The Hastrup hoard: Metallurgical and typological links between South Jutland and Hallstatt Europe in the 8th to 6th centuries BCE

• We present one of the largest Late Nordic Bronze Age hoard found in recent times from Hastrup, Denmark. • Archaeometallurgical analyses reveal the use of mixed copper sources, originating from multiple Alpine regions. • Certain artefacts, appear to have been made from a single batch of copper, indicating production within the same workshop. • We suggest the Hastrup hoard as comprising female garment ornaments, likely to have held ritual significance. • Implications of connections between South Jutland and Hallstatt Europe in a time of a declining copper industry. This article presents the recent discovery of the Late Nordic Bronze Age hoard from Hastrup, Denmark, comprising over 200 bronze fragments from objects typologically dated to the 8th to 6th centuries BCE. The assemblage predominantly consists of decorated bronze sheet elements, including discs, sheet metals, and studs, likely associated with female attire or horse/wagon gear. The most distinctive items are large and small adorned discs (plaques), which have no close parallels in the Nordic area but exhibit stylistic affinities with the Central European Hallstatt Culture, especially the HaD period. Despite typological similarities, the unique clamp features on the Hastrup plaques remain without precedent, complicating direct cultural comparison. Archaeometallurgical analyses reveal the use of mixed copper sources, fahlore and chalcopyrite, originating from multiple Alpine regions, and suggest recycling and remelting of earlier metal in some cases. Certain artefacts, such as some of the large plaques and the metal sheets, appear to have been manufactured from a single batch of copper, indicating their production within the same workshop. These technological and compositional consistencies support the interpretation of the hoard as components of one or several coordinated ensembles, such as garments or horse gear.