Hollywood actor and director Mel Gibson's next directing project will be an as-yet untitled film about Vikings, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, "Variety" reported on Monday.
Gibson is to direct DiCaprio in an untitled period drama set during Viking times, according to the film industry bible, which reported that veteran script writer William Monahan also has signed on to the project.
"This will be an awe-inspiring story, created with some of the industry?s finest cinematic talent and I am just over the moon to be making this film with Mel, Leo and Bill," said the film's producer Graham King in a statement.
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Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Viking Weapon-Recycling Site Found in England?
Today's recyclers can now conceivably lay claim to a rich, bloody, brawny heritage, if a new Viking discovery is any indication.
The famed Norse warriors, many of whom settled parts of eastern and northern England in the Middle Ages, recycled as they fought, new excavations in the United Kingdom suggest.
An 11th-century metalworking site recently discovered in the city of York (map) is likely evidence of a makeshift recycling center, where Vikings took weapons for reprocessing after battle, according to historian Charles Jones, organizer of the Fulford Battlefield Society, which advocates preserving the battle site against potential development.
Read the rest of this article...
The famed Norse warriors, many of whom settled parts of eastern and northern England in the Middle Ages, recycled as they fought, new excavations in the United Kingdom suggest.
An 11th-century metalworking site recently discovered in the city of York (map) is likely evidence of a makeshift recycling center, where Vikings took weapons for reprocessing after battle, according to historian Charles Jones, organizer of the Fulford Battlefield Society, which advocates preserving the battle site against potential development.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 14 December 2009
Jorvik Viking Centre in Coppergate to close for £1 million revamp
ONE of York’s top tourist attractions will close to the public in January while a £1 million redevelopment project is completed.
Animatronic figures which will interact with figures are part of a major upgrade of facilities at the Jorvik Viking Centre.
The revamp, which began in November, will also see a reconstruction of the original Coppergate excavation and the reconstruction of a new Viking-age house and backyard.
Read the rest of this article...
Animatronic figures which will interact with figures are part of a major upgrade of facilities at the Jorvik Viking Centre.
The revamp, which began in November, will also see a reconstruction of the original Coppergate excavation and the reconstruction of a new Viking-age house and backyard.
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 13 December 2009
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You can now receive an email informing you each day when new posts are added to this blog.
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Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Turf Farm Hotel Proposed for Thingvellir
Four historians have presented their ideas for a turf farm hotel to the parliament’s Thingvellir committee, a living museum where tourists can travel up to 1,000 years back in time. The historians have founded a company to execute their idea, called Stórsaga.
The historians are especially interested in the area Skógarhólar, which currently has facilities for horseback riders passing through Thingvellir.
In addition to the turf farm, they are keen on building a small church, cowshed, smithy and a parliament camp, Morgunbladid reports.
During the day, tourists can observe how the Icelandic settlers lived and at night the area would be used to accommodate tourists. That way, people can experience how Icelanders used to live for centuries.
Read the rest of this article...
The historians are especially interested in the area Skógarhólar, which currently has facilities for horseback riders passing through Thingvellir.
In addition to the turf farm, they are keen on building a small church, cowshed, smithy and a parliament camp, Morgunbladid reports.
During the day, tourists can observe how the Icelandic settlers lived and at night the area would be used to accommodate tourists. That way, people can experience how Icelanders used to live for centuries.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 7 December 2009
Crofter finds a 'Viking' anchor on the Isle of Skye
A crofter has uncovered what is believed to be a Viking anchor while digging a drain on the Isle of Skye.
Graeme Mackenzie, 47, made the find after hiring an excavator to open the drain on rough pastureland 50yds (48m) from his home near Sleat.
Rain had partly washed away the bottom of the drain and exposed a corroded 4in (10cm) iron spike.
Read the rest of this article...
Graeme Mackenzie, 47, made the find after hiring an excavator to open the drain on rough pastureland 50yds (48m) from his home near Sleat.
Rain had partly washed away the bottom of the drain and exposed a corroded 4in (10cm) iron spike.
Read the rest of this article...
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
New evidence found about the Battle of Fulford
The discovery of over a thousand pieces of iron, including arrowheads and axe heads, may provide valuable new details about the Battle of Fulford, which was fought between a Viking and Anglo-Saxon army in 1066.
The battle was won by the Norse forces led by the Norwegian king Harold Hardrada on September 20, 1066. Historians and archaeologists have now evidence that the Vikings spent the next few days setting up hearths to reprocess metal left over from the battle. Their efforts came to a sudden halt when the Vikings were decisively defeated by the English king Harold Godwinson five days later at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
Read the rest of this article...
The battle was won by the Norse forces led by the Norwegian king Harold Hardrada on September 20, 1066. Historians and archaeologists have now evidence that the Vikings spent the next few days setting up hearths to reprocess metal left over from the battle. Their efforts came to a sudden halt when the Vikings were decisively defeated by the English king Harold Godwinson five days later at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
Read the rest of this article...
