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”
Category Archives: old norse blog
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?”
A mysterious Viking burial site has been discovered in the Lake District
Written by Hannah Bentley A windswept mound on the Cumbrian coast could be hiding one of the UK’s most extraordinary archaeological finds The UK is full of fascinating, globally-renowned ancient archeological sites, from the prehistoric village of Skara Brae and Anglo-Saxon royal burial ground Sutton Hoo to the ancient Roman town of Verulanum. But whileContinue reading “A mysterious Viking burial site has been discovered in the Lake District”