Free Republic

When metal detectorists searching a field on northern Norway's Senja Island discovered two ancient metal brooches and human rib bones, they notified the authorities. Science Norway reports that an archaeological team from the Arctic University Museum of Norway was sent to investigate the site and learned that the two small pieces of jewelry belonged to an elaborate Viking Age burial dating to between a.d. 900 and 950. Given the presence of the oval brooches and other items such as spindle whorls and weaving tools that are typically only associated with women, experts believe the grave belongs to a high-ranking Viking...

A recent study published last year in the journal Cell has identified the ancient origins of a genetic mutation that confers resistance to HIV, and how it first appeared in an individual who lived near the Black Sea between 6,700 and 9,000 years ago. Named CCR5 delta 32, the uncommon genetic variant disables a key immune protein used by a large majority of strains of the HIV virus to enter human cells and therefore "locks out" the virus in individuals who carry two copies of the mutation.HIV is a relatively new disease. It was only identified in the last century,...

How did the Vikings rise from isolated Scandinavians to dominate the seas across Europe and beyond? Historian Dan Snow investigates the cutting edge shipbuilding technology that powered the Vikings' legendary longships and how their mastery of oak and ocean reshaped history. This clip is from The Vikings Uncovered (2016) The 'Cutting Edge' Viking Technology That Changed History | 5:34 BBC Timestamp | 835K subscribers | 27,385 views | May 29, 2025

A more than 500-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sweden isn't a Viking vessel after all, scientists have found.A 15th-century shipwreck off the coast of Sweden may be Scandinavia's oldest shipwreck built in the innovative "carvel" style — a design that gave it the strength to carry heavy cannons, archaeologists say.The wreck at Landfjärden, south of Stockholm, is one of five in the area that have been known since the 1800s. They were commonly thought to have been from ships dating to the Viking Age (A.D. 793 to 1066).But last year, maritime archaeologists at Vrak, the museum of wrecks in...

Archaeologists have discovered Britain’s largest known Viking-era building, offering new insights into early medieval life. The structure, buried beneath a field at High Tarns Farm in northwest England, was uncovered by the researchers and more than 50 volunteers. Researchers affiliated with Grampus Heritage, a nonprofit organization specializing in archaeology, have identified the remains of a substantial hall measuring approximately 160 feet in length and 50 feet in width. This discovery, made last summer, indicates that the site was an important assembly location during the Viking Age. “The significance of this discovery, in shedding light on the early medieval period and...

In the countryside of England’s East Midlands, less than a mile from the house where I spent my childhood, there is a small, wooded area named Hunsbury Hill. The actual hill, as I remember it, is a slight thing among the trees: its top flattened off and surrounded by a circular ditch eight or ten feet deep. Back in those days when kids were let loose to find their own fun, it was a popular play spot for us urchins from the nearby public housing estate. Local people never said “Hunsbury Hill.” They called the place “Danes’ Camp” because Viking...

Archaeologists have uncovered a unique fragment of a Viking sword near Witmarsum, a village in northern Netherlands. The find, a pommel cap from the 10th century AD, once formed part of a gilded sword hilt. It features intricate patterns in the Mammen style, a decorative art tradition that followed the Jellinge style. The Fryske Akademy explained that the design includes depictions of wild boar heads, which symbolised strength, courage, protection, and combat. Most Read on Euro Weekly News Remarkable Viking discoveries in Sweden Interactions between Frisia, Scandinavia, and the British Isles Dr. Nelleke IJssennagger-van der Pluijm, director of the Fryske...

While digging to find an ancient settlement in southern Sweden, archaeologists made a completely unexpected discovery: an enormous Viking Age cemetery with more than 100 graves and several ship-shaped mounds...The cemetery was initially found in 2017 in the village of Tvååker, in southwestern Sweden, ahead of planned road construction. Although Tvååker is mentioned in historical sagas, the aboveground remains of this particular cemetery were lost to time until recently."The problem is that the land has been plowed and leveled to create pastures," Nordin said, "so all the occupation levels, above-ground remains, and burials have been plowed to pieces."During excavations carried...

Archaeologists were recently able to confirm an 800-year-old tale of medieval biological warfare. The Norwegian historical chronicle Sverris saga tells the story of an attack that involved a corpse hurled down a well in order to poison the local water supply. Scholars long debated the veracity of the story, but a team of archaeologists used DNA analysis to confirm that a corpse found at the site was indeed the much-discussed “Well Man.

A 1,000-year-old Viking "wallet" containing dozens of silver coins was recently discovered by British historians on the Isle of Man, officials announced Monday.Metal detectorists John Crowe and David O'Hare discovered the "hoard" of treasure — around 36 whole and fragmented coins — while searching on private land earlier in the year, the Manx National Heritage organization said on social media...What is even more interesting is that the coins were minted under multiple different Irish and English rulers, with the majority from the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066 AD), as well as English kings Aethelred II (978-1016 AD) and Canute...

