Copper @museum.de

Scientists long argued about the origins of the copper discs found on Heligoland. For a long time, archaeologists assumed that the copper had been imported from southern and eastern Europe, and brought to the north during the Neolithic period.

However, these days, the scientists have doubts about that theory, due to finds from the North Sea. The copper discs on show in the museum were recovered by divers from the sea to the south of Heligoland. In fact, Heligoland’s red sandstone is rich in copper ore. These days, it’s almost inaccessible, because it’s below sea level. But many years ago, things were different. Local people were easily able to mine Heligoland’s copper deposits above ground.

To extract the copper, people smelted the ore in round clay furnaces and removed disc after disc of the congealed metal from the surface. We know this because divers have discovered the fragmentary remains of such furnaces. The heyday of Heligoland copper production was probably during the Bronze Age, roughly 4,000 years ago. The industry died out in the Middle Ages, around 800 years ago.

The Heligoland cist grave included funerary goods made from a copper alloy. However, the bronze dagger shown here is a replica. The original grave goods were unfortunately lost during the Second World War.