A recent stay in Copenhagen provided the opportunity to visit the National Museum in that “Wonderful” city. I had not done any research beforehand so i was not really expecting much – i only knew that there was a Viking section, and some Bog bodies, which might be of interest. But how wrong i was, and in the end just the prehistory section alone was quite staggering. World famous archaeological artifacts that i had only ever seen in books were on display in room after room. I was literally like a kid in a sweetshop peering into cabinets of amazing archaeological treasures.
Every room had stand out pieces, but among the highlights was the Bronze Age Sun Chariot from Trundholm and the magnificent Gundestrup Cauldron (above). The Egtved girl burial and Runic Memorial stones were other highlights, along with displays of Amber necklaces, and a huge number of gold items. Rows of Bronze Age swords, axes, and shields echoed items depicted in Scandinavian rock art, and beliefs connected with the sun. Surrounded by such significant items it was difficult to move on to the next room, but you just knew that further treasures awaited. The whole prehistory section is an absolute treat for anyone with a deep interest in the ancient past, and really highlights Denmark’s archaeological wealth.
Someone later told us that you could easily spend two days in the museum and not see everything. On our visit we saw room after room filled with finds from the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age, and then 3 hours later we had run out of time because the museum was closing, we never even got to the Viking section.
I have been to several major museums over the years, but Copenhagen tops them all so far, where the sheer mass of objects provides such depth and detail into the lives of our ancestors. This contrasts with my very disappointing visits to the British Museum who seem to have a minimalist approach to displaying Britain’s past, and when i asked where everything was i was told it was all in storage (why?). Edinburgh and Dublin museums were better, but for me Copenhagen leads the way. Seeing things in books is one thing, but standing in front of a huge number of spectacular ancient objects is a real privilege.
