# Aggersborg > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Aggersborg > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Aggersborg.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggersborg > Source revision: 1356583101 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Largest of Denmark's former Viking ring fortresses}} {{For|Aggersborg in Copenhagen|Aggersborggade}} {{Infobox historic site |name = Aggersborg |image = Aggersborg Viking Castle.jpg |alt = |caption = Aggersborg, the largest Viking ring fortress in Denmark |map_type = Denmark |map_caption = Location of the site in Denmark |coordinates = {{coord|56|59|43.6|N|9|15|17.8|E|display=inline,title}} |location = [North Denmark Region](/source/North_Denmark_Region), [Denmark](/source/Denmark) |type = [Viking ring fortress](/source/Viking_ring_fortress) |area = |built = c. 980 |abandoned = |epochs = [Iron Age](/source/Iron_Age), [Viking Age](/source/Viking_Age) |cultures = |excavations = |archaeologists = |condition = |ownership = |management = |public_access = |embedded={{Designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = WHS | designation1_partof = [Viking-Age Ring Fortresses](/source/Viking_ring_fortress) | designation1_date = [2023](/source/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_by_year_of_inscription) (45th [session](/source/World_Heritage_Committee)) | designation1_criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(iii)(iv)}} | designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1660 1660-001] }} }} '''Aggersborg''' is the largest of [Denmark](/source/Denmark)'s former [Viking ring fortress](/source/Viking_ring_fortress), and one of the largest archaeological sites in Denmark.{{Cite book|last1=Roesdahl|first1=Else|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RhfQoAEACAAJ|title=Aggersborg: The Viking-Age Settlement and Fortress|last2=Sindbæk|first2=Søren M.|last3=Pedersen|first3=Anne|last4=Wilson|first4=David Mackenzie|date=2014|publisher=National Museum of Denmark|isbn=978-87-88415-87-2|language=en}} It is located near [Aggersund](/source/Aggersund) on the north side of the [Limfjord](/source/Limfjord). It consists of a [circular rampart](/source/circular_rampart) surrounded by a [ditch](/source/ditch). Four main [road](/source/road)s arranged in a [cross](/source/cross) connects the fortress center with the rampart's outer ring. The roads were tunneled under the outer rampart, leaving the circular structure intact. Many archaeological excavations have been conducted on the site, revealing its original structure and design. These excavations also uncovered a large number of artefacts from the Iron Age and [Viking Age](/source/Viking_Age). The surface of the site as it exists today is a reconstruction. The location was originally the site of an [Iron Age](/source/Germanic_Iron_Age) village which was removed during the 10th century to allow for the construction of the ring fortress. The fortress itself was likely constructed c. 980, and was later abandoned. Although the exact purpose of the fortress is unknown, the location is of significant strategic importance, as it overlooks a narrow strait of the [Limfjord](/source/Limfjord).{{Cite journal|last1=Brown|first1=Hannah|last2=Goodchild|first2=Helen|last3=Sindbæk|first3=Søren M.|date=2014|title=Making Place for a Viking Fortress. An archaeological and geophysical reassessment of Aggersborg, Denmark|journal=[Internet Archaeology](/source/Internet_Archaeology)|volume=36|issue=36 |doi=10.11141/ia.36.2 |doi-access=free}} In 2023, Aggersborg, along with four other ring fortresses in Denmark, was inscribed on the [UNESCO](/source/UNESCO) [World Heritage List](/source/World_Heritage_List).