In the heart of Denmark, near a quiet village, lies one of the most intriguing mysteries of the Bronze Age: the Egtved Girl. Discovered in 1921 within an ancient oak coffin buried in a mound, her remains have captivated archaeologists, historians, and linguists alike for over a century. She was a young woman, perhaps 16 to 18 years old, interred around 1370 BC, her body remarkably preserved by the acidic bog conditions that dissolved her bones but left her hair, nails, skin fragments, and clothing intact. Wrapped in woolen garments, adorned with a bronze belt plate symbolizing the sun, and accompanied by the cremated remains of a child, she embodies the enigmatic world of Nordic Bronze Age society. Yet, among the many questions her discovery raises, one stands out as particularly elusive: what language did she speak?
Continue reading Unraveling the Silent Words: The State of Scientific Research on the Language of the Egtved Girl