Posted on 09/07/2004 7:53:26 AM PDT by 68skylark
LONDON (AP) -- Archaeologists in northwestern England have found a burial site of six Viking men and women, complete with swords, spears, jewelry, fire-making materials and riding equipment, officials said Monday.
The site, discovered near Cumwhitton, is believed to date to the early 10th century, and archaeologists working there called it the first Viking burial ground found in Britain.
The only other known Viking cemetery was found in Ingleby east of Cumwhitton. It was excavated in the 1940s, but the bodies had been cremated and not buried.
Local metal specialist Peter Adams made the find at the end of March and reported it to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which is run by the Museums, Libraries and Archive Council.
``This is tremendous news, a unique discovery which will improve people's understanding of the area and its history,'' council chairman Mark Wood said.
The Vikings, inhabitants of Scandinavia from 800 to 1100, traded with, and raided, much of Europe, often settling there. They invaded and conquered England in 1013.
The burial ground was unearthed when Adams found two copper brooches. The grave of a Viking woman was found underneath, and further excavation led to the discovery of the graves of another woman and four men.
Among the items found in the graves were weapons, spurs, a bridle and a drinking horn, as well as a jet bracelet and a copper alloy belt fitting.
Adams described it as ``the find of a lifetime.''
Rachel Newman, of Oxford Archaeology North, said: ``We could not have expected more from the excavation of the site.
``We knew the brooches found by Mr. Adams came from a burial of a Viking Age woman, which was exciting and of great importance in itself. But we did not expect to find five other graves complete with such a splendid array of artifacts. It truly has been an amazing few months excavating this extremely important Viking Age site.''
Arts Minister Estelle Morris said: ``We should all be grateful to Mr. Adams, who recorded his find so promptly. As a result, the experts have been able to learn more about this fascinating site and uncover the secrets of a time capsule more than 1,000 years old.''
Some of the items found were to be shown Tuesday at the Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery in the nearby city of Carlisle.
Sure, how about mentioning Warren Moon.
The Viking have nothing on Detroit.
Well thanks for taking this thread over 100 posts -- for some reason I always like it when that happens. But I'm sorry to say the image you posted didn't come through -- it's just a tiny red "x".
I'm still bi**hing about Gary Cuozzo!
I was going to put that one on my driver's license but the DMV rejected it.
My apologies. It would appear that GateWorld now does referer checking. A simple workaround is to paste the URL into a new browser window.
From none other than GateWorld. :)
And that was just a portion of my team.....oh when will they ever win!
Cris Carter was robbed!!!!!
I'll have a new keyboard, thank you very much!!
/LOLPIMP
And no kitties? How is that possible?
I have been impressed with the influence of Salic Law on the development of English Common Law as divergent from Roman Law. It is very evident in the notion of "foresting" in property law. Here are some of my notes on the presence of Vikings:
Gwyn Jones, A History of the Vikings, Oxford University Press, c1973.
By 862, nuisance raids of individual Viking leaders had develpoed into well-organized expeditions that exploited local divisions and lived off the invaded country for lengtheneing periods of time. By 865, a large heathen host or horde from about 500-1,000 arrived in England for a more sustained assault. Ledaers were Ivar(Yngvarr) called the Boneless, Ubbi and Halfdan. Legends indicate they were from Scandinavia and Ireland and that they came to avenge their father, Ragnar. These obtained horses in East Anglia and marched upon York. The kings of York and Northumbria were defeated and the kingdom of Deira passed to the Vikings. They then executed king Edmund and took East Anglia. The king of Mercia bought peace. at 218-20
In 870 Halfdan accompanied by a second king and many jarls rode on Wessex and seized and fortified the town of Reading. A truce was negotiated. The Vikings next turned to Mercia. During this time, king Ethelred died and was succeded by king Alfred to the throne of Wessex. Mercia collapsed in 874 and the Danish/Viking army split in two. Halfdan went to Deira and made war on the Picts and the Strathclyde Welsh to secure the northern border. Guthrum and two other kings went to East Anglia. In 876, Halfdan "shared out the lands of Northumbria, and they [the Danes] were engaged in ploughing and making a living for themselves." at 220-21
In 877, a second Danish distribution of territory took place. Ceolwuf, an English thane, had been left with the rule of Mercia by the Vikings. He received half the kingdom and the remainder was divided by the Vikings who had fought for it. Yorkshire, Nottingham, Lincoln, Derby and Leicester and maybe a portion south of the Welland
Jacqueline Simpson, Everyday Life in the Viking Age, Dorset Press c1967.