{{Citation|title=Viking-Age Ring Fortresses|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|via=whc.unesco.org|language=en|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1660/|access-date=24 January 2024}} == History == Dating the structure has proven difficult, because it was the site of an [Iron Age](/source/Germanic_Iron_Age) village before the construction of the ring fortress. Archaeological finds suggest that this village was settled during the late 8th century. It was destroyed during the 10th century, and the grounds were cleared for the construction of the fortress. The ring fortress itself is believed to have been constructed around 980 during the reign of king [Harold Bluetooth](/source/Harold_Bluetooth) and/or [Sweyn Forkbeard](/source/Sweyn_Forkbeard). Five of the six ring fortresses in historical Denmark have been dated to this era. The exact purpose of the fortress remains uncertain. Some historians have argued that the fortress' primary function was as a [barracks](/source/barracks) or training grounds in connection with [Sweyn Forkbeard's](/source/Sweyn_Forkbeard) armies, which conquered [England](/source/England) in the early 1000s. This theory has been disproven by [dendrochronological](/source/Dendrochronology) dating of the site. It is more likely that Aggersborg and the other Viking ring fortresses were intended as defensive strongholds along strategic trade points and/or administrative outposts of the budding state. Aggersborg location was of strategic importance, as it was protected but also easily accessible by ship. Both ends of the [Limfjord](/source/Limfjord) were open waterways when the fortress was constructed and the fjord constituted an important sailing route from the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea) to the [Kattegat](/source/Kattegat). Although the waterway was open, it is speculated that ships had to [portage](/source/portage) on land past [Løgstørgrunde](/source/L%C3%B8gst%C3%B8rgrunde). The portion of the fjord that Aggersborg is located is relatively narrow and was one of the three ancient crossings of the ''[Hærvejen](/source/H%C3%A6rvejen)'' (''army road'') across the Limfjord. The two other crossings existed to the north of [Farstrup](/source/Farstrup), and near [Lindholm Høje](/source/Lindholm_H%C3%B8je) in [Ålborg](/source/%C3%85lborg), respectively. The structure of the ring fortress was completed within one or two years, and only used for a short period of time; between five and twenty years. The ring fortress had an inner diameter of {{cvt|240|m|ft}}. The ditch was located {{cvt|8|m|ft}} outside of the rampart, and was approximately {{cvt|1.3|m|ft}} deep. The wall is believed to have been {{cvt|4|m|ft}} tall. The rampart was constructed of soil and turf, reinforced and clad with oak wood. The rampart formed the basis for a wooden [parapet](/source/parapet). Smaller streets were located within the four main sections of the fortress. In the 21st century the fortress is approximately {{cvt|10|m|ft}} above sea-level, and {{cvt|350|m|ft}} from the coastline. It is believed the coastline and sea-level at the site had changed over time, as the strait was once much wider, reaching closer to the fortress itself.{{Cite journal|last1=Jessen|first1=Catherine|last2=Christensen|first2=Charlie|last3=Nielsen|first3=Bjarne H.|date=8 October 2018|title=Postglacial relative sea-level rise in the Limfjord region, northern Jutland, Denmark|journal=[Boreas](/source/Boreas_(journal))|volume=48|pages=119–130|doi=10.1111/bor.12350 |s2cid=135252319 }}{{Cite journal|last1=Kristiansen|first1=Søren M.|last2=Ljungberg|first2=Thomas E.|last3=Trier Christiansen|first3=Torben|last4=Dalsgaard|first4=Kristian|last5=Haue|first5=Niels|last6=Greve|first6=Mogens H.|last7=Henning Nielsen|first7=Bjarne|date=8 November 2020|title=Meadow, marsh and lagoon: Late Holocene coastal changes and human–environment interactions in northern Denmark|journal=[Boreas](/source/Boreas_(journal))|volume=50|issue=1|pages=280–287|doi=10.1111/bor.12487|s2cid=228833488 }} The modern Aggersborg is a reconstruction created in the 1990s. It is lower than the original fortress.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} == Archaeological remains == Several archaeological excavations have been carried out at the site since the 20th century. The [National Museum of Denmark](/source/National_Museum_of_Denmark) conducted significant excavations of the site between 1945 and 1954. In 1970 and again in 1990, additional trenches were studied. Together, these excavations recovered more than 30,000 artefacts and many animal remains. They covered approximately {{cvt|13000|m2|ft2}} of the site's total area and recorded some 19,500 individual features. The large number of archaeological finds discovered on the site include many imported luxury items. Examples include beads of mountain crystal and pieces of glass jars. A damaged golden ring has been discovered on the site as well; a replica is displayed in the Aggersborg museum.