where they found a bounty of treasure. The findings were published in the journal Medieval Archaeology.
According to the article, gold and silver coins located with metal detectors in the town of Hezingen “prompted archaeological excavations that have brought to light the remains of a 7th-century open-air cult site possibly connected with immigrants.” Hezingen was erected within a massive circular structure with wooden posts surrounding a peculiarly designed building which experts hypothesize to be the home of an elite leader, known as a Herrenhof.
At the site, researchers found gold coins and jewelry which they believe were “deposited there at regular intervals over a period of about 100 years.” A phosphate analysis revealed that animals were very likely sacrificed on the land before the area was abandoned around 700 A.D., which was “at least half a century earlier than the formal Christianization of the area.”
Because paganism was not a monolithic religion, meaning there was not one specific god or deity worshipped by believers, and practices varied by location and over time, this recent discovery presents a remarkably rare insight into the regional cultist rituals which predated the birth of Christianity in northern Europe.
The presence of the gold and silver coins would indicate that the site was used by cultural elites, as lower-status citizens would not have access to such treasure. But despite the cultish and ritualistic nature of the area, scientists say there is nothing to indicate which specific gods were worshipped at Henzigen or that any supernatural forces were summoned.
“I think that this cult site was mainly used by local elites to emphasize their own status, and of course, you do that pre-eminently with valuables,” lead author Jan-Willem de Kort, an archaeologist from the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, told Phys.org. “The finds at the other cult sites are probably more the result of personal offerings and thus less precious.”
Kort continued: “The research was also born out of necessity, as the site was threatened by nature [sic] development. This would involve removing the topsoil to encourage the original vegetation to come back.”
Experts believe that ritualistic ceremonies were conducted at Hezingen in an attempt to please the gods and ensure strong harvests for the forthcoming year. “The gods that may have been worshipped in Hezingen can be learned from a Saxon baptismal promise, handed down in a 9th-century codex,” the authors explained. “This vow mentions the gods UUôden (Wodan), Thunær (Donar), and Saxnōte (Saxnot), who the reader of the promise must renounce.”
This article was originally published in Men’s Journal on February 8, 2025.
