Recycled iron age timber, tracing a three-aisled longhouse Dendrochronological dating and archeological interpretation of reused timber from a late iron age pathway near Varpelev, Zealand, Denmark

Excavations in the 1970’s, close to the modern village of Varpelev, Zealand, Denmark revealed a stone-paved pathway in the Tryggevælde stream valley. Beneath it a substantial assemblage of oak timber had been preserved. A hypothesis of possible reuse was put forth but until recently this remained unexplored. Through dendrochronological dating, laser scanning and comparisons with modern reconstructions, we argue that at least 13 timbers derive from an earlier use, seven of which are interpreted further in this paper. The dendrochronological analysis revealed a narrow felling period between 688 and 694 AD with multiple samples showing a preserved waney edge. The identification of recycled timber was largely built on the observation of nonsensical timber carvings and surface hewing, which was deemed unnecessary in the construction of a pathway. We argue that the presented timbers originate from a three-aisled longhouse from the late Danish Iron Age. Furthermore, we can confidently place them within the architecture of the longhouse and identify them as wall-posts, roof-carrying posts and, most notably, two crossbeams and a head-beam — the first archaeological observations of such from prehistoric Scandinavia. The Varpelevvej II timber corpus highlights the importance of recognizing reuse and the better preservation potential of architectural features in secondary deposits. We hope that this study can provide new empirical insights into late Iron Age longhouse construction and improve the archaeological basis for future reconstructions of Iron age dwellings.