Finding a Viking Age burial ground of this size is rare, in part because Scandinavian soil doesn’t preserve skeletons well. By Tom Metcalfe An extraordinary Viking burial ground with the almost-complete skeletons of roughly 50 people has been unearthed in Denmark during preparations to lay electrical cables. The discoveries were made near the village of ÅsumContinue reading “50 Viking Age burials discovered in Denmark, including a woman in a rare ‘Viking wagon’”
Author Archives: Jules William Press
Scientists realize ‘Viking’ shipwreck is something else entirely
A more than 500-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sweden isn’t a Viking vessel after all, scientists have found. By Tom Metcalfe 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. TheContinue reading “Scientists realize ‘Viking’ shipwreck is something else entirely”
Gold coin discovered by a metal detectorist in the UK may have been dropped by a Viking invader from the Great Heathen Army
A gold coin featuring the son of Charlemagne may have been a keepsake from a Viking invader who fought in the Great Heathen Army. By Tom Metcalfe A gold coin minted more than 1,000 years ago as an imitation of a more famous coin may be a relic of the “Great Heathen Army” that invaded EnglandContinue reading “Gold coin discovered by a metal detectorist in the UK may have been dropped by a Viking invader from the Great Heathen Army”
‘Melted in a pot somewhere’: Vikings used Islamic silver coins to make their early pennies, study finds
The silver in a Viking Age hoard found in Denmark was from melted-down coins from the faraway Islamic world, a new study finds. By Tom Metcalfe Some of the earliest Viking “pennies” were made with silver that contained melted-down coins from the Islamic world, a new study reports. The finding confirms the relationship between earlyContinue reading “‘Melted in a pot somewhere’: Vikings used Islamic silver coins to make their early pennies, study finds”
The Anglo-Saxons were terrified of Vikings. But were they really so different?
They might have fought as enemies in the 9th century, but the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons shared common languages and deep cultural roots. By James Osborne Viking aggression against Anglo-Saxon England escalated dramatically in the 9th century, with the arrival of the Great Heathen Army. The Norse invaders were portrayed in contemporary chronicles as terrifying outsiders;Continue reading “The Anglo-Saxons were terrified of Vikings. But were they really so different?”