Second Viking Ship Burial Detected on Norway’s Edoya Island The georadar study completed on Edoya Island off the coast of Western Norway revelated a second burial of the Viking ship, according to Archaeology Org. Oslo, Norway. On the tiny island, the ship burial was discovered known as the Edoya ship. Manuel Gabler of the Norwegian Institute for … Continue reading Second Viking Ship Burial Detected on Norway’s Edoya Island
Norway couple find Viking grave under floor of their house A Norwegian couple got quite the shock when renovating their old family house near Bodø in northern Norway this month. After removing the floorboards and some sand with the intention to install insulation, the couple discovered several rocks. They continued digging and spotted something glittering … Continue reading Norway couple find Viking grave under floor of their house
For the First Time in a Century, Norway Will Excavate Viking Ship Burial Smithsonian Mag reports that Sveinung Rotevatn, Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment, announced that the 65-foot Gjellestad ship will be excavated in order to protect what is left of it from being destroyed by fungus. Archaeologists are racing against the clock to … Continue reading For the First Time in a Century, Norway Will Excavate Viking Ship Burial
Borgring: 1000-year-old Viking fortress uncovered in Denmark In Borgring, Denmark, archaeologists have uncovered a nearly circular Danish ring fortress, dating from 975-980. It is believed that the fortress was built during the reign of Harald Bluetooth – the Danish king, who also was credited with the country’s first unification. In Denmark the Borgring Fortress was … Continue reading Borgring: 1000-year-old Viking fortress uncovered in Denmark
Two Viking Boat Graves—With a Warrior Inside—Found in Sweden Previously, two Viking burial boats in Uppsala, Sweden have been unraveled by archaeologists the remains of a dog, a man, and a horse are remarkably preserved. A few of the powerful elites were sent back to their afterlife by the Vikings in boats laden with sacrificed animals, … Continue reading Two Viking Boat Graves—With a Warrior Inside—Found in Sweden
Melting Ice Reveals a “Lost” Viking-era Highway in Norway’s Mountains As the glaciers of Scanadvia melt, the long-forgotten journeys of intrepid Vikings are revealed. Reported in the journal Antiquity today, a retreating Lendbreen glacier in the mountains of Norway has recently revealed a mountain pass used by Vikings over 1,000 years ago, along with a treasure trove … Continue reading Melting Ice Reveals a “Lost” Viking-era Highway in Norway’s Mountains
Scottish storms unearth 1,500-year-old Viking-era cemetery The native Picts, a Celtic-language speaking tribe, once populated the Scottish Islands, similar to the natives that live on what is now Scotland. Several powerful storms on Scotland’s Orkney Islands have now revealed ancient human remains in a Pictish and Viking cemetery dated back to about 1,500 years ago. To order to protect the damage … Continue reading Scottish storms unearth 1,500-year-old Viking-era cemetery
Well-Preserved 3,000-Year-Old Pre-Viking Sword Unearthed in Denmark is Still Sharp Two locals from Zealand, Denmark’s largest island, decided to walk around the field in the remote west city of Svebolle in the evening. The decision was fortuitous to take their metal detector with them because it would allow them to uncover a major find The … Continue reading Well-Preserved 3,000-Year-Old Pre-Viking Sword Unearthed in Denmark is Still Sharp
![Scottish storms unearth 1,500-year-old Viking-era cemetery Scottish Islands were once inhabited by native Picts people only, a Celtic-language speaking group, similar to the natives that live on what is now Scotland. Some powerful storms on the Orkney Islands in Scotland have now unearthed ancient human bones in a Pictish and Viking cemetery dated back to about 1,500 years ago. Volunteers are now placing sandbags and clay around, in order to protect the damage to the ancient Newark Bay cemetery on Orkney’s largest island. The site is dating back to the middle of the sixth century when the Orkney Islands were occupied by native Pictish people. Picts or Norse? The cemetery was used for about 1,000 years, and numerous burials from the ninth to the 15th century were Norsemen or Vikings who had seized the Orkney Islands from the Picts. Now, storm waves are destroying the low cliff where the ancient site is located, Peter Higgins from the Orkney Research Center for Archaeology (ORCA), said. “Every time we have a storm with a bit of a south-easterly [wind], it really gets in there and actively erodes what is just soft sandstone,” Higgins explained. Approximately 250 skeletons were taken out of the cemetery about 50 years ago, but researchers do not know how far the site extends from the beach. They believe that hundreds of Pictish and Norse bodies are still buried there. “The local residents and the landowner have been quite concerned about what’s left of the cemetery being eroded by the sea,” Higgins said. Uncovered bones are usually either coated with clay to protect them or removed from the site after their positions are thoroughly labeled, so it is rather unusual for bones to end up on the beach, he explained. Researchers do not know yet of the exposed bones belong to Picts or Vikings, as no burial objects or funeral clothes were spotted, and the bodies were buried four of five layers under the surface. Cultural Transition Historians claim that the first Norse immigrants to the Orkney Islands established there in the late eighth century, leaving a rising new monarchy in Norway. They used the Orkney Islands to begin their own voyages and Viking raids, and ultimately, all the islands were ruled by the Norse, according to The Scotsman. The relationship between the Picts and the Norse on the Orkney Islands is highly argued by scholars. They cannot know for sure whether the Norse took over by force, or were settlers who traded and entered marriage with the Picts. However, now, the ancient cemetery at Newark Bay may help researchers answer their questions. “The Orkney Islands were Pictish, and then they became Norse,” Higgins said. “We’re not really clear how that transition happened, whether it was an invasion, or people lived together. This is one of the few opportunities we’ve got to investigate that.” A part of the scientific work on the remains would require testing genetic material from the ancient bones, which might demonstrate that some people living on the Orkney Islands today are successors of people who lived there more than 1,000 years ago. “We’re fairly confident that we’re going to find that some local residents are related to people in the cemetery,” Higgins said.](https://archaeology-world.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/stroms-1.jpg)
