Posted on 10/08/2008 3:58:07 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
The remains of a Viking-era stave church, including the skeletal remains of a woman, have been uncovered near the cemetery of the Lä nnä s church in Odensbacken outside Örebro in central Sweden.
"It' a unique find," said Bo Annuswer of the Swedish National Heritage Board (Riksantikvarieämbetet) to the Nerikes Allehanda newspaper.
"The churches that have found earlier have been really damaged. Now archaeologists uncovered for posts which mark the church, and the burial site. Such an undisturbed site is unique."
Stave churches, common in medieval northern Europe, are constructed with timber framing and walls filled with vertical planks.
The site was excavated late in the summer following an examination of the area in preparation for the building of a new parish home.
The discovery has raised a number of questions among archaeologists who wonder about the social status of the person whose remains were discovered in the church, which archaeologist estimate is from the 11th century.
"Not just anyone was buried in the middle of a church; it hints that the person was someone very special. In modern times it was fairly common for priests to end up in a church. But commoners were kept outside the church," said Annuswer.
Annuswer added that the discovery will serve as important source of information about churches and graves from the era.
"This is an undisturbed environment which shows how people buried bodies and what sort of objects people had with them in their graves," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thelocal.se ...
|
|
|||
Gods |
After they finished a hearty lunch of Swedish meatballs, they pushed aside some Swedish ivy, and... |
||
|
· Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · · History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists · |
|||
I thought the vikings were pagan.
So you don’t think you will ever get to see the Halls of Valhalla?
Thor will not be pleased. Actually, pretty cool.
They were Christianized sometime in the 10th century, likely under King Olaf Trygvasson of Norway.
Actually, I remember reading that the Vikings were one of the first converts to Christianity, and their sailing everyone was one of the reasons Europe went Christian.
If I recall, Leif Erikson became a Christian, which is one reasons I thought he was an explorer and colonizer. It seems to be a characteristic of Christianity to build up rather than tear down.
This link shows the style of church mentioned in the article. It's a replica of a church that's still standing in the Vik area, in western Norway.
They have a nice stave church replica in Epcot in Orlando, in the Norway area.
Like the rest of the Christian world, they converted to Christianity over a period of time. The Vikings were around a good while, with their highwater mark often being given as the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066.
FOUR...
How beautiful! Thanks for the picture.
The Vikings very early on traveled to Byzantium via Rus (Russia) - Byzantium (AKA Eastern Roman Empire-present day Muslim Turkey) is the first Christian Empire - where Viking merchants were first converted to Christianity.
Yup.
http://varangianguard.com/AoC/
http://www.websters-dictionary-online.net/definition/HARALD+HARDRADA
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