[[Image:Fyrkat hus stor.jpg|thumb|Reconstruction of a Viking house at the ring fortress of [Fyrkat](/source/Fyrkat).]] Excavations have also uncovered artefacts from the Iron Age village which predated the ring fortress at the site. These artefacts include a variety of common household objects: pottery, iron tools and weapons, jewellery, and coins. Very few traces of specialised craft were uncovered, e.g. evidence of [metalworking](/source/metalworking) or refuse from bone-working. These artefacts also included a number of objects of import, primarily from Norway, but also western Europe and the [British Isles](/source/British_Isles). Based on these objects, the village was likely settled in the late 8th century and demolished during the 10th century. After the fortress which replaced it was abandoned, the village was not resettled, though artefacts from the period which immediately followed have been found in areas near the site. The site's ring fortress structure is typified by its earthen [rampart](/source/Rampart_(fortification)) and its carefully aligned circular design, comprising wooded structures and buildings which are arranged into courtyards. Archaeologists have estimated that the ring fortress could hold a 5,000-man [garrison](/source/garrison), located in 48 [longhouse](/source/longhouse)s. Twelve longhouses were located in each quadrant, all located on a north–south or west–east axis. No remains of the actual houses exist, but proof of the location of the walls has been found. The individual houses are believed to have been similar to the form seen on the [Camnin chest](/source/Camnin_chest), a house-shaped [reliquary](/source/reliquary), as well as on house-shaped [tombstone](/source/tombstone)s in [England](/source/England). The houses had curved roofs and curved sides, similar to the form of a ship; {{cvt|32.5|m|ft}} long and {{cvt|8.5|m|ft}} across. They were divided in a long inner hall, around {{cvt|19|m|ft}} long, with smaller rooms at the end. It is estimated that construction of a single Aggersborg house required 66 large oak trees. The entire structure, housing included, is estimated to have used 5,000 large oaks. == Gallery == File:Aggersborg guldarmring stor.jpg|alt=|Golden armband found near Aggersborg. File:Aggersborg stor.jpg|alt=|Panorama of the existing site. File:Shield of Løgstør Municipality.png|alt=|[Løgstør Municipality](/source/L%C3%B8gst%C3%B8r_Municipality) used a shield that featured an illustration of Aggersbord. == References == *{{Cite web|date=23 February 2006|title=Aggersborg vikingeborg og -boplads|url=http://www.skovognatur.dk/Ud/Oplev/Fortidsminder/Aggersborg.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026182034/http://www.skovognatur.dk/Ud/Oplev/Fortidsminder/Aggersborg.htm|archive-date=26 October 2007|website=[Danish Nature Agency](/source/Danish_Nature_Agency)|language=da}} *{{Cite web|last=Malchau|first=Ole|date=30 September 2001|title=Ringeborge|url=http://home.worldonline.dk/omalchau/borge.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060303105636/http://home.worldonline.dk/omalchau/borge.htm|archive-date=3 March 2006|website=Ole Malchau|language=da}} *{{Cite web|title=Vikingetiden|url=http://www.bremdal.com/lokal/frame2-5-2.html|website= Bremdal lokalhistorie|language=da}} *{{Cite book|last=Elberling|first=E.|url=https://runeberg.org/nfba/0199.html|title=Nordisk Familjebog: Konversationslexikon och Realencyklopedi|publisher=Iduns Kunglig Hofboktryckeri|year=1904|volume=I:A–Armati|location=Stockholm|pages=342|language=sv|chapter=Agersborg|via=[Project Runeberg](/source/Project_Runeberg)}} '''Inline citations''' {{Reflist}} {{Navboxes |list = {{Viking ring fortresses}} {{Denmark topics}} }} {{Authority control}} Category:Viking ring fortresses Category:Forts in Denmark Category:Buildings and structures in Vesthimmerland Municipality Category:Archaeological sites in Denmark --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Aggersborg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggersborg) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggersborg?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.