Archaeologists in the Netherlands have uncovered a hoard of gold and silver coins, believed to have been part of pagan rituals involving “devil’s money” or diobolgeldæ. The discovery, made at a medieval cult site in Hezingen, eastern Netherlands, offers new insights into the religious practices of pre-Christian groups in this part of Europe, where such rituals were less well understood than in the Nordic world.
The findings, published in Medieval Archaeology, shed light on the regional variations of pre-Christian paganism. Unlike the better-known cult sites in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, northern Germany, and Britain have yielded fewer such sites, making this discovery particularly significant. Researchers suggest that the Hezingen site provides crucial information about cult rituals in the Germanic-Nordic world, even though similar findings from the Nordic region don’t always translate directly to this area.
The Hezingen site was first identified around five years ago when metal detectorists found several gold and silver coins scattered across the location. Archaeologists have since identified it as comprising three distinct areas, including a large circular feature surrounded by wooden posts and an unusually shaped building. One of these areas contained a single gold coin, while another held nearly two dozen gold coins, both fragmented and complete, alongside a gold pendant and a silver earring. The third area revealed additional gold coin fragments and a small pendant.
In addition to the coin hoard, the site revealed traces of a 6th-century manor house and 17 postholes arranged in alignment with the spring and autumn equinoxes. This suggests that the site may have been used for seasonal rituals related to agricultural cycles, such as sowing and harvesting.
Archaeologists believe the offerings were likely linked to fertility rites. “Gold coins and jewellery were deposited there at regular intervals over about 100 years,” the study notes, further suggesting the possibility of animal sacrifices at the site, based on phosphate analysis.
Although the exact deities worshipped at Hezingen remain unclear, the study indicates that the site was an important cult center during a time of cultural transition. It is believed that the local population gradually converted to Christianity, abandoning their pagan practices, including the ritual of offering “devil’s money” at these cult sites.
The Hezingen site, which seems to have been active until around 700 AD, predates the formal Christianization of the region by at least 50 years. It is thought that the local elite, possibly associated with the site, had already converted to Christianity or distanced themselves from paganism by that time. The study suggests that the site may have been abandoned, or even desecrated, by missionaries who removed valuable artifacts.
While the study’s findings present a compelling narrative of pagan religious practices, researchers caution that “alternative interpretations” of the site and its contents should be considered. Further analysis of the artifacts and the site may provide additional insights into the spiritual and cultural practices of early medieval Europe.
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