Room of the Sacrifices
3500 BCE – 1600 CE
What sacrifice are you prepared to make?
Some people donate money to charity, others no longer go on holidays by plane to spare the environment, and still others work as volunteers for the homeless. Most people are willing to do something for a better world, or to give away what they can spare.
-
Room of the Sacrifices
What sacrifice are you prepared to make?
Some people donate money to charity, others no longer go on holidays by plane to spare the environment, and still others work as volunteers for the homeless. Most people are willing to do something for a better world, or to give away what they can spare.
For thousands of years, people have worked towards a better world by making sacrifices. Beautiful jewellery, brand new tools and the most exotic weapons were ritually entrusted to the peatland. Things they could not really afford to do without. Remarkably enough, in hard times, people only seem to be prepared to make greater sacrifices. Anything to make the world a better place, even the ultimate sacrifice: a fellow human being.
Most people are prepared to do their bit for a better world. But is it enough? Or is it time for greater sacrifices? What are you prepared to sacrifice?
Sets
Audio transcriptions
-
Tactile object – Naue II sword
This is a tactile object. You may touch it.
This is a replica of a so-called Naue II sword. This type of sword was used throughout Europe in the Bronze Age, and the weapon of the Bronze Age warrior. Feel it, but be careful: swords are sharp! It's a sturdy weapon, well-suited for heavy use on the battlefield.
The sword is 67 centimetres long and has a 6 centimetre-wide blade. It's made of bronze and has grooves along its entire length that converge into a sharp point. The blade has a Y-shaped dark wooden handle or hilt that ends in a ball known as a pommel for balance and a firm grip. Its parts are made of elm wood and attached to the blade with nails. The nails are made of bronze with a lower tin content, hence their slightly redder colour.
The original sword on which this ‘touch-and-feel’ replica is based, is on display elsewhere in this room. It dates back to 1100 BCE, was found in the village of Drouwen and has a copper-green colour. The ball of the handle is broken off and the blade is in the display case in three pieces. The sharp point is missing.
-
Core object – Cartwheels
This is a core object. You can listen to information here. Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to touch this object.
For thousands of years, people made offerings of objects in graves in the peat bogs. Perhaps the greatest such sacrifice is a set of cartwheels from around 2900 BCE. The beautiful cartwheels were carved from solid pieces of oak and then ended up in the peat as an offering.
The wheels are different sizes. They are made up of several planks, as is clear from the worn grooves between them. One wheel is slightly more damaged than the other, but otherwise they do not seem to differ much from each other. But nothing could be further from the truth…The right wheel is approximately five thousand years old. It’s 72 by 96 centimetres and is made from oak. It was found in Ubbena in Drenthe. Solid oak was used for cartwheels because it’s very strong and can withstand a lot of wear and tear.
The left wheel has a diameter of 55 centimetres. It is just as old and was also found in Drenthe, but in the village of Midlaren. Remarkably, this wheel is made from ash, a kind of wood that is unsuitable for making wheels. So why would an ash cartwheel be buried in a grave?
Perhaps the people couldn’t really do without their oak cartwheels, so why not make some smaller ash ones to offer up to the gods? These would not be suitable for use on their carts, but perfect as a symbolic offering. People frequently did this. The gods would surely understand.