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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...

The Viking Ship Museum in Denmark recently announced an unprecedented discovery in the Øresund Strait: the world’s largest and most advanced medieval cargo ship ever found. Hailed as “a milestone in maritime archaeology,” the discovery occurred while divers were investigating the seabed in the Sound, in anticipation of Copenhagen’s new Lynetteholm district, and stumbled upon a record-breaking cog buried beneath centuries of sand and silt. Found approximately 43 feet deep, the precious wreckage escaped destructive forces, resulting in an extraordinary state of preservation that provided archaeologists with a rare, close-up look at never-before-seen details. “It is extraordinary to have so...

Tony Robinson and the rest of the Time Team embark on an expedition to Fetlar, a remote Shetland Island. The Time Team are hoping to unravel the ancient local legend surrounding the enigmatic 'Giant's Grave'. As they delve into its secrets, investigating the connection to Viking pottery discovered nearby, the team uncovers a potentially legendary discovery that could redefine the island's history. Welcome to Unearthed History -- the home for all things archeological! From ancient Roman ruins to buried medieval mysteries, we'll be bringing you award-winning documentaries that explore the remnants of long lost civilizations. The Hunt For Ancient Viking...

According to a statement released by the Public Library of Science, a new study of the 2,400-year-old Hjortspring boat, discovered with a cache of weapons in the early twentieth century on Denmark's island of Als, suggests that it may have been constructed in the Baltic Sea region. First, Mikael Fauvelle of Lund University and his colleagues radiocarbon dated cording and caulk found with the boat to the fourth or third century B.C. Then, they used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to determine that the caulk had likely been made of animal fat and pine pitch. At the time, there were...

A startling message on a 1,200-year-old granite slab created by the Vikings appears to predict climate change, experts say. The research, published in Futharc: International Journal of Runic Studies, looks at the message that was written after Viking warrior Varin’s son died in battle in the 9th century, foreseeing a new “climate crisis,” similar to the weather conditions that happened nearly 300 years prior. “This study proposes instead that the inscription deals with an anxiety triggered by a son’s death and the fear of a new climate crisis similar to the catastrophic one after 536 [AD],” researchers, led by Per...

Iceland was once home to a unique subspecies of walrus, but the animals had vanished by the mid-14th century, just 500 years after the arrival of Norse settlers... Researchers have known for years that walruses once lived on Iceland, but opinion has been divided on whether they vanished before or after humans arrived. To settle the debate, Morten Tange Olsen and Xénia Keighley at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark carbon dated the remains of 34 walruses found in western Iceland. Three of the walruses died after the year 874 – the date permanent settlers are thought to have reached...

Climate records back to Viking times show the 20th century was unexceptional for rainfall and droughts despite assumptions that global warming would trigger more wet and dry extremes, a study showed on Wednesday. Stretching back 1,200 years, written accounts of climate indicated that variations in the extremes in the 20th century were less than in some past centuries. "Several other centuries show stronger and more widespread extremes," lead author Fredrik Ljungqvist of Stockholm University told Reuters. "We can't say it's more extreme now." Ljungqvist said many existing scientific models of climate change over-estimated assumptions that rising temperatures would make dry...

A new examination of ninth-century A.D. burial sites in the central Norwegian region of Trondelag has revealed they contain many more artifacts from Britain, such as brooches, drinking horns, and swords, than had been previously believed. "These graves are some of the earliest proof that we have of contact between Norway and the British Isles," archaeologist Aina Margrethe Heen Pettersen told Science Nordic. She argues that Vikings from Trondelag were among the first to voyage across the North Sea, and emphasizes that they were not simply bent on raiding. "Contact with the Anglo-Saxons means more than just violent pillaging. Drinking...

Centuries of storytelling, scholarship, and reinterpretation have shaped how we imagine the Vikings and their gods, but much of that image may rest on myth rather than history. Scholars are now uncovering how Christian writers, political movements, and even modern pop culture redefined the “pagan North” to reflect their own ideals. Credit: Shutterstock ============================================================================= Scholars reveal that much of what we think we know about Vikings and Norse mythology is based on later reinterpretations rather than original sources. Scholars in the field of Scandinavian studies caution that much of what people believe about Vikings and Norse paganism cannot be confirmed...

EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday announced they’re donating $500,000 to support rescue and recovery efforts to those impacted by devastating flash flooding in Texas. $500K donation The team made the donation on behalf of Mark, Zygi and Leonard Wilf, and the Wild Family Ownership Group

France 24 reports that archaeologists from the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus uncovered a tenth-century Viking cemetery at a construction site in Lisbjerg. The site contained as many as 30 graves, likely belonging to a noble family who lived on a nearby farm that was first discovered in the 1980s. Many of the burials still held objects such as coins, ceramics, and beads that attest to the family's high status. However, the most unusual find came from the grave of an elite woman who was buried with a rare wooden box. The exquisitely crafted, 12.5-inch square object contained a fine locking...

Sweden's Arkeologerna announced that archaeologists working in Viggbyholm, Täby, outside of Stockholm, unearthed a stunning 1,000-year-old Viking Age treasure trove. The site was inhabited from around a.d. 400 to 1050 and contains more than 20 houses and other buildings. Beneath the flooring of one structure, former occupants concealed an array of valuables they were never able to retrieve, for reasons that are still unknown. The collection includes eight silver neck torcs, two silver armbands, one ring, two pearls, and 12 coins that were turned into pendants. These had been carefully wrapped in a cloth purse and placed in a ceramic...

EAGAN, Minn. — When Jim Marshall wrapped his final home game at Metropolitan Stadium in December 1979, he was encouraged to address the fans.He humbly said, "I just hope I've given you as many thrills as you fans have given me. Thank you."Marshall then placed his helmet back on his head and jogged to teammates. They enveloped him with hugs and pats before Scott Studwell and Doug Sutherland hoisted him into the air for another thrill ride off the field.It was the 269th of 270 consecutive regular-season starts for Minnesota by Marshall, whose record-setting career certainly featured thrills over 20...

Former Minnesota Vikings and University of Minnesota football player Jack Brewer shared a grievance with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. The AG is waging a legal battle against President Donald Trump and the Department of Justice to ensure transgender athletes can continue participating in girls sports in the state. The state's ongoing defiance of Trump's executive order to keep girls sports female has resulted in a controversy involving a transgender pitcher who has dominated a girls softball season. "Clearly, Keith Ellison, the attorney general of Minnesota, has never played any major sports," Brewer told Fox News Digital. "It’s like he’s...

Montana – Deep in Montana’s remote wilderness lies the Sage Wall, a stunning megalithic structure composed of massive granite blocks intricately stacked in a straight line extending 275 feet (84 meters). Reaching up to 25 feet (8 meters) high, with some blocks weighing 91 tons, it is believed that the wall continues an additional 15 feet underground. This unique formation appears to have precise, interlocking stones resembling ancient masonry found worldwide. Despite its remarkable features, the Sage Wall remained hidden for centuries, covered by dense foliage on private land owned by Christopher Borton and Linda Welsh. Its discovery occurred when...

A very rare Byzantine coin is among dozens of medieval and Viking-era objects discovered in eastern Norway last year. Officials with Innlandet County Municipality have released details of items found by metal detectorists, including buckles, seals and pieces from swords.Around 700 coins have now been found with by metal detectors in recent months – they date from the Roman period to 1650, with the most spectacular being a gold histamenon in excellent condition. Minted during the reigns of Basil II and Constantine VIII, sometime between 977 and 1025 AD, it shows the joint Byzantine emperors on one side and Jesus...

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...

Former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe was fired from his high school football coaching job following his anti-Make America Great Again speech at a California city council meeting earlier in February. The 43-year-old Kluwe, who was arrested and charged with disturbance of an assembly after the Feb. 18 incident, revealed to TMZ that Edison High School served him termination papers on Wednesday. During the Huntington Beach council meeting, he ranted about a library plaque and what he called “propaganda” references to the MAGA movement. “I’m bummed that I won’t get to work with the kids anymore,” Kluwe told TMZ on Friday....

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...