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ScienceArchaeologyArchaeologists Open Frozen Wooden Box Found on Viking Mountain Pass
Melting glacial ice along a mountain passageway in Norway has resulted in the discovery of hundreds of ancient artifacts. One of these items, a wooden box with the lid still firmly in place, has finally been opened, revealing its precious contents. Bits of beeswax. Yep, the wooden box was holding a plain old candle. Not … Continued
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ScienceArchaeologyViking Sword Dug Up in Norway Likely Belonged to a Left-Handed Warrior
The unusual placement of a sword found in a Viking grave suggests the weapon was brandished by a southpaw warrior, in what is an unusual discovery. “I’m a little surprised at how heavy it was,” Astrid Kviseth, an archaeologist at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), told Science Norway. “I don’t exactly know how … Continued
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ScienceArchaeologyArchaeologists Will Excavate a Viking Ship for the First Time in Over 100 Years
For the first time in a century, archaeologists will excavate a buried Viking ship. Located a less than 2 feet below the surface, the ship is being ravaged by fungus, forcing archaeologists to act quickly. With funding from the Norwegian government, archaeologists with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) will begin excavations on … Continued
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ScienceArchaeologyMelting Ice Exposes Mountain Pass Used by Vikings, Including Ancient Dog and Leash
Archaeologists in central Norway have uncovered evidence of a heavily traveled mountain passageway that was used during the Viking Age. Hundreds of beautifully preserved items were found atop a melting glacier, in a discovery that was, sadly, made possible by global warming. New research published today in Antiquity describes a forgotten mountain pass at Lendbreen, … Continued
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ScienceArchaeologyViking Runes Warned of a Climate Catastrophe, New Research Suggests
An updated interpretation of the famous Rök runestone suggests Vikings were preoccupied by the threat of a climate calamity. The Rök runestone was completed and upraised in what is now Östergötland, Sweden, around 800 CE, and it was long thought to describe a series of battles. Given that the poem inscribed on the rune was … Continued
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ScienceArchaeologyOver-Hunting Walruses Likely Forced Vikings to Abandon Greenland
Scientists have struggled to understand why, after hundreds of years, Vikings suddenly abandoned their Greenland colony. New research suggests their economic over-reliance on walrus tusks—a valuable but dwindling trade commodity—had a lot to do with it. Viking settlements in Greenland were established by Erik the Red around 985 CE. This Norse colony lasted for centuries, … Continued
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ScienceArchaeologyWhy Did Vikings Bury Two People in Boats on Top of Each Other, 100 Years Apart?
Archaeologists in central Norway have discovered an unusual Viking burial site in which one boat grave was placed on top of another. On its own, that’s pretty odd—but it’s even weirder considering the two burials are separated by 100 years. That Vikings sometimes buried their dead inside of boats is well documented, but the new … Continued
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io9AnimationNorse Mythology? Zack Snyder? Anime? Netflix? Sure, Why Not?
Netflix’s apparently insatiable appetite for all things anime continues to grow, as there’s yet another new program on the way. And though Zack Snyder (yes, that Zack Snyder) will create and executive produce the as-yet-unnamed show, it’s a little out of his usual superhero realm. The anime will be “set in the world of Norse … Continued
By Cheryl Eddy -
ScienceArchaeologyHow Industrial-Scale Tar Production Powered the Viking Age
Vikings acquired the capacity to produce tar at an industrial scale as early as the 8th century AD, according to new research. The protective black goo was applied to the planks and sails of ships, which the Vikings used for trade and launching raids. Without the ability to produce copious amounts of tar, this new … Continued
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ScienceArchaeology
Ancient Viking Ship Found Buried Next to Busy Norwegian Freeway
Using ground-penetrating radar, archaeologists in Norway have discovered an ancient Viking ship buried just 20 inches beneath the surface of a farmer’s field. The 66-foot-long ship, deliberately buried during a funeral ritual, appears surprisingly intact—and it could contain the skeletal remains of a high-ranking Viking warrior. It’s called the Jellstad Ship, and it was discovered … Continued
