Posted on 12/12/2021 11:04:56 AM PST by SunkenCiv
A Viking sword found at a burial site in Orkney is a rare, exciting and complex artefact, say archaeologists.
The find, made in 2015 on the northeast coast of Papa Westray, is being carefully examined as part of post-excavation work.
Archaeologists have now identified it as a type of heavy sword associated with the 9th Century.
The relic is heavily corroded, but x-rays have revealed the sword's guards to be highly decorated.
Contrasting metals are thought to have been used to create a honey comb-like pattern.
The remains of a scabbard, a sheath for the blade, was also found...
The excavations at Mayback revealed a number of finds, including evidence of a rare Viking boat burial, and a second grave with weapons, including the sword.
Archaeologists said the graves may be those of first-generation Norwegian settlers on Orkney.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Those sword-wielding Vikings really knew how to, uh, swing.
I hope they can find the proper person to do the interview so we can have a record of those stories.
The pen discovered by Dr Comber, is made up of a hollow bone barrel with a copper-alloy nib inserted into one end. It was found in an 11th-century layer inside the cashel, and caused quite a stir when it was discovered. No ink pen of this form or early date has previously been found, and most evidence of early literacy in Ireland is associated with the Church, not with secular society.Oldest ink pen in Ireland is discovered by archaeologist during excavation in Burren | Pat Flynn | December 09 2021
Chemical analysis of the bones and teeth of the so-called Blair Atholl Man indicate that he spent his childhood on Scotland’s western coast, the islands of the western Hebrides, or even in Ireland before he died at about the age of 45 and was buried in the Pictish style near Blair Atholl in the Scottish Highlands, according to a Live Science report. A study of collagen extracted from a rib fragment indicates he dined on pork, freshwater fish, and waterfowl in the last five to ten years of his life. This diet is similar to that observed in other residents of early medieval Scotland, said Orsolya Czére of the University of Aberdeen. The amount of sulfur in the collagen, however, suggests he lived much of his life along the coast, and probably hadn’t been in the Highlands for very long before his death, Czére added. “What we can say is that Blair Atholl Man was born in a more remote geographical area that was not part of Pictland, yet he moved to this region and was buried according to funerary customs practiced by the Picts,” said Kate Britton of the University of Aberdeen. She explained that traveling such long distances may not have been unusual in early medieval Scotland.Update on Scotland’s 1,500-Year-Old Blair Atholl Man | Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Looks like something my dog brought in the other day
Makes me cold just to see where it is on the map.
Watery tarts distributin’ swords is no system of government.
The Vikings would have had little use for the ink pen, but the sword would have been highly prized. It certainly would have helped when on a cruise to pick up chicks among the Picts and the Saxons.
The Vikings would have had little use for the ink pen, but the sword would have been highly prized. It certainly would have helped when on a cruise to pick up chicks among the Picts and the Saxons.
https://archive.org/details/TheMonolithCD
I knew these guys back in their prehistoric Edmark days when they made this..
https://archive.org/download/TheMonolithCDAudio/06.%20MONOLITH%202738%20Excalibur.mp3
If you have a great car stereo, this whole cd will blow you away.
Mark
It’s seen better days.
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