Gotska Sandön, the Baltic island of treasures

Pirates have fascinated and terrified people for centuries – present in art, literature, and film, they have gained an almost legendary status. However, they were mostly associated with the Caribbean Sea or the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Does that mean the Baltic was free from maritime raiders? Modern scientists studying the Swedish island of Gotska Sandön are not so sure. Discover the secrets of this Baltic island, where archaeologists have been making remarkable discoveries for several years.

Gotska Sandön – a national park with many faces

Gotska Sandön is a Swedish island located in the Baltic Sea, about 38 km north of Fårö, with a total area of 36 km². The island is mostly covered with natural pine forest, and its ground consists of shifting dunes. Today, Gotska Sandön is protected as a national park.

Gotska Sandön is the highest island in the chain of islets stretching approximately 120 km from Salvorev to Kopparstenarna. This chain was formed by glacial and post-glacial processes related to the last Scandinavian glaciation, which ended around 11,000 years ago. As the glacier melted and the Earth’s crust rose isostatically, Gotska Sandön began to emerge from the waters of the Baltic Sea about 5,000–6,000 years ago. Today, almost the entire island is covered with sand, except for the rocky beach in the southeast and the moraine in the south. The landscape of the island was shaped by waves, wind, and human presence.

Extraordinary discoveries on Gotska Sandön

According to Professor Johan Rönnby from Södertörn University, Gotska Sandön was not entirely isolated from ancient maritime expeditions. Its location in the open Baltic Sea could have facilitated navigation between Fårö and Sandön Island. The Baltic is characterized by short, steep waves that can be challenging for smaller vessels. This could have made the island a temporary shelter for sailors.

The reason for hypothesizing about the island’s extraordinary past was the discovery of various objects. As early as 2023, archaeologists found two Roman coins on one of the beaches, dating back 2,000 years. Both silver coins come from different periods: the first was minted during the reign of Emperor Trajan in the 1st century AD, and the second during the reign of Antoninus Pius in the 2nd century.

The latest excavations brought further discoveries—scientists found evidence of twenty fire pits on the same beach where the coins were previously found. Professor Johan Rönnby believes that the discovered artifacts may indicate the existence of an Iron Age port where people established temporary camps. According to researchers, these camps may have been used for activities related to the then-developing hunting practices.

Discoveries that may suggest the presence of pirates

Gotska Sandön was certainly visited by humans, but was it only for shelter and hunting activities? The aforementioned archaeology professor from Södertörn University suggests that the purpose of the journeys could also have been trade, the exchange of goods, and even piracy and looting. The silver coins and the presence of fire pits are not the only discoveries – during four years of archaeological research, remnants of medieval settlements were also found, along with graves, weapons, and fragments of a shipwreck. In the 1920s, several human skeletons were also discovered on the island.

The remains discovered by archaeologists are dated to the late 14th century, a period when ship hijackings and piracy were common in the Baltic Sea. The aim of the research conducted on Gotska Sandön is to better understand human activity on the island and to uncover what still remains a mystery.

main photo credit: Pål-Nils Nilsson/Wikimedia