Description

The Illerup Adal is one of the most spectacular finds in Denmark. In this river valley large weapon finds have been made. After successfully defending their valley against an invading force, the inhabitants of the region cast their weapons into the lake as offerings. During two periods of excavations, 1950-1956 and 1975-1985, more than 15,000 weapons and pieces of equipment from the Roman Empire have been found. Vols.9 and 10 contain descriptions and an analysis of about 400 shields from the Illerup Adal. While some of the shields are represented only through their iron, bronze or silver bosses, the greater amount of well-preserved shields from Illerup has been compared to material from other bog finds and European weapon graves. They form the basis for differentiating regional groups in Northern Europe outside the Roman Empire. Furthermore, the volume presents an anatomic analysis of the pieces of timber used for the shields. These finds give us information about the usage of the various types of wood in a given region in the Western part of the Scandinavia. In addition, an analysis of the grainings of oak wood used on five shields has for the first time resulted in an absolute dating.