'Pillaging' Vikings unmasked as eco warriors
THEIR reputation for raping and pillaging may not have set them out as the ideal role-models for an environmentally-friendly way of life.
But it seems that lessons could perhaps be learnt from the Vikings after the intriguing discovery in Yorkshire of what is believed to be a metal recycling centre dating back to the 11th century.
Historians and metal detector enthusiasts have made the find which is being heralded as evidence of how the Norse invaders recycled their fearsome array of weapons.
Read the rest of this article...
But it seems that lessons could perhaps be learnt from the Vikings after the intriguing discovery in Yorkshire of what is believed to be a metal recycling centre dating back to the 11th century.
Historians and metal detector enthusiasts have made the find which is being heralded as evidence of how the Norse invaders recycled their fearsome array of weapons.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Viking ‘recycling’ centre discovered at battle of Fulford site near York
HISTORIANS and metal detector enthusiasts believe they have found York’s first metal recycling centre – dating back to 1066.
A ten-year project aimed at discovering the site of the battle of Fulford, which preceded the better known battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, has uncovered more than 1,000 pieces of iron.
Historian Chas Jones, who led the research, said the items included arrowheads and axe heads, but there was also strong evidence of metal working indicating the reprocessing of weapons used in the battle.
Read the rest of this article...
A ten-year project aimed at discovering the site of the battle of Fulford, which preceded the better known battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, has uncovered more than 1,000 pieces of iron.
Historian Chas Jones, who led the research, said the items included arrowheads and axe heads, but there was also strong evidence of metal working indicating the reprocessing of weapons used in the battle.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 30 November 2009
Event: Vikings are coming to Peterborough Museum
VISITORS to Peterborough Museum this weekend will have a chance to see Vikings, warriors and soldiers come to life.
The museum is staging a free exhibition of militaria as part of an annual fair organised by the Soke Military Society.
The museum's own collections of arms and armour will also be on show.
Visitors will be able to enjoy displays and demonstrations by costumed re-enactors from local re-enactment groups.
Read the rest of this article...
The museum is staging a free exhibition of militaria as part of an annual fair organised by the Soke Military Society.
The museum's own collections of arms and armour will also be on show.
Visitors will be able to enjoy displays and demonstrations by costumed re-enactors from local re-enactment groups.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Odin at Lejre?
This Viking-Age figurine has already provoked quite a lot of interest on the net. Jonas Wellendorf brought it to my attention on norrønt.no; it’s also been discussed in posts at Norse and Viking Ramblings and The Viking Rune. But is it really Odin, as people have already claimed?
Roskilde Museum is confident that this 2cm-high silver artifact represents Odin on his throne with his two ravens. It was found at Lejre, although not as part of the main excavations there.
It now probably won’t be long before the hall-complex at Lejre is claimed to be the prototype for Valhalla as well as for Beowulf’s Heorot … but how convincing do you find the identification with Odin? Do you have an alternative explanation for this intriguing little icon? Do you agree with Martin Rundkvist that it’s in fact a female figure–Freyja perhaps? Let the speculation begin!
Read the rest of this article...
Roskilde Museum is confident that this 2cm-high silver artifact represents Odin on his throne with his two ravens. It was found at Lejre, although not as part of the main excavations there.
It now probably won’t be long before the hall-complex at Lejre is claimed to be the prototype for Valhalla as well as for Beowulf’s Heorot … but how convincing do you find the identification with Odin? Do you have an alternative explanation for this intriguing little icon? Do you agree with Martin Rundkvist that it’s in fact a female figure–Freyja perhaps? Let the speculation begin!
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 13 November 2009
The savage beauty of maligned marauders
WHEN we think of the Vikings, most of us probably conjure up images of Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis slugging it out in the famous Hollywood blockbuster.
The film was based on legendary tales from the sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons who are among the many colourful characters featured in Robert Ferguson's masterly book The Hammer And The Cross – A New History of the Vikings.
Tracing the history of the Vikings is notoriously difficult as they weren't literate and their culture was based on an oral tradition of sagas, eddas and the poetry of the skalds. As a result they're frequently portrayed as marauding hordes intent on little more than raping and pillaging.
Read the rest of this article...
The film was based on legendary tales from the sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons who are among the many colourful characters featured in Robert Ferguson's masterly book The Hammer And The Cross – A New History of the Vikings.
Tracing the history of the Vikings is notoriously difficult as they weren't literate and their culture was based on an oral tradition of sagas, eddas and the poetry of the skalds. As a result they're frequently portrayed as marauding hordes intent on little more than raping and pillaging.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Lewis chessmen may have been from different game
A new paper suggests the 12th and 13th century ivory sculptures may have been used to play an ancient Scandinavian game.
