Archaeologists working in eastern Sweden have uncovered a pair of remarkably well-preserved Bronze Age neck rings that are shedding new light on the lives, beliefs and social customs of people who lived there more than 2,500 years ago.
The rare jewelry pieces, known as wendel rings, were discovered during an archaeological excavation in Marby, east of Norrköping, ahead of a planned housing development. What appeared to be an ordinary wooded hillside turned out to conceal an important Late Bronze Age landscape featuring graves, settlement remains and rock carvings.
The two bronze ornaments were found carefully wedged between stones near the edge of a grave monument that also contained cremated human remains. According to archaeologists, finding wendel rings is uncommon, but finding two together inside a burial monument is extraordinarily rare.
“Finding them in a setting like this is highly unusual, perhaps unique,” said archaeologist Alf Ericsson of the Swedish National Historical Museums.
Wendel rings are artfully crafted neck ornaments dating to the final phase of the Nordic Bronze Age, roughly 1100 BC to 500 BC. Cast from bronze — an alloy primarily composed of 88% copper and 12% tin — the rings are distinguished by their striking twisted design. The metal alternates between right-handed and left-handed spirals, creating an elegant corkscrew-like appearance that would have made a dramatic visual statement when worn around the neck.
Researchers believe the jewelry was most often worn by women and served as powerful symbols of wealth, prestige and social standing. In an era when bronze was a valuable material requiring specialized craftsmanship, ownership of such ornaments likely signaled elevated status within the community.
The newly discovered pair includes one larger, thinner ring and a second, smaller ring with a heavier profile. Their excellent state of preservation has delighted researchers.
“We never expected to find anything like this. We still haven’t fully taken it in,” Ericsson said.
What makes the discovery especially intriguing is its apparent ritual significance. Wendel rings are more commonly found in bogs, marshes and other wetland settings, where Bronze Age people often deposited valuable objects as offerings. Their placement within a grave monument suggests they may have been intentionally dedicated as part of a funerary ceremony honoring the deceased.
Archaeologists also noted that one of the rings was discovered broken in half. Because deliberate breakage of valuable objects was sometimes part of Bronze Age ritual practices, researchers are exploring whether the damage may have occurred as part of a ceremonial offering.
Further analysis of the cremated remains may reveal more about the individuals buried at the site and the role these treasured ornaments played in their final farewell.
Credits: Images courtesy of Arkeologerna, SHM.