Project Archives

Photo by Charles Starrett Article published on Medievalist.net 2016, writer unknown The Vikings and people of the Norse world would have been predisposed to emphysema and other lung conditions, according to a paper published last week in Nature: Scientific Reports. Archaeological excavations of latrine pits at the Viking-age settlement in Viborg, Denmark, dated 1018–1030 A.D haveContinue reading “The Vikings, their worms, and the diseases they got”

                                              A herd of reindeer moves through snow-covered mountains in Norway. (Image credit: Copyright Maramedia, photo by Fergus Gill) By Mindy Weisberger February 15, 2019 Vikings hunting reindeer in Norway were once confounded byContinue reading “Reindeer Cyclones Are Real, and You Definitely Don’t Want to Get Caught in One”

Part of Sweden’s famous runestone, which bears the longest-known runic inscription in stone.© Ella Hanochi/iStockphoto BY NICOLE SANDERSON TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2000 NOVA The Vikings are often portrayed as illiterate, uncultured barbarians who evinced more interest in plunder than in poetry. In fact, the Vikings left behind a great number of documents in stone, wood,Continue reading “Viking Runes Through Time”

By K. Kris Hirst Updated February 05, 2020 Viking social structure was highly stratified, with three ranks or classes which were written directly into Scandinavian mythology, as slaves (called thrall in Old Norse), farmers or peasants (karl), and the aristocracy (jarl or earl). Mobility was theoretically possible across the three strata—but in general, slaves were an exchangeContinue reading “Viking Social Structure Class Systems and the Norse in Scandinavia and Beyond”

David Nikel Senior Contributor @Forbes The recent discovery of several Viking ship graves in Norway has lifted interest in Viking history to new heights. While there’s no doubting the fascinating discoveries being made, some truly remarkable Viking artifacts exist in plain sight throughout Scandinavia: runestones. The region’s tradition of carving inscriptions into raised stones as a memorialContinue reading “The Stunning Viking Runestones Of Scandinavia”

By Yasemin Saplakoglu July 08, 2019 Archaeologists recently unearthed two Viking burial boats in Uppsala, Sweden — one of which was exceptionally preserved and held the remains of a dog, a man and a horse. The Vikings sent a handful of their powerful elites to the afterlife in boats laden with sacrificed animals, weapons and treasure; the funeralContinue reading “Fantastically Preserved Viking Boat Grave and Skeletons Unearthed in Sweden”