Some of the Lewis Chessmen may not have been chessmen at all according to new research.
The 12th and 13th century gaming pieces which were discovered in Uig on the Isle of Lewis in 1831 are considered to be Scotland’s most renowned archaeological find.
The paper by David Caldwell, Mark Hall and Caroline Wilkinson suggests a number of the 93 ivory pieces may have been used in a game called hnefatafl – an ancient Viking board game that pre-dates chess.
Read the rest of this article...
Some of the Lewis Chessmen may not have been chessmen at all according to new research.
The 12th and 13th century gaming pieces which were discovered in Uig on the Isle of Lewis in 1831 are considered to be Scotland’s most renowned archaeological find.
The paper by David Caldwell, Mark Hall and Caroline Wilkinson suggests a number of the 93 ivory pieces may have been used in a game called hnefatafl – an ancient Viking board game that pre-dates chess.
Read the rest of this article...
Lewis Chessmen might not be Chessmen
Some of the Lewis Chessmen may not have been chessmen at all according to new research.
The 12th and 13th century gaming pieces which were discovered in Uig on the Isle of Lewis in 1831 are considered to be Scotland’s most renowned archaeological find.
An article in the journal Medieval Archaeology by David Caldwell, Mark Hall and Caroline Wilkinson suggests that many of the 93 ivory pieces may have been used in a game called hnefatafl – an ancient Viking board game that pre-dates chess.
Read the rest of this article...
The 12th and 13th century gaming pieces which were discovered in Uig on the Isle of Lewis in 1831 are considered to be Scotland’s most renowned archaeological find.
An article in the journal Medieval Archaeology by David Caldwell, Mark Hall and Caroline Wilkinson suggests that many of the 93 ivory pieces may have been used in a game called hnefatafl – an ancient Viking board game that pre-dates chess.
Read the rest of this article...
Sexuality in Late Medieval Iceland
Is there anything more private than sexuality? And more political? Sexuality has always been used for political purposes, and there are many examples of historical changes where political and sexual strategies of power have interacted. In his dissertation, historian Henric Bagerius at the University of Gothenburg, examines the relationship between politics and sexuality in late medieval Iceland. The results of his research show that sexuality was often used to mark boundaries of various kinds: between chivalrous and common, human and monstrous, and masculine and feminine.
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Read the rest of this article...
Doubts cast on Chessmen origins
New research has cast doubt on traditional theories about the historic Lewis Chessmen.
The 93 pieces - currently split between museums in Edinburgh and London - were discovered on Lewis in 1831.
But the research suggests they may have been used in both chess and Hnefatafl - a similar game that was popular in medieval Scandinavia.
Read the rest of this article...
The 93 pieces - currently split between museums in Edinburgh and London - were discovered on Lewis in 1831.
But the research suggests they may have been used in both chess and Hnefatafl - a similar game that was popular in medieval Scandinavia.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 6 November 2009
Three arrested for Viking treasure theft
Three men, including the board member of an auction house, have been arrested on Gotland in connection with the plunder of hundreds of Viking-era silver artifacts from the Baltic Sea island, Sveriges Radio reports.
Island thieves bag Viking treasure (2 Nov 09)
The three men, 38, 44 and 45, all live on the mainland, though two also own homes on Gotland.
One of the men, a 44-year-old from Stockholm, is employed by an auction house specializing in the sale of old coins
Read the rest of this article...
Island thieves bag Viking treasure (2 Nov 09)
The three men, 38, 44 and 45, all live on the mainland, though two also own homes on Gotland.
One of the men, a 44-year-old from Stockholm, is employed by an auction house specializing in the sale of old coins
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Island thieves bag Viking treasure
Two archaeologists employed by Gotland county were dismayed to discover the valuables had vanished when they arrived at a field in Alva in Gotland to follow up on a recent find.
"It's just as saddening every time it happens because it's our heritage that disappears," said Majvor Östergren at the Gotland County Administrative Board.
The methodical thieves dug some 250 holes in a bid to secure as much booty as possible. Östergren estimated that the impostors had made off with 500 silver pieces worth a combined total of 250,000 to 500,000 kronor ($35,000 to $70,000).
Read the rest of this article...
"It's just as saddening every time it happens because it's our heritage that disappears," said Majvor Östergren at the Gotland County Administrative Board.
The methodical thieves dug some 250 holes in a bid to secure as much booty as possible. Östergren estimated that the impostors had made off with 500 silver pieces worth a combined total of 250,000 to 500,000 kronor ($35,000 to $70,000).
Read the rest of this article...
A New History of the Viking Age
Penguin have just published The Hammer and the Cross: A New History of The Vikings by the UCL alumnus Robert Ferguson. Ferguson is something of a new name in Viking Studies — although he’s published widely on more modern Scandinavian topics — so it will be very interesting to see what new spin he brings to the subject (as it’s apparently forbidden to write a non-revisionist book about the Vikings these days).
