In the wilds of Jutland the locals in the town of Viborg, in between the bare Oaks and the Castle bank, the icy wind blows – and there behold, a host of molehills hove in to view!
Kicking one of the fresh mounds of earth, medieval archaeologist and curator Jesper Hjermind notices a new development: “Now, there are lots of bricks,” he says, pointing to a collection of red-orange stone pieces. “And there is a potshard…..it seems to be the bottom of a pot.”
We are at one of Scandinavia’s historical hotspots, by Hald Lake south of Viborg, where the great and the good have left their mark in the shape of three burial mounds and two Manors. It is here on this particular mound, which rises 7-8 meters above the damp ground, archaeologists and moles have joined forces.
The goal has for a long time been to discover what lies beneath the surface, where for centuries it has been assumed that the great landowner Niels Bugge built his stone castle to withstand attack from King Valdemar IV in the late 1300s. In recent years, Viborg Museum tested a number of new techniques that could provide this information without chewing it through with an excavator, spade or trowel. And this is where the humble Mole, which already inhabits the castle bank, now plays a central role.
Officially they’re pests. We trap them and poison them. So when Viborg Museum sought permission last year to go ahead with their Mole project, there was a lot of laughter in the Culture Agency last year, but permission was granted. Since then the method, which has been named Moleology, has been presented at the International Joint Conference of European Castles.
“It’s simply a good method to screen a large area that is protected and where it is very difficult to get permission to do archaeological excavations,” says Jesper Hjermind and that the method was welcomed by the foreign counterparts apart from the Irish archaeologists – probably too many moles over there. The results speak for themselves, where they have found clothing buttons and Stone Age arrow heads.
“There is Mr. And Mrs. Mole downstairs and enjoying themselves”.
Mr Mole the Archaeologist.
Want to hear about another story of a great unexpected treasure? Read on!
Photo: Wikipedia
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