Jomsborg or Jómsborg ( German : Jomsburg ) was a semi-legendary Viking stronghold at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea (medieval Wendland , modern Pomerania ), that existed between the 960s and 1043. Its inhabitants were known as Jomsvikings . Jomsborg's exact location, or its existence, has not yet been established, though it is often maintained that Jomsborg was located on the eastern outlet of the Oder river. Historian Lauritz Weibull dismissed Jomsborg as a legend.
19-401: The only source that mentions a precise location of Jomsborg ( 53°51′50″N 14°43′05″E / 53.86389°N 14.71806°E / 53.86389; 14.71806 ) is the controversial Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum that was discovered in the autumn of 2019. Jomsborg is often thought to be identical with the present-day town of Wolin (also Wollin) on the southeastern tip of
38-564: A Bachelors of Science (BSc) degree in Ancient Archaeology (1971) and Medieval Archaeology (1972). He earned his PhD in Medieval Archaeology in 1974. After completing his graduation he worked as archaeologist and from 1977 as director of The City Museum at Malmö Castle . In August 1990, along with two colleagues, he founded the publishing house Historiska Media and started to publish a monthly history magazine Populär Historia . He
57-586: A limited lifespan, or even stored in digital formats, then lost track over time. Some companies and government entities are attempting to increase the number of documents that will survive the passage of time, by taking into account the preservation issues, and either printing documents in a manner that would increase the likelihood of them surviving indefinitely, or placing selected documents in time capsules or other special storage environments. Sven Rosborn Sven Gunnar Rosborn (born 1949 in Malmö , Sweden )
76-420: A location near Paprotno, Poland, at 53°51′50″N 14°43′05″E / 53.86389°N 14.71806°E / 53.86389; 14.71806 . Rosborn has visited the location and confirms that it matches the descriptions of Jomsborg from the various sagas and chronicles, and that various artifacts found on the surface of the location seem to match the period of time in which Jomsborg existed. However, both
95-407: A person, place, or event and can thus serve as primary sources as important ingredients of the historical methodology . Significant historical documents can be deeds , laws, accounts of battles (often given by the victors or persons sharing their viewpoint), or the exploits of the powerful. Though these documents are of historical interest, they do not detail the daily lives of ordinary people, or
114-571: Is a Swedish archaeologist, historian and writer best known for his contributions to the archaeology of the Viking Age in the province of Scania and for his leadership of archaeology and history research and education foundations. He has received media attention for his claims related to the Curmsun Disc , which he maintains is a memorial plaque of the great Viking king Harald Bluetooth . Sven Rosborn graduated from Lund University in 1972 and has
133-436: Is a co-founder of Foteviken Museum (1995) at which he worked until 2012 as Information and Research Director. Sven Rosborn is an author of numerous books, articles and papers about the Viking Age and the medieval history of Scania . He is also known for taking initiative to several projects devoted to historical heritage of Scandinavia. He is a member of the board of Skånska Akedemin, an academy promoting cultural legacy of
152-473: Is described as a fortress with a harbour. The harbour was overseen by a stone tower mounted with catapults, built on an arch spanning over the harbour entrance which could be closed by an iron gate. According to the oldest records, the harbour had space for three ships; later records give a capacity of up to 360 ships. According to the Heimskringla , Jomsborg was destroyed in 1043 by Dano-Norwegian king Magnus
171-405: The Curmsun Disc , is made of high gold content and has a weight of 25,23 gram. On the obverse there is a Latin inscription and on the reverse there is a Latin cross with four dots surrounded by an octagonal ridge. The inscription reads: "+ARALD CVRMSVN+REX AD TANER+SCON+JVMN+CIV ALDIN+" and translates as "Harald Gormsson king of Danes , Scania , Jomsborg, diocese of Aldinburg". It is claimed that