Here’s how the blurb describes it:
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Here’s how the blurb describes it:
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Anglo-Saxon treasures on display
A small selection of the most important Anglo-Saxon find since the discovery of the Sutton Hoo burial site has gone on display at the British Museum.
A total of 18 items, all taken from the Staffordshire Hoard, can be viewed by the public in London.
The hoard, made up of more than 1,500 objects, was first discovered in early July in a field in south Staffordshire by a man using a metal detector.
Read the rest of this article...
A total of 18 items, all taken from the Staffordshire Hoard, can be viewed by the public in London.
The hoard, made up of more than 1,500 objects, was first discovered in early July in a field in south Staffordshire by a man using a metal detector.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 26 October 2009
Conference sees Viking invasion
Experts on Viking or Old Norse mythology and theory from around the world are gathering in Aberdeen for a major conference.
The University of Aberdeen's Centre for Scandinavian Studies is hosting the two-day event from Thursday.
It is thought it could change the understanding of gods, including Thor the god of thunder, and goddesses.
Read the rest of this article...
The University of Aberdeen's Centre for Scandinavian Studies is hosting the two-day event from Thursday.
It is thought it could change the understanding of gods, including Thor the god of thunder, and goddesses.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Viking experts set to gather at varsity
VIKING experts from across the world will gather at Aberdeen University today to rewrite the history of Norse mythology.
The university’s Centre for Scandinavian Studies is hosting a two-day international conference to explore new ways of looking at the subject.
Researchers say a fresh approach to written sources, place names and archaeology could change our view of the old Norse deities, including the famous god of thunder, Thor.
Scandinavian studies Professor Stefan Brink, said that re-interpretations of 13th-century sources and the old Norse poems were opening up the discipline.
Read the rest of this article...
The university’s Centre for Scandinavian Studies is hosting a two-day international conference to explore new ways of looking at the subject.
Researchers say a fresh approach to written sources, place names and archaeology could change our view of the old Norse deities, including the famous god of thunder, Thor.
Scandinavian studies Professor Stefan Brink, said that re-interpretations of 13th-century sources and the old Norse poems were opening up the discipline.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 19 October 2009
Archaeologists may have unearthed beer hall of ancient Viking kings in Denmark
Archaeologists have unearthed a large mud building in Denmark, which may have been a cult place or beer hall of the ancient Viking kings.
According to a report in The Copenhagen Post, the hall, 48 metres long and seven metres across, overlooks the site of a Viking palace unearthed in 1986 in what is an historic area of Denmark.
“We are sure we have found a royal building of some sort,” said Tom Christensen, curator of Roskilde Museum at the time.
“The odd thing about the site is that it is littered with bits and pieces of exquisite golden jewellery, glass and bronze broaches, high quality artifacts, such as drinking glasses and ceramics, which all seem to have been deliberately smashed in some ritual,” he added.
Read the rest of this article...
According to a report in The Copenhagen Post, the hall, 48 metres long and seven metres across, overlooks the site of a Viking palace unearthed in 1986 in what is an historic area of Denmark.
“We are sure we have found a royal building of some sort,” said Tom Christensen, curator of Roskilde Museum at the time.
“The odd thing about the site is that it is littered with bits and pieces of exquisite golden jewellery, glass and bronze broaches, high quality artifacts, such as drinking glasses and ceramics, which all seem to have been deliberately smashed in some ritual,” he added.
Read the rest of this article...
Ancient cult of the Viking kings
Could a large mud building unearthed in Lejre have been a cult place or beer hall of the ancient Viking kings?
The hall, 48 metres long and seven metres across, overlooks the site of a Viking palace unearthed in 1986 in what is an historic area of Denmark.
‘We are sure we have found a royal building of some sort,’ said Tom Christensen, curator of Roskilde Museum at the time. ‘The odd thing about the site is that it is littered with bits and pieces of exquisite golden jewellery, glass and bronze broaches, high quality artifacts, such as drinking glasses and ceramics, which all seem to have been deliberately smashed in some ritual.’
‘There is also a huge pile of cooking stones from primitive ovens. This was obviously a place frequented by the upper classes of the Iron Age. Maybe it was some sort of beer hall or a sacred site where cult or religious activities were carried out. The building’s post holes are over a metre deep, so it must have been an impressive construction,’ said Christensen.
Read the rest of this article...
The hall, 48 metres long and seven metres across, overlooks the site of a Viking palace unearthed in 1986 in what is an historic area of Denmark.
‘We are sure we have found a royal building of some sort,’ said Tom Christensen, curator of Roskilde Museum at the time. ‘The odd thing about the site is that it is littered with bits and pieces of exquisite golden jewellery, glass and bronze broaches, high quality artifacts, such as drinking glasses and ceramics, which all seem to have been deliberately smashed in some ritual.’
