Does this mound look like a snail to you? This is Sneglehøj. It is a burial mound from ancient times. Sneglehøj means snail hill in Danish. This name comes from the winding path leading to its summit.
Sneglehøj is likely a burial mound from the Bronze Age. Recent excavations near the site have created some uncertainty. These excavations question the dating and contents of the mound.
The hill got its name from the snail-like path. This path leads to the top of Sneglehøj.
Sneglehøj was protected in 1938. At that time, it measured 25 meters in diameter. Its maximum height was five meters.
In 1899, the National Museum described Sneglehøj. It was about 25 meters across and five meters high. Part of it was damaged by digging. A wide path encircled the middle of the hill. The top remained untouched. Larger trees partially covered it.
In 1938, T. Mathiassen wrote about Sneglehøj. It measured 25 by 5 meters. The sides were steeply dug out. This was especially true on the north side. There was a small new hole on the west side. Tall trees grew there. It was protected within a 10-meter radius.
The expansion of Motorring 3 impacted the area around Sneglehøj. It became a temporary material storage site. Before this, an archaeological excavation took place. It was north of Sneglehøj.
These excavations have been very important. Besides the visible burial mound, archaeologists made a discovery. They found a long dolmen from the Funnelbeaker culture. This culture existed during the Late Stone Age. It spanned from Central Sweden to the Lower Rhine. It also stretched east to Ukraine. During this time, the culture shifted. It changed from a hunter-gatherer society to an agricultural one.
Additionally, at Sneglehøj they found at least 15 houses. These dated from the Early Iron Age to the 8th century. This may be the first Viking Age find in Gladsaxe Municipality. Furthermore, about 50 cooking stone clusters were found. These showed traces of Iron Age iron extraction.
The discovery of the long dolmen raised questions. Was the original dating of Sneglehøj correct? A georadar survey of Sneglehøj was conducted. This was to check if the mound hid a passage tomb. These tombs have a chamber with a long passage to the outside. Large stones line the outside. Finding a passage tomb would shift the mound’s dating to the Stone Age.
Passage tombs were built during the Stone Age. They belong to the Funnelbeaker culture. They replaced dolmens around 3200 BC. These tombs were built quickly. This was within a couple of hundred years. It relates to the introduction of agriculture around 4000 BC. Today, about 500 passage tombs remain in Denmark. Most are partially damaged. In the 17th and 18th centuries, they were used as quarries.
The survey did not reveal a passage tomb. We must await an excavation of the mound itself. This may never happen.
Later, Kroppedal wrote about the survey at Sneglehøj.
Anne Birgitte Hansen from Kroppedal Museum wrote an article. It was for Gladsaxe Local History Association’s Yearbook 2008.
The Historical-Topographical Society in Gladsaxe has mentioned Sneglehøj. They wrote about it in their yearbooks.
Today, Sneglehøj stands as a testament to time. It shows the beliefs of those who came before us. Take a moment to reflect. Consider the secrets it still holds.