It could be the script for an episode of Indiana Jones. For nearly five hundred years, archaeologists have searched for the Viking city of Jomsborg. This locality, evoked in the mythical Icelandic saga extolling the exploits of the Nordic peoples, Nazi researchers tracked it down for years in Wolin, on the shores of the Baltic, a city where the dreaded King Harald Gormsson (910-985) died. , nicknamed “Harald with the blue tooth”. In vain. Wojciech Filipowiak, a 37-year-old Polish archaeologist, seems to have finally found it not far from this seaside resort. He explains it to the Point.
Le Point: You have been searching since 2021 the small island of Wolin in northern Poland, what have you found there?
The mound in question has housed a cemetery since the 8th century. In the Middle Ages, it was here that public executions were carried out until the 17th century.
Because this ancient rampart attests to the presence on the spot of a fortified city, equipped with a trading post, as shown by the presence of a wooden pier testifying to the presence of a port on the spot. My conclusions are not based on these scattered elements alone. The town of Wolin and its surroundings have been excavated by archaeologists since 1828. I myself have been excavating there for eleven years and major excavations have been conducted by the Polish Institute of Archeology and Ethnology in the 1950s, in particular by my grandfather who was himself an archaeologist. It is on the whole of the documentation accumulated by the scientific community, thanks to these various excavations, that I base myself to affirm that there is a chance that Jomsborg was not founded at Wolin like the historians believed it until then, but only next door. I published my conclusions at a symposium at the end of last year. My counterparts seem to take my job seriously.
The suffix “borg” designates fortified cities in all Scandinavian countries. The term “jom” could refer to the hill, or rather the two hills, of the place.
Because it’s a strong image. The Vikings established the city of Jorvik in Britain in the 9th century, which is now known as York. Jomsborg was an important advanced stronghold of this Norse people in continental Europe in the 10th century. This trading post, established by the Scandinavians, was a place of exchange for furs, meat, salt, amber, but also slaves captured inland. The population of Jomsborg was large for the time as the locality had around 6,000 inhabitants. It was also cosmopolitan: apart from the Vikings, the Slavs, there were also Russians and Saxons living there.
The Germans excavated the area in the 1930s. They were looking for traces that could support the Nazi ideology which claimed that the origin of the Aryan people was Scandinavian. But their expectations seem to have been disappointed… Why?
The German excavations concentrated on the town center of Wolin and another hill on the island. Gold Wolin was founded by Slavs in the 8th century, two centuries before the establishment of Jomsborg. The artifacts found by the Germans did not meet their expectations. Viking pottery is less refined than Slavic ceramics at this time.
It is mentioned in the legendary Icelandic saga which built the legend of the Jomsviking tribe in the 12th century. Many texts refer to it under various names. Including in Arabic language! The prestige of this fortress spilled over to the nearby town of Wolin, which later became known as Jumneta or Vineta and was sometimes referred to as the amazing Atlantis of the Baltic…
For what ? Because this town mysteriously disappeared from the maps?
The city never disappeared. The modern Wolin was built on the old Vineta. But its decline was rapid. Especially after raids by Viking leaders Valdemar (1131-1182) and Absalon (1128-1201). Only the fortress of Jomsborg has disappeared, which protected it like Hochburh defended Hedeby in Denmark or Borgen protected Birka in Sweden.
Last summer, a Polish-American author, Marek Kryda, explained that he had identified from satellite images the location of the tomb of the Viking leader Harald with the blue tooth. According to him, this burial would be located in the village of Wiejkowo, not far from Wolin. What do you think ?
No graves have been found at this stage. We are faced with a simple hypothesis. Nothing more. The sources tell us that Harald died on the spot. But the chronicle explains that his body was repatriated to Denmark. Until proven otherwise, this is the only thing we know.
Was Jomsborg Harald’s capital?
No. And for a simple reason, we cannot prove that it was he who founded it. And it is pointless to speak of a capital for a people who did not really have a central city.
Your discovery is generating enormous interest all over the world. What do you think explains the excitement around your work?
The Viking world has fascinated crowds for a long time. This nation of conquerors tickles the imagination. Many works, books, films and series have revived the myth in recent years… I hope this enthusiasm will not weaken. We have big ambitions for Wolin. We would like to launch a new excavation campaign next year. We would like to be able to explore the city center and continue the excavations on the site of “the hill of the hanged.” We plan to do this with the Institute of Polish Archeology and Ethnology where I work, under the aegis of the Academy of Sciences. Our project is supported by Karolina Kokora, director of the Wolin Regional Museum, but also by the town mayor, Ewa Grzybowska. I would like to add that we are very grateful that the Danish Ambassador to Poland, Ole Toft, supports our project. We also welcome the support of the Danish University Aarhus and especially Professor Søren Sindbaek.
Effectively. We would like to be able to register Wolin on the list of UNESCO heritage sites. In addition, Karolina Kokora, director of the Viking Museum, who works actively alongside us, wishes to be able to expand her spaces in order to exhibit our discoveries. This news will give a special luster to the 2023 edition of the Viking Festival to be held this summer.