‘There is also a huge pile of cooking stones from primitive ovens. This was obviously a place frequented by the upper classes of the Iron Age. Maybe it was some sort of beer hall or a sacred site where cult or religious activities were carried out. The building’s post holes are over a metre deep, so it must have been an impressive construction,’ said Christensen.
Read the rest of this article...
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
The Arctic before Inuit
An archeologist from the Canadian Museum of Civilization was in Kimmirut in September, studying ancient sites and sharing what she has learned with the people who inherited the land.
Patricia Sutherland, the museum's curator of Arctic archeology, has been in and out of Kimmirut for years, following up on local discoveries which have interested researchers since the 1960s.
"People seem to be very excited about what's going on and the results so far," she said. "I try to take information back to the community.
Read the rest of this article...
Patricia Sutherland, the museum's curator of Arctic archeology, has been in and out of Kimmirut for years, following up on local discoveries which have interested researchers since the 1960s.
"People seem to be very excited about what's going on and the results so far," she said. "I try to take information back to the community.
Read the rest of this article...
Saturday, 10 October 2009
Rune stone from 400 AD discovered in southern Norway
Experts are now examining a unique rune stone dating back to around 400 AD, discovered in a garden in the city of Mandal in Southern Norway a week ago. The find may also contain a grave, reports Norway Post.
This is the first rune stone discovered in Norway since 1947, and the find is described as a sensation by the experts.
There are several lines of runes cut into the face of the stone, but it seems the style of writing is a bit different from earlier finds, and more difficult to desipher.
Read the rest of this article...
This is the first rune stone discovered in Norway since 1947, and the find is described as a sensation by the experts.
There are several lines of runes cut into the face of the stone, but it seems the style of writing is a bit different from earlier finds, and more difficult to desipher.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 8 October 2009
A Celebration of Iconic Collections from the Viking World
The 2010 JORVIK Viking Festival will begin with a 25th anniversary conference, celebrating some of the most important developments and iconic artefacts uncovered in the last quarter-century of research into the Viking era. Academics from around the Viking world will gather in York on Saturday 13th February for an entertaining and illuminating look at the past, present and future of Viking studies. With a conference dinner on Saturday evening and a Festival coach tour to see some of Yorkshire's finest Viking-age artefacts on Sunday 14th February.
Speakers already confirmed include Peter Addyman, Richard Hall (Deputy Director, York Archaeological Trust), Patrick Wallace (Director, National Museum of Ireland), Anne-Christine Larsen (Vikingeborgen Trelleborg, Sydvestsjællands Museum, Denmark), Ellen Marie Næss (Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo) and Anne Brundle (The Orkney Museum).
Please check again soon for updates and for details on how to book your seat.
www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/25years.htm
Speakers already confirmed include Peter Addyman, Richard Hall (Deputy Director, York Archaeological Trust), Patrick Wallace (Director, National Museum of Ireland), Anne-Christine Larsen (Vikingeborgen Trelleborg, Sydvestsjællands Museum, Denmark), Ellen Marie Næss (Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo) and Anne Brundle (The Orkney Museum).
Please check again soon for updates and for details on how to book your seat.
www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/25years.htm
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
History Cookbook
Welcome to the history cookbook. Do you know what the Vikings ate for dinner? What a typical meal of a wealthy family in Roman Britain consisted of, or what food was like in a Victorian Workhouse? Why not drop into history cookbook and find out? This project looks at the food of the past and how this influenced the health of the people living in each time period. You can also try some of the recipes for yourself. We have a wide range of historical recipes from Brown Bread Ice Cream to Gruel (Why not see if you would be asking for more - just like Oliver Twist).
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Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 5 October 2009
Rune in Norway dates to 400 AD
The first rune stone discovered in Norway since 1947 dates to about 400 AD and may contain a grave, archaeologists in the city of Mandal said.
The rune discovered last week in a garden in Mandal has several lines cut into the stone's face, but the style of writing appears slightly different from previous finds and is more difficult to decipher, The Norway Post reported Friday.
One sentence beginning "Ek Naudigastir" -- I Naudagistr -- is believed to be a man's name. A larger stone under the rune may be a grave. Another grave from the same period was discovered on the same property years ago, the Post reported.
Read the rest of this article...
The rune discovered last week in a garden in Mandal has several lines cut into the stone's face, but the style of writing appears slightly different from previous finds and is more difficult to decipher, The Norway Post reported Friday.
One sentence beginning "Ek Naudigastir" -- I Naudagistr -- is believed to be a man's name. A larger stone under the rune may be a grave. Another grave from the same period was discovered on the same property years ago, the Post reported.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Online Courses in Archaeology
Cave paintings, castles and pyramids, Neanderthals, Romans and Vikings - archaeology is about the excitement of discovery, finding out about our ancestors, exploring landscape through time, piecing together puzzles of the past from material remains.
