Daensen folding chair

The Bronze Age tumulus is known as Backelsberg or Baaksberg and, according to local legend, contains the remains of a Chauci prince called Baak.

Their work was witnessed by the Moisburg pastor Wittkopf who noted his observations in his Parishs book of accounts: This hill was until 1879, removed from the north end half ago and it found a large oblong of unhewn granite, containing nothing special.

Sic transit gloria mundi[5]In 1899, sand was again removed from the mound again, and this time the workers discovered a second stone circle.

In November 1899, Eickhoff forwarded a part of the fitting along with a ribbed arm ring of bronze to the museum.

[3] Compared to earlier previous finds from grave mounds and tree coffin burials in Denmark, Sweden, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg the present metal objects were identified as fitting parts of a folding chair that is typical for the Nordic Bronze Age.

Given the role of the folding chair in placing the sitter above others who are seated on the floor, it is possible that the individual buried in Daensen was a high-ranking person, a religious official or chieftain.

Comparably equipped graves with folding chairs typically included additional offerings such as jewellery, household items, and weapons that are absent in Daensen.

More recently, in Endsee, another village of Bavaria in southeastern Germany, a Medieval high-status burial dated to about 600 AD is that of a woman with a similar chair included among her extensive grave goods that has an unusual, full metal frame.

[7] Similar folding chairs also originate from Ancient Egypt, whose most famous specimen comes from Tutankhamun's tomb of 1330 BC,[4] demonstrating the extensive international connections of the later Bronze Age.