Gold coins and jewellery found at Springendal, near Hezingen in the Dutch region of Twente, came from an early medieval offering site used mainly during the 6th and 7th centuries. The “1,300-year-old” description is a rounded age, not a precise date for every coin. The discovery began with metal-detector finds reported in 2019; professional archaeological work later identified a row of posts and other evidence that supports a ritual interpretation.
What was found at Springendal?
The site lies near Hezingen, in the municipality of Tubbergen, in the Netherlands. Finds came from three locations. The Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) reports 94 coins and coin fragments, at least six gold and two silver ornaments, part of a gold sword-hilt fitting, and 95 fragments of an unidentified object. That object may have been a drinking-horn fitting, or possibly a helmet or chest fitting. RCE’s 2022 account and the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (RMO) summarize the assemblage differently: the museum describes more than 100 gold coins or fragments, six silver coins and jewellery. These are institution-specific descriptions of the finds, not directly interchangeable totals.
The RMO says many of the coins bear the name Dorestad, while others came from southern France and one came from an unidentified mint. Older belt fittings found at the site suggest the crossroads was used before the gold deposits began. The museum’s Springendal page describes the coins and associated objects.
How old are the coins and the site?
The finds belong to the early medieval period, but the available dates describe the assemblage and the site’s use rather than establishing an exact year for each coin. The RMO dates the assemblage broadly to the 6th and 7th centuries. The RCE describes use of the site from the early to late 7th century, or the beginning of the 8th century. A 2024 peer-reviewed study estimates that valuable objects were deposited periodically over about 100 years and that activity at the site ceased around AD 700. The study by De Kort and co-authors places the deposits in their archaeological context. “1,300 years old” is therefore a useful rounded description, not a uniform coin-by-coin dating claim.
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Why do archaeologists think Springendal was a cult or offering site?
Archaeologists interpret Springendal as a ritual place because the precious objects were found in a distinctive setting, not simply because they were valuable. The study describes a clearing on elevated ground near an ancient road junction, with a row of posts and a large boulder. The RMO says valuable items were left by wooden posts marking a crossroads over an extended period. The location and pattern of deposition support the interpretation of offerings at a meeting place.
That evidence does not identify a specific ceremony or prove which deity, if any, was venerated. RCE archaeologist Jan-Willem de Kort said the posts may have borne sacred signs or a head of Woden, and may have marked a place where people from surrounding areas met and left precious metal. Those are possibilities, not confirmed identifications. The peer-reviewed study also says phosphate analysis makes animal sacrifice likely, but that remains an archaeological interpretation rather than a directly observed event.
What remains hypothetical
The researchers suggest the cult site may have been connected with immigrants and a nearby high-status settlement. They also propose that the local elite may have adopted Christianity, or stopped public pagan practices, before the region’s formal Christianisation. These ideas help explain the site’s possible social and religious setting, but they are hypotheses; the objects and posts alone do not establish who used the site or why activity ended.
How was the treasure discovered, and where is it now?
Hobby archaeologists using metal detectors found the first gold coins and pendants in 2019 and reported them to PAN (Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands). The find led to archaeological research by the RCE and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 2020–2021. Additional coins were found after the initial discovery as the finders continued monitoring the field. The detector finds were bought by the RMO in 2022 for the national collection; the excavated finds remain the property of the Province of Overijssel.
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The RMO’s exhibition about Springendal ran from 16 December 2022 to 8 March 2023, so its archived exhibition page does not establish that the objects are currently on display.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should someone do after finding an archaeological object in the Netherlands?
Dutch government guidance says accidental archaeological finds, including objects found while metal detecting, must be reported to the Cultural Heritage Agency. The same guidance says detecting is allowed only in the upper 30 centimetres of soil. If an object’s owner cannot be identified after reporting, the guidance says the finder must share it with the landowner. These are Netherlands-specific rules; consult the current government guidance for details before acting, and do not assume the rules apply elsewhere.
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