Our courses enable you to experience all this through online archaeological resources based on primary evidence from excavations and artefacts and from complex scientific processes and current thinking. Together with guided reading, discussion and activities you can experience how archaeologists work today to increase our knowledge of people and societies from the past.
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Our courses enable you to experience all this through online archaeological resources based on primary evidence from excavations and artefacts and from complex scientific processes and current thinking. Together with guided reading, discussion and activities you can experience how archaeologists work today to increase our knowledge of people and societies from the past.
Read the rest of this article...
Crew goes to aid of Viking ship
lifeboat crew went to the aid of a replica Viking longship after it got into difficulty in strong tides at the Kessock Bridge at Inverness.
The boat was being towed out of the city's marina when its support craft suffered engine problems.
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The boat was being towed out of the city's marina when its support craft suffered engine problems.
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Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Anglo-Saxon Landscape and Economy: using portable antiquities to study Anglo-Saxon and Viking Age England
In the last fifteen years the role of metal-detected objects in archaeological research has greatly increased through reporting to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and the Early Medieval Corpus (EMC). There are now thousands more artefacts and coins known than a decade ago which, in conjunction with fieldwork, have the potential to revolutionise our understanding of the early medieval period. This is the first time that these data have been examined on a national scale. Such an approach enables the detailed analysis of the nature of portable antiquities data, the bias within such datasets and the relationship between patterns of recovery and historic settlement (Sections 2 and 3). In the light of these new interpretations of the overall datasets, the most artefact- and coin-rich sites, known as 'productive sites', can be analysed within a new framework of understanding (Section 4).
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Monday, 17 August 2009
Archaeology Quiz: The Viking Age
The Archaeology Quiz of the Week is on the Viking Age, that early, exciting Medieval period saga of blood, guts, and poor decision making.
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Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 14 August 2009
Unique Viking find
Archaeologists have uncovered a well preserved trading post (Kaupang) from early Viking times in Laerdal, in Sogn og Fjordane county. It is probably older than earlier Kaupang finds.
More than 30 house foundations and remnants of extensive handicraft production have been uncovered. The items found have been unusually well preserved due to the dry climate in this region.
Archaeologist Asle Bruen Olsen says to NRK TV that the find is older and larger than those uncovered in other places, and that it will be very important in the research into the early Viking age.
Read the rest of this article...
More than 30 house foundations and remnants of extensive handicraft production have been uncovered. The items found have been unusually well preserved due to the dry climate in this region.
Archaeologist Asle Bruen Olsen says to NRK TV that the find is older and larger than those uncovered in other places, and that it will be very important in the research into the early Viking age.
Read the rest of this article...
Conference: New Directions in Medieval Scandinavian Studies
Next year’s annual Medieval Studies conference at Fordham University, New York has just been announced.
Excitingly, the theme is New Directions in Medieval Scandinavian Studies. It will take place on 27-28 March 2010. Key-note speakers will include Lesley Abrams, Martin Chase, Matthew Driscoll, Roberta Frank, Vésteinn Ólason, Kirsten Seaver, and Kirsten Wolf.
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Excitingly, the theme is New Directions in Medieval Scandinavian Studies. It will take place on 27-28 March 2010. Key-note speakers will include Lesley Abrams, Martin Chase, Matthew Driscoll, Roberta Frank, Vésteinn Ólason, Kirsten Seaver, and Kirsten Wolf.
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Friday, 24 July 2009
1000-Year-Old Cowshed Discovered
Archeological research undertaken earlier this summer in Keldudalur in Skagafjördur has brought to light an unusually well-preserved cowshed from the 10th century; the first one to be unearthed in Northern Iceland, archeologist Ragnheidur Traustadóttir told mbl.is.
Remains from man-made structures from the 11th and the 12th century were also discovered.
The cowshed surfaced just west of the living quarters of cow farmers Thórarinn Leifsson and Gudrún Lárusdóttir at Keldudalur. Research has been ongoing there since the year 2002. An ancient burial ground has been found there and it has been known since 2007 that ancient man-made structures existed.
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Remains from man-made structures from the 11th and the 12th century were also discovered.
The cowshed surfaced just west of the living quarters of cow farmers Thórarinn Leifsson and Gudrún Lárusdóttir at Keldudalur. Research has been ongoing there since the year 2002. An ancient burial ground has been found there and it has been known since 2007 that ancient man-made structures existed.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 20 July 2009
Jorvik Viking Centre set for £1million upgrade
A MILLION pound redevelopment of the Jorvik Viking Centre is expected to be announced tomorrow by Culture Minister Barbara Follett.
The decision by York Archaeological Trust to revamp the hugely popular attraction will include an underfoot reconstruction of the original Coppergate excavation, state of the art animatronics and the reconstruction of a new Viking-age house and backyard. The Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism said: “This is a major boost for tourism in Yorkshire. “The Jorvik Viking Centre is without doubt one of the region’s flagship attractions.
