Wood Quay: revealing the heart of Viking Dublin

Between 1974 and 1981, excavations in Dublin’s historic centre revealed a vast swathe of intact archaeology spanning most of the Viking-founded town’s Scandinavian occupation. Now the full findings have been published for the first time in a landmark new book. Carly Hilts takes a tour through the Viking streets. As Pat Wallace stood in the shadow of Dublin’sContinue reading “Wood Quay: revealing the heart of Viking Dublin”

Three skulls of medieval Viking women were deliberately elongated

There is also evidence of deliberately filed teeth on some 130 male Viking skulls. By JENNIFER OUELLETTE  German archaeologists discovered that the skulls of three medieval Viking women found on the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea showed evidence of an unusual procedure to elongate their skulls. The process gave them an unusualContinue reading “Three skulls of medieval Viking women were deliberately elongated”

Viking Age women with cone-shaped skulls likely learned head-binding practice from far-flung region

By Tom Metcalfe The skull modifications were found on the skeletons of three women buried on Gotland almost 1,000 years ago. The elongated, cone-shaped skulls of Viking Age women buried on the Baltic island of Gotland may be evidence of trading contacts with the Black Sea region, a new study finds. The women’s skulls were mostContinue reading “Viking Age women with cone-shaped skulls likely learned head-binding practice from far-flung region”

What’s the farthest place the Vikings reached?

By Victoria Atkinson The Vikings reached as far west as Newfoundland, but did they also venture into Africa, the Middle East and Asia? In less than 300 years, the Vikings raided and explored land in at least four continents, spreading out in every direction from Scandinavia to invade and trade with civilizations across Europe and beyond.Continue reading “What’s the farthest place the Vikings reached?”

Thor’s hammer part of Viking finds returning to Thetford

A Thor’s hammer and a pottery lamp are among Viking Great Army finds returning to the town where they were discovered. Thousands of Scandinavians formed an army in England to raid and conquer between AD865-878, and Thetford in Norfolk was one of their winter camps. The story of how this led to the town becomingContinue reading “Thor’s hammer part of Viking finds returning to Thetford”