Axes sacrificed in water

As early as the fourth millennium BC objects of value, such as flint axes and amber, were sacrificed in wetland areas. This custom persisted all the way up to the Iron Age. Often the axes were deposited in water – rivers, lakes or bogs. It is not clear what was meant by these sacrificial offerings. Perhaps they were elements in complicated rituals, where the leading figures in the community made sacrifices on its behalf?