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The decision by York Archaeological Trust to revamp the hugely popular attraction will include an underfoot reconstruction of the original Coppergate excavation, state of the art animatronics and the reconstruction of a new Viking-age house and backyard. The Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism said: “This is a major boost for tourism in Yorkshire. “The Jorvik Viking Centre is without doubt one of the region’s flagship attractions.
Read the rest of this article...
Medieval massacre site found in Dorset
In June archaeologists and workers expanding a road in Dorset discovered the site of a grizzly medieval massacre, which perhaps was the result of Viking raids in the tenth or early eleventh century.
They found the skeletal remains of fifty-one men, all decapitated before their bodies were thrown in a pit. Their heads were also found, stacked to one side.
At first, the bodies were believed to have been from people who lived in ancient or Roman times, but radio-carbon dating revealed that they were killed between 890 and 1034, when the South of England was pillaged by Viking raiders from Scandinavia.
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They found the skeletal remains of fifty-one men, all decapitated before their bodies were thrown in a pit. Their heads were also found, stacked to one side.
At first, the bodies were believed to have been from people who lived in ancient or Roman times, but radio-carbon dating revealed that they were killed between 890 and 1034, when the South of England was pillaged by Viking raiders from Scandinavia.
Read the rest of this article...
Vinland Map is authentic, expert confirms
The 15th century Vinland Map, the first known map to show part of America before explorer Christopher Columbus landed on the continent, is almost certainly genuine, a Danish expert said Friday.
Controversy has swirled around the map since it came to light in the 1950s, many scholars suspecting it was a hoax meant to prove that Vikings were the first Europeans to land in North America -- a claim confirmed by a 1960 archaeological find.
Doubts about the map lingered even after the use of carbon dating as a way of establishing the age of an object.
Read the rest of this article...
Controversy has swirled around the map since it came to light in the 1950s, many scholars suspecting it was a hoax meant to prove that Vikings were the first Europeans to land in North America -- a claim confirmed by a 1960 archaeological find.
Doubts about the map lingered even after the use of carbon dating as a way of establishing the age of an object.
Read the rest of this article...
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Controversy arises over ancient stone site
The controversy over Ale's Stones (Ales stenar), a sandstone monument in the form of a ship, in Skåne in southern Sweden has taken a new turn.
The county administrative board has taken a decision to charge amateur archeaologist Bob G. Lind a fine of 20,000 kronor per day if he puts up signs at the popular tourist destination, reports Skånska Dagbladet newspaper.
Lind's previous signs at Ale's Stones, which has been called the "Stonehenge of the Nordic region", have been removed by the county board. They describe Lind's theories about the origins of the monument, which differ from those of professional archaeologists.
Read the rest of this article...
The county administrative board has taken a decision to charge amateur archeaologist Bob G. Lind a fine of 20,000 kronor per day if he puts up signs at the popular tourist destination, reports Skånska Dagbladet newspaper.
Lind's previous signs at Ale's Stones, which has been called the "Stonehenge of the Nordic region", have been removed by the county board. They describe Lind's theories about the origins of the monument, which differ from those of professional archaeologists.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 15 June 2009
The Viking Ship Museum will be 40 years old on 20 June
There will be free admission when the Viking Ship Museum opens its doors for a birthday celebration with many opportunities to look back over the first 40 years of the museum.
On Saturday 20 June it will be 40 years since King Frederik IX inaugurated the Viking Ship Hall in Roskilde. The day will be celebrated with special guided tours, open access to the Sea Stallion, publication of a book, the boatyard will be open to the public etc. There will also be free admission all day for both adults and children.
There will be plenty of opportunities to get close to the work with the Viking ships, past, present and future. The high-points of the day are listed in the programme below.
Read the rest of this article...
On Saturday 20 June it will be 40 years since King Frederik IX inaugurated the Viking Ship Hall in Roskilde. The day will be celebrated with special guided tours, open access to the Sea Stallion, publication of a book, the boatyard will be open to the public etc. There will also be free admission all day for both adults and children.
There will be plenty of opportunities to get close to the work with the Viking ships, past, present and future. The high-points of the day are listed in the programme below.
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 14 June 2009
New Viking movie in production in Iceland
Baltasar Kormakur, Iceland’s best known film director, has started work on a new high-budget Viking movie. This will be the most expensive film ever made in Iceland with an estimated budget of 60 million dollars.
Baltasar, who is probably the most popular movie director in Iceland, became famous for directing “101 Reykjavik” some years ago. His new movie is partly based on the stories of Njal (”Njals saga”), a Viking herse and his family living in Norway and Iceland. The sagas are full of dramatic stories, and they are a very important part of the history of the Icelanders.
“I’m really looking forward to this movie, and I’m sure it will be a hit internationally, it’s so full of excitement and adventure,” the director said.
Read the rest of this article...
