Woman’s Medieval Seal Stamp Found in Denmark

COPENHAGEN, DEMARK—The Local reports that a rare medieval seal stamp found in Denmark’s western Jutland belonged to Elisabeth Buggesdatter, who is known to historians through written sources for speaking at political gatherings attended mostly by men. Buggesdatter's father, Niels Bugge, was an extremely wealthy man who led a revolt against King Valdemar IV Atterdag and was killed in 1358. Seal stamps were usually destroyed upon the death of the owner, so archaeologists aren’t sure how the artifact ended up in a farmer’s field, on land without any known connections to Buggesdatter. For more on medieval Denmark, go to “Secrets of Life in the Soil.”