According to a Reuters report, 50 well-preserved skeletons dated to between A.D. 850 and 970 have been uncovered on Denmark's island of Funen. Michael Borre Lundoe of Museum Odense said that high water levels at the site and favorable soil conditions helped to preserve the bones. "Normally when we excavate Viking graves, we'd be lucky if there were two teeth left in the grave besides the grave goods," he explained. Most of the individuals are thought to have been farmers. One woman, who was buried with a silver-ornamented knife and a piece of glass, is thought to have been of...

Ivory Package 1 (Natural History Museum Denmark) Credit: Mikkel Høegh A new genetic analysis of ivory artifacts from across Europe suggests that early Norse hunters ventured far into North American waters and likely interacted with indigenous North Americans as early as 985 CE, or over 500 years before Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of the Americas. The scientists behind the potential historical discovery’s genetic and isotopic analysis show that the ivory was harvested from the tusks of Walruses that lived in the North Atlantic waters off of present-day Canada. Their study also found that the long distances and extreme weather that Norse...

Archaeologists working in Norway revealed Wednesday the discovery of four "untouched" Viking bracelets thought to be more than 1,000 years old.The four individual pieces of silver jewelry were found roughly eight inches under the dirt in an area that once housed a "large and powerful" Viking Age farm, according to a statement from the University of Stavanger. The site was revealed prior to construction of a tractor road, the bracelets initially mistaken for copper wire."At first I thought it was a question of some twisted copper wires that you can often find in agricultural land, but [then] I saw that...

Controversy over a 15-foot tall Viking statue in Canada has heated up in the town of Gimli - specifically over the horns on its helmet, which some say aren't realistic. With a battle axe in one hand, a horn in the other and a cape hanging down its back, the Viking statue is almost entirely realistic aside from one recognizable detail - the horns that poke out on the side of the battle warrior's helmet. 'There's never been a Viking helmet found with horns,' The historical accuracy of the horns was put into question and prompted a debate on social...

Their findings show that interpersonal violence—violence not meted out as punishment by authorities—was much more common in Norway. This is evident in the much greater rates of trauma on skeletons and the extent of weaponry in Norway. The study, published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, sheds new light on how Viking Age societies in Norway and Denmark differed in their experiences with violence and the role social structures played in shaping those patterns...Researchers analyzed skeletal remains from Viking Age Norway and Denmark and found that 33% of the Norwegian skeletons showed healed injuries, indicating that violent encounters weren't uncommon....

A historic journey ended in tragedy this week when a Viking replica ship capsized off the coast of Norway, killing an American archaeologist who was part of its international crew. The six-person team had been piloting the open wooden ship, named Naddodd, on a roughly 1,000-mile trip from the Faroe Islands to Trondheim, Norway. "This expedition, honoring the Viking navigator Naddodd, aims to preserve Viking culture and navigational skills for future generations," Sail2North expeditions, which organized the voyage, said in an Instagram post in May. The team — made up of four Swiss, one Faroese and one American — departed...

N THE YEAR 985, ERIK THE RED, A VIKING EXPLORER, LED A GROUP OF ICELANDIC FARMERS TO ESTABLISH A SETTLEMENT ON THE WEST COAST OF GREENLAND. Archaeological findings indicate that the settlement thrived for more than four centuries, but the story of the settlement left a lasting impact. Surprisingly, the pursuit of locating the descendants of these settlers greatly influenced European and American perceptions of Greenland for many generations. In his recently published book titled “The Vanished Settlers of Greenland: In Search of a Legend and Its Legacy,” Associate Professor Robert Rix asserts that the lost Norse settlement played a...

On an unknown date in (perhaps) the 860s, Norse raider Ragnar Lodbrok (or Ragnar Lothbrok) was allegedly put to death in the Indiana Jones-esque manner of being cast into a pit of snakes. Ragnar is a half-legendary character who plundered France and Britain in the mid-ninth century, the heyday of Viking marauders; he’s also the lead character of the cable TV series Vikings. He’s known from Scandinavian sagas, like the Ragnarssona Þattr, which describes Ragnar’s final battle after shipwrecking in Northumbria.....

Wood from three different trees cut by Vikings found at L'Anse aux Meadows been precisely dated to 1021 CE - 1,000 years ago this year. The Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, located at the tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, was discovered in the 1960s, but has never been precisely dated. Previous estimates about when the Viking crossed the Atlantic and made their way to present day Newfoundland and Labrador have been based on Norse sagas and radiocarbon dating that typically has an error margin of about 50 years. The best estimates put their arrival at around 990 at...

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient bridle and other artifacts from a mountain pass almost 2,000 meters above sea level.Near a mountain pass, not far from Norway's highest mountain Galdhøpiggen, archaeologists have found traces of horse travel.A metal bit and parts of the leather straps that fasten around the horse's head have emerged from under the ice...Traffic through a mountain pass on Lomseggen was at its peak during the Viking Age.Snow and ice melting in the area has previously uncovered hundreds of ancient artifacts. They have revealed that Norwegians used this mountain pass for more than 1,200 years (link in Norwegian)...The...