for these (cf. Arrhenius 1994 : 211 ff.). There are also a couple of close parallels in Tissø.
Apparently it is a representation of Óðinn.
A small gilded silver head has its best parallels on the famous caskets from Kammin
and Bamberg, as well as on the belt mountings from the tomb under the church of
Jelling. It is of course not possible to tell whether this highly prestigious object was
made in Uppåkra, came there as scrap silver or shows the presence of some person
connected to the Jelling court. It indicates, however, direct or indirect connections to
the uppermost social levels in tenth-century Denmark.
As regards the variety, number and quality of finds, Uppåkra is fully comparable
to the largest Viking Age central and trading places such as Birka, Hedeby and Tissø.
A severe obstacle for the interpretation is, as mentioned, the damaged cultural layers,
which means that traces of constructions are almost completely missing in Uppåkra.
A central question is of course the character of settlement. The inland location, 7 km
from the coast, indicates that the place was hardly a site with shipping trade as the main
activity. In contrast to several of the Viking Age central and trading places, Uppåkra
is not the result of a royal foundation in the early Viking Age. At the beginning of
the Viking Age Uppåkra had already existed for at least 800 years and kept a position
as an exceptional site, a mighty centre for centuries. Thus it is obvious that Uppåkra is
Figure 8. 9. 1 Imaginative animal in solid silver with necklace of gold ( 44 mm in length) found
at Uppåkra. Parallels to the animal can be found in the Book of Kells. It was probably manufactured
in western Europe c. 800. (Photo: Bengt Almgren. Copyright © The Historical Museum, University
of Lund.)
–– chapter 8 ( 9 ): Viking Age Uppåkra and Lund––