The "Viking Age" is attributed by Western Europe to the period beginning with the 790s. Actually, it is a continuation of expansion by Scandinavians of an earlier date, but unrecorded in written history. The first Scandinavians to become active abroad were from a large farmstead settlement at Gotland, a Baltic island. Colonies were set up in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and probably Finland in the early 700s. at23
In the eighth century, Norwegians killed a reeve in the reign of Beorhtic of Wessex (786-802.) In 193, heathen men landed on Lindisfarne island and slaughtered cattle. The Norwegian Floki attempted to establish a colony at Iceland 860s. In 874, Ingolf and Leif took womenfolk, Irish slaves and livestock to Iceland and established settlements. Ingolf's settlement survived and a detailed account of traditions and settlers was preserved in the 12th century book "Landnamabo'k" (The Book of Land Takings). The process of colonization lasted about 60 years. at 28
Settlers came in groups, whose leader was a chieftan or of good birth. These leaders staked a claim to large tracts of land, lighting beacons or setting up boundary marks as a farmstead. (process described in 13th century book "Egil's Saga.") First the chieftan explored the region, then set claim to a large area. Chose the spot of his own farm by omen. The rest of the area he parcelled out among kinsmen and dependents who had sailed with him from Norway, so that they could set up their own farmsteads. Such land was always held as a freehold, with no question of tenancy or feudal dues. Eventually, they would live by their cattle and sheep, but at first foraging was necessary. "Egil's Saga" states that "what livestock there was roamed the woods all winter, foraging for itself." Also, "At that time too there were many whales stranded, and whoever wished to spear them could do so." at 29.
Some Swedes and Danes also settled Iceland. Almost 12 percent came from the Norwegian colonies in the British Isles, introducing celtic racial characteristics. at 30
In the 830s and 40s, Danish raids spread through France and England. It is unclear whether the purpose of these raids was to extract Danegeld (extortion or protection money) or in finding land with enough money to establish themselves as farmers. Certainly by the 870s, settlement had become a major preoccupation of the Danes in England, and the famous treaty by Alfred the Great recognizing much of northern and eastern territory in England as Danish territory simply gave a legal basis to what was already accomplished fact. Already in 876, one group of Danish fighting men had withdrawn from the campaign and had "shared out the land of the Northumbrians and began to plough it." The following year, others did the same in Mercia and others in 880 in East Anglia. In 896, "the Danish army divided, one part going into East Anglia and the other into Northumbria, and those that were moneyless got ships and went south across the sea to the Seine." Allusions in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" show that these areas were organized on military lines, with key towns as strongholds. at 31
In an examination of place names (towns, parishes, fields and woods,) appears that Anglo-Saxons lived on their original sites in considerable numbers, even where Scandinavian settlement was thickest. It appears the Scandinavians settled by clearing land not already utilized. Many of these were up tributaries rather than in main valleys on the face of hillsides on the verge of thick woodland, on poorer solis or small patches of good soil. In some cases, the Danes did take over existing villages. The English adopted the English system of open field cultivation, although in the uplands, they probably took to sheep rearing as they had done in their homelands. at 32.
In many parts of the Danelaw at the time of the Domesday Book, there were many "soke-man" or landowning peasants, considerably more independent of their overlord than men under the manorial system elsewhere. Historian believe these to be descendants of Danish settlers whose status was much like that of small farmers in Scandinavia. at 34
There is evidence through place names of a gradual migration of settlers making their way inland from Lincolnshire coast and the Humber estuary, following the fanning out of the military. at 34.
From about 882-920, Vikings colonized Normandy. In 911 Charles the Simple ceded Normandy to Rollo. Most colonist were Danes and some had previously lived in the English Danelaw. at 35.
Wessex kings made war against the Danelaw and reasserted English overlordship over that territory, completing the process by 927. The Danes gave alliegance to English kings, probably because they wanted help against their rivals the Norwegians who had established in Ireland and north-west England. Meanwhile there was a consolidation of Vikings between Normandy and Iceland. at 35-36
The 980s were followed by two decades of intensive raids with extortion of "Danegelds," a tactic previously unknown in England. Swedes joined with Norweigans and Danes sailing around the coast, exacting silver. In 1002, Ethelred the Unready ordered a massacre "of all Danes in England," (i.e. in the south, not the Danelaw,) even those who were settlers or mercenaries in his own service. This was followed by greater attacks and substantial extraction of Danegeld. at 36
In 1013, Svein, King of Denmark returned to set about the wholesale conquest of England. The whole Danelaw accepted him and by Christmas, he was King of all England and Ethelred fled to Normandy. Svein died the following year and Ethelred returned. A two year battle between Canute the Great, son of Svein, and Ethelred culminated with Ethelred and Edmund Ironside's death and Cnut's becoming the sole king of England at 36-39.
Danish rule of England lasted from 1017-42. It is assumed that Danes of high rank were granted estates outside the Danelaw. Some remained but most of Cnut's men went home in 1018 with their portion of the last and greatest Danegeld levied in England. at 39.
Besides, one of them was wearing a "jet bracelet."
bttt
"Edmund Ironsides was suposedly murdered by Eric Streon who hid in the King's new toilet and stabed him in the bottom with a sword."
Streon appears in the (limited) chronicles as a complete opportunist, switching loyalties with little hesitation when it behooved him. Am I recalling correctly that Cnut did away with him? There is a passage somewhere about those who were faithful in service to aethelraed (during his interrupted reign) being generally left in place by cnut, but those that switched loyalties were not.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
I was paraphrasing for effect :-).
Thanks.
Viking had settlements and a small kingdom along the English Channel coast, but they never controled all or most of England or any part of Whales or Scotland.
Sure, that's what they want you to believe. I heard Cnut once talked about being sent up the Thames, along the Welsh-English border, into the heart of Scotland on a secret mission to drop of Danish spooks -- one of them gave him a cool helmet, and the whole incident was seared into his memory.
Yea, the helmet was a Christmas gift from a Pict King.
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