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The Link Between Volcanic Eruptions and Neolithic Rituals in Denmark

4,900 years ago, inhabitants of the Danish island of Bornholm engaged in a significant ritual involving the sacrifice of numerous stones adorned with solar and agricultural motifs. Recent studies by climate scientists and archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen reveal that this ceremonial practice coincided with a substantial volcanic eruption that obscured the sun across Northern Europe.

Historically, volcanic eruptions have brought dire consequences for human societies, leading to chilling weather, diminished sunlight, and poor harvests. A notable example is from 43 BC, when a volcanic event in Alaska released large sulfur quantities into the stratosphere, resulting in crop failures in Mediterranean regions in subsequent years, which led to widespread famine and disease, as recorded in ancient Greek and Roman texts.

While there are no written records from the Neolithic period, climate scientists at the Niels Bohr Institute have examined ice cores from the Greenland ice sheet and traced a similar volcanic eruption back to around 2,900 BC. This eruption likely had severe repercussions for the farming-dependent communities in Northern Europe during that era.

This new understanding of a significant climatic event has prompted archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen, the National Museum of Denmark, and the Museum of Bornholm to reevaluate their discoveries of “sun stones” from the Neolithic Vasagård site on Bornholm. Their findings, recently published in the journal Antiquity, shed light on the importance of these artifacts.

“Our research indicates that early agricultural societies in Northern Europe relied heavily on the sun for their harvests,” explains Rune Iversen, an archaeologist involved in the excavations. He notes that any prolonged absence of sunlight due to volcanic activity would have been alarming for these communities.

Iversen elaborates on the unique sun stones found at the site—flat shale pieces inscribed with sun motifs, which likely represented fertility and were possibly used in rituals meant to invoke the sun’s return and agricultural prosperity. Many sun stones were discovered in ditches at the Vasagård West site alongside remnants of ritual feasts, such as animal bones and broken pottery, dating back to 2,900 BC. The ditches were later filled in, indicating a significant change in practices.

Based on the evidence, Iversen and his team strongly suspect a direct link between the volcanic eruption and the ritualistic sacrifices of the sun stones.

“It seems plausible that the Neolithic people of Bornholm aimed to avert further climate decline by offering sun stones, or perhaps they were expressing gratitude for the sun’s return,” he suggests.

Significant Cultural Transformations

In addition to dealing with acute climate disruptions around 2,900 BC, Neolithic cultures in Northern Europe also faced widespread health crises. Recent DNA analyses of ancient human remains point to a viral plague that devastated populations during this period.

Amid these challenges, archaeological evidence suggests a transition in long-held cultural traditions. The Funnel Beaker Culture, which had been prominent for about 5,000 years with distinctive pottery and burial practices, began to wane.

“The changes in site structure observed at the Bornholm causewayed enclosure indicate a shift post-sun stone sacrifices, with the introduction of palisades and circular ritual houses,” Iversen observes. While the motivations behind this change are unclear, it is reasonable to speculate that the dramatic climatic variations played a role.

Exhibition of Sun Stones in Copenhagen

Starting January 28, four of the sun stones from Vasagård will be on display at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. These artifacts likely represent one of the earliest known practices associated with a Neolithic sun-cult in South Scandinavia, a tradition that persisted into the Nordic Bronze Age.

“The sun stones are extraordinarily unique, especially within a European context,” states Lasse Vilien Sørensen, a senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark and co-author of the research study. He compares these discoveries to other ancient structures that may have held similar solar significance, like passage graves in southern Scandinavia or monuments like Stonehenge in England.

Understanding the 2,900 BC Eruption

Evidence indicates a significant reduction in solar radiation and subsequent cooling across both Europe and the United States around 2,900 BC. Dendrochronological studies of ancient wood have detected signs of frost during spring and summer in the years leading up to and following this period. Furthermore, ice cores from both the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets show elevated sulfur levels, pointing to a powerful volcanic eruption.

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