Despite their occupations of Britain, the Romans and Vikings didn’t leave much of a genetic mark on Britons. The Anglo-Saxons, though, were a different story. By Tom Metcalfe The Romans controlled much of Britain for nearly 400 years, but they left relatively little genetic evidence of their occupation, new ancient-DNA research reveals. Instead, the RomanContinue reading “The Romans and Vikings left few genetic traces of their occupations of Britain, research suggests”
Category Archives: old norse blog
Archaeologists unearth Viking-era ‘execution pit’ near university town, exposing brutal ancient violence
By Andrea Margolis Students at a prestigious university in the United Kingdom recently unearthed a likely execution pit on the outskirts of town — dating back 1,200 years. The University of Cambridge announced the discovery, which was found in Wandlebury Country Park south of Cambridge, in a Feb. 4 press release. The excavations took placeContinue reading “Archaeologists unearth Viking-era ‘execution pit’ near university town, exposing brutal ancient violence”
They Found a 1,000-Year-Old Treasure Buried Underground—Then They Realized Why It Was Left There
And it wasn’t the only thing they uncovered. BY TIM NEWCOMB Archaeologists excavating the land of a former farm in Sweden struck gold—well, silver actually—when they found a buried pot filled with Viking-era silver. In 2025, archaeologists from Arkeologerna, a division of the Swedish History Museum, announced the discovery of not only the silver treasure,Continue reading “They Found a 1,000-Year-Old Treasure Buried Underground—Then They Realized Why It Was Left There”
Archaeologists Found a Ship Buried in Norway. It’s Older than the Vikings.
Monumental ship burials had a wider and deeper past than we thought. BY TIM NEWCOMB The Vikings weren’t the first to get into the business of monumental ship burial mounds in Norway. It turns out that burying ships under piles of Earth was happening at least 100 years before the Vikings made it famous—and inContinue reading “Archaeologists Found a Ship Buried in Norway. It’s Older than the Vikings.”
Melting Mountain Ice Is Bringing Ancient Secrets to the Surface. Archaeologists Are Racing to Find the Artifacts Before They’re Lost to Time
In Norway’s highest mountains, experts are scouring perilous terrain for pieces of the past, long stored in mint condition in ice patches. As temperatures rise across the world, glacial archaeologists must find the emerging artifacts before they degrade forever. By Anna Fiorentino A brown leather loafer came into view on a patch of ice highContinue reading “Melting Mountain Ice Is Bringing Ancient Secrets to the Surface. Archaeologists Are Racing to Find the Artifacts Before They’re Lost to Time”