Pagan temple with golden treasures discovered in Norway during road construction (photo)

Archaeologists found a votive treasure of gold during road construction in Vingrom, Norway. This area is located on the shores of the Norwegian lake Mjøsa.

The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History reports that coins of the "golden elders" were found. They were discovered in the remains of a pagan temple, where previous excavations have revealed thirty similar gold objects with stampings over the past three decades.

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"Gold bars are tiny pieces of gold plates, as thin as paper or aluminum foil. Most often they are square and of the size of a fingernail. There are stamped figures. With only a few exceptions, the motif on the surviving Norwegian finds consists of a couple standing opposite each other: there is a man on the left and a woman on the right," the report says.

Even though the golden figures are so small, the motifs are distinguished by an impressive amount of detail. The woman depicted on the coin wears a dress with a train and a cloak, and the man wears a short robe so that his legs are visible. Men depicted also wear cloaks and jewelry.

"The golden elders are so detailed and diverse that they are a source for studying the customs of dress of the time and for iconographic research," the archaeologists say.

It is noted that most of these coins had mythical or ritual significance in ancient times. Scientists believe that they were engraved with figures of a married couple, the god of habit Frey and Jotun's daughter Gerd. They were sacrificed at weddings or during fertility rituals.

It has also been suggested that gold coins are a kind of "temple money" as a means of payment during rituals.

As a reminder, a plumber in Spain accidentally stumbled upon 2.500 year old gold jewelry.

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