Daensen

Who would have guessed a simple sand extraction could unearth such a treasure? Here in Daensen, a suburb of Buxtehude, the discovery of the Daensen folding chair reveals a glimpse into the lives of Bronze Age elites. The chair itself, or rather its ornate bronze and gold fittings, was found in a tumulus, a type of burial mound, in 1899. Imagine, during a routine sand extraction, workers stumbled upon not one, but two stone settings within the mound. Inside the second setting lay the remnants of this remarkable chair. These weren’t just any chair parts. They were richly decorated with gold and bronze, hinting at the high status of the person buried there. The Daensen folding chair is a testament to the craftsmanship of the Nordic Bronze Age. It’s the most lavishly adorned folding chair found from that era. Its intricate details, like the ribbed end caps with concentric circles and the gold-plated studs, show a level of artistry that’s truly impressive. Think about it: a folding chair. In the Bronze Age! This wasn’t a common item. Its presence in the burial mound suggests that the deceased was a person of importance, perhaps a chieftain or religious leader. The discovery also included fragments of leather and wood, providing clues to the chair’s original construction. Sadly, the initial excavation wasn’t documented well. This makes it difficult to fully understand the context of the find. A ribbed bronze arm ring, possibly from a woman’s burial, was also found. This raises questions about whether the mound held a double burial or if a separate female burial was added later. The Daensen folding chair now resides in the Archaeological Museum Hamburg in Harburg. There, a reconstruction allows us to visualize what this magnificent chair might have looked like in its prime.