190-633: The isle of Wolin in northwestern Poland , probably located at Srebrna Góra hill north of the town. In the Early Middle Ages , modern Wolin was the site of a multi-ethnic emporium (then known as Jumne or Julin ). The Nordic sagas use "Jómsborg" exclusively, while medieval German histories use "Jumne" or "Julin", with the alternate names, some of which may be spelling variants, "vimne", "uimne", "Jumneta", "Juminem", "Julinum", "uineta", " Vineta " and "Vinneta". In 1931/32, Pomeranian historian Adolf Hofmeister (1883-1956) suggested, through comparison of
209-654: The Good . The fortress was burned down, and many of the inhabitants were killed. The Jomsborg Vikings ( Jomsvikings ) were composed of selected warriors who adhered to a special codex and were loyal only to their leader. Most records list as jarl of Jomsborg, Sigvald(i) , son of petty king Strut-Harald of then Danish Scania . Sigvald died some time before 1010. A golden disc bearing the name of Harald Bluetooth and Jomsborg appeared in Sweden in autumn 2014, first presented by Swedish archaeologist Sven Rosborn . The disc, also called
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#1732852524824228-569: The Polish king Bolesław the Brave . Ruins discovered in Wolin in 2023 are being investigated as a possible site of Jomsborg. Other theories see Jomsborg in the northwest of nearby Usedom island, on lands now submerged. The small islands in this area are remnants of a long stretch of land between Usedom and Rügen , which fell victim to storm floods in the early 14th century. Suspected locations in this area are
247-686: The Veritas grounds between the petty islands of Ruden and Greifswalder Oie , and the Peenemünde shoals. While Viking Age jewelry has been found at the site, archaeological evaluation of these theories has not yet been possible. According to the Knytlingasaga and Fagrskinna , Jomsborg was built by the Danish king Harold Bluetooth (910-985/86) in the 960s. The Jomsvikinga Saga mentions Danish Viking Palnatoki as its founder. In medieval records, Jomsborg
266-460: The actual Jómsborg. However, all such attempts to locate Jómsborg or encampments of the Jómvikings have failed, leading many to doubt that Jómvikings ever existed outside of literature." According to Władysław Filipowiak there are several dated sources which attest to the presence of a company of armed Vikings at the end of the 10th century in Wolin, who may have been installed there as mercenaries by
285-572: The disc and the chronicle has been criticized for their unclear provenance. Archaeologist Jes Wienberg has criticized Rosborn for not allowing other scholars direct access to the finds, and that it thus is not possible to properly evaluate them. Historians Kurt Villads Jensen and Wojtek Jezierski have claimed that they are forgeries, noting that the disc has no known analogue, and that the chronicle contains several anachronisms. Historical document Historical documents are original documents that contain important historical information about
304-470: The disc was a part of a Viking hoard found in 1841 in the Polish village Wiejkowo near the town of Wolin by Heinrich Boldt. Following the find of the disc, Sven Rosborn also found a text that purports to be modern Polish translation of an otherwise unknown Latin chronicle, Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum , which in addition to providing details on the Jomsvikings and Jomsborg, attributes to Jomsborg
323-450: The events reported by the different chronicles, that all these terms describe the same place, which is at or near the modern town of Wolin. However, this is by no means universally accepted; professor and historian Steven Fanning writes: "The Trelleborg -type fortresses of Denmark have been taken to be actual examples of Jómsborg-style camps of such warriors and Wolin in Poland was believed to be
342-399: The way society functioned. Anthropologists , historians and archeologists generally are more interested in documents that describe the day-to-day lives of ordinary people, indicating what they ate, their interaction with other members of their households and social groups, and their states of mind. It is this information that allows them to try to understand and describe the way society
361-445: Was functioning at any particular time in history . Greek ostraka provide good examples of historical documents from "among the common people ". Many documents that are produced today, such as personal letters, pictures, contracts, newspapers, and medical records, would be considered valuable historical documents in the future . However most of these will be lost in the future since they are either printed on ordinary paper which has
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