Volcanic eruptions have historically caused problems like cold weather, less sunlight, and poor crop yields. For example, in 43 BC, a volcano in Alaska erupted, causing harvest failures and famine in Mediterranean countries. Ancient Greece and Rome documented these events.
Although we lack written records from the Neolithic era, scientists from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen have studied ice cores from Greenland and found evidence of a similar eruption around 2,900 BC. This eruption likely severely impacted Neolithic people in Northern Europe, who relied heavily on agriculture.
This discovery about a volcanic eruption in the Neolithic period has prompted archaeologists to reevaluate “Sun stones” found at the Vasagård site on Bornholm.
For early agricultural cultures in Northern Europe, the sun was central to their existence. They relied on it for farming and ensuring successful harvests. If the sun were obscured by mist in the stratosphere for extended periods, it would have been terrifying. This kind of event could lead to crop failures, food shortages, and widespread fear about survival.
The sun stones from Bornholm are indeed unique and hold deep symbolic meaning. These flat shale pieces, engraved with sun motifs, represented fertility and were likely used in rituals to ensure the sun’s presence and agricultural growth.
Finding them in large quantities at the Vasagård West site and ritual feast remains like animal bones, broken clay vessels, and flint objects suggests that these were significant communal events around 2,900 BC. The fact that these items were deposited in ditches and then closed off indicates a ritualistic closure, marking the end of a ceremonial act.
Rune Iversen and his colleagues believe that there is a very high probability of a connection between the volcanic eruption, the subsequent climate changes, and the discovery of the ritual sun stone sacrifices.
“It is reasonable to believe that the Neolithic people on Bornholm wanted to protect themselves from further deterioration of the climate by sacrificing sun stones – or perhaps they wanted to show their gratitude that the sun had returned.”
New DNA studies reveal that the Neolithic people faced incredibly challenging times around 2,900 BC. Not only were they grappling with severe climate changes, but they were also hit by widespread and deadly plague.
During this period of turmoil, there is evidence that their long-standing traditions began to change. The Funnel Beaker Culture, known for its unique ceramics and passage graves, which had dominated for about 5,000 years, started to fade away.
Archaeologist Rune Iversen from the University of Copenhagen said, “At the causewayed enclosure we have excavated on Bornholm, we can also see that, after the sacrifice of the sun stones, the residents changed the structure of the site so that instead of sacrificial ditches it was provided with extensive rows of palisades and circular cult houses.”
“We do not know why, but it is reasonable to believe that the dramatic climatic changes they had been exposed to would have played a role in some way.”
It’s exciting to hear that four of the sunstones from Vasagård on Bornholm will be on display starting 28 January at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. These unique artifacts likely represent some of the earliest sun-worship practices in South Scandinavia, similar to sun-related objects from the Nordic Bronze Age, like the sun chariot.
Lasse Vilien Sørensen, a senior museum researcher and co-author of the research paper, emphasizes the uniqueness of these sun stones in a European context. He compares them to Neolithic passage graves in southern Scandinavia and henge structures like Stonehenge in England, which some researchers believe are related to sun worship.
Sørensen believes the sun stones unequivocally demonstrate ancient sun-worship practices. He notes that similar depositions honoring the sun occurred again in South Scandinavia during the volcanic eruption-induced climate disaster of 536 AD, where large gold hoards were sacrificed.
Researchers have found evidence of reduced solar radiation and cooling around 2,900 BC in the United States and Europe. This is supported by dendrochronological analyses of fossil wood, which show frost during the spring and summer months of that period. Additionally, ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica contain sulfur, indicating a powerful volcanic eruption.
Journal Reference:
- Rune Iversen, Poul Otto Nielsen, Lasse Vilien Sørensen et al. Suns stones and the darkened sun: Neolithic miniature art from the island of Bornholm, Denmark. Antiquity. DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2024.217
Source: Tech Explorist
