The Man Buried at Mammen: Wealth Without a Name

Archaeological interpretation: a rich grave whose goods can be read in more than one way, and whose owner is unnamed.

In 1868 a farmer began digging into a mound called Bjerringhøj at Mammen, near Viborg in Jutland, and opened a burial chamber. A man had been laid in a wooden chamber, in a coffin resting on a bed of down cushions. He wore costly clothing trimmed with silk and embroidery, and an embroidered cushion lay under him. Two axes lay at his feet, and on the coffin lid stood buckets and a large wax candle. One axe is inlaid with silver, and its carved decoration gave its name to the Mammen style of Viking art. Nothing in the grave says who he was or what he believed.

What is recorded: where the grave lies, when it was closed, what was in it, and that the axe gave the Mammen style its name. The museum says the quality of the goods suggests someone in the circle around King Harald Bluetooth, which is a likelihood, not an identification.

What is not recorded: his name, his office, or his faith. The museum says it is not known whether he was Christian or pagan, and calls the large candle a probable Christian symbol. The decoration on the axe has been read both ways, and no source here settles it. A rich man’s funeral tells us how a household wished to show his standing, not what he held sacred.