Daensen folding chair, Bronze Age archaeological find in Buxtehude, Germany
The Daensen folding chair is a Bronze Age archaeological find consisting of metallic components with bronze knobs and gold decorations, discovered within a stone circle inside a burial mound. The structure featured different parts that could be folded together and provided a portable seating option for traveling elites.
This Bronze Age artifact was discovered in 1899 when workers extracted sand from the Backelsberg mound near Daensen village. It represents one of very few objects of its type known from this period in northern Europe.
The intricate metalwork with gold details shows this seat once belonged to someone of high rank in Bronze Age society. Such valuable materials and craftsmanship were only accessible to the most important people of that time.
The artifact is held at the Archaeological Museum Hamburg, where a reconstruction based on similar Danish findings is on display. A visit lets you see both the original metalwork and a helpful model showing how the seating originally looked and functioned.
This object is the southernmost find among about 18 known chairs of this type from the Nordic Bronze Age, dating to around 1400 BC. Its location far from other known examples makes it a key clue about Bronze Age trade networks and how powerful people moved across Europe.
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