Baltasar, who is probably the most popular movie director in Iceland, became famous for directing “101 Reykjavik” some years ago. His new movie is partly based on the stories of Njal (”Njals saga”), a Viking herse and his family living in Norway and Iceland. The sagas are full of dramatic stories, and they are a very important part of the history of the Icelanders.
“I’m really looking forward to this movie, and I’m sure it will be a hit internationally, it’s so full of excitement and adventure,” the director said.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 4 June 2009
The Viking and Anglo-Saxon Landscape and Economy (VASLE) Project
In the last fifteen years the role of metal-detected objects in the study of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Scandinavian England has greatly increased through reporting to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and the Early Medieval Corpus (EMC). There are now thousands more artefacts and coins known than a decade ago which, in conjunction with fieldwork, have the potential to revolutionise our understanding of the early medieval period.
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Saturday, 30 May 2009
Vikings visited Canadian Arctic, research suggests
Artifacts suggest Norse settlement in Nunavut
One of Canada's top Arctic archeologists says the remnants of a stone-and-sod wall unearthed on southern Baffin Island may be traces of a shelter built more than 700 years ago by Norse seafarers, a stunning find that would be just the second location in the New World with evidence of a Viking-built structure.
The tantalizing signs of a possible medieval Norse presence in Nunavut were found at the previously examined Nanook archeological site, about 200 kilometres southwest of Iqaluit, where people of the now-extinct Dorset culture once occupied a stretch of Hudson Strait shoreline.
Read the rest of this article...
One of Canada's top Arctic archeologists says the remnants of a stone-and-sod wall unearthed on southern Baffin Island may be traces of a shelter built more than 700 years ago by Norse seafarers, a stunning find that would be just the second location in the New World with evidence of a Viking-built structure.
The tantalizing signs of a possible medieval Norse presence in Nunavut were found at the previously examined Nanook archeological site, about 200 kilometres southwest of Iqaluit, where people of the now-extinct Dorset culture once occupied a stretch of Hudson Strait shoreline.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Archaeologists to investigate city’s past
Excavations for the new metro train system will allow archaeologists to make new discoveries about early city life
Copenhagen City Museum is looking for 65 archaeologists to take part in excavations in the areas where the new Metro City Ring will be built, reports MetroXpress newspaper.
Museum officials hope that relics up to 1000 years old could be among the possible treasures hidden under the city.
Read the rest of this article...
Copenhagen City Museum is looking for 65 archaeologists to take part in excavations in the areas where the new Metro City Ring will be built, reports MetroXpress newspaper.
Museum officials hope that relics up to 1000 years old could be among the possible treasures hidden under the city.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 25 May 2009
Study unlocks history of the seas
Medieval fishermen first took to the open seas in about AD1,000 as a result of a sharp decline in large freshwater fish, scientists have suggested.
They say the decline was probably the result of rising population and pollution levels.
The study forms part of a series that examines the impact of humans on life beneath the waves throughout history.
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They say the decline was probably the result of rising population and pollution levels.
The study forms part of a series that examines the impact of humans on life beneath the waves throughout history.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 15 May 2009
Viking ship found in Swedish lake
For the first time in Sweden’s long history, marine archaeologists have uncovered the wreck of a Viking ship lying in the mud at the bottom of Sweden’s biggest lake. The Swedish coastguard had a group of 50 scuba divers surveying Lake Vanern’s bottom, when they stumbled across the 20-metre long wreck.
“Never before has a Viking shipwreck been found in Swedish waters,” marine archaeologist Roland Peterson from the Vanern Museum told The Local newspaper. He explained that several Viking boats had been unearthed in Sweden before, but all of them had been on dry land.
Divers took wood and iron samples from the ship, as well as a sword and spear found within the shell of the vessel, which is covered in sediment one metre thick. Experts will now test the specimens to confirm that it is a Viking ship.
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“Never before has a Viking shipwreck been found in Swedish waters,” marine archaeologist Roland Peterson from the Vanern Museum told The Local newspaper. He explained that several Viking boats had been unearthed in Sweden before, but all of them had been on dry land.
Divers took wood and iron samples from the ship, as well as a sword and spear found within the shell of the vessel, which is covered in sediment one metre thick. Experts will now test the specimens to confirm that it is a Viking ship.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
'Viking ship' discovered in Sweden's largest lake
Marine archaeologists in Sweden have discovered what they believe to be the wreck of a Viking ship at the bottom the country's largest lake.
A team of 50 divers from the Swedish coastguard happened upon the 20-metre long wreck by chance on Wednesday afternoon.
"Never before has a Viking shipwreck been found in Swedish waters," marine archaeologist Roland Peterson from the Vänern Museum told The Local.
A few Viking boats have previously been discovered in Sweden, but earlier finds were made on dry land, Peterson explained.
Read the rest of this article...
A team of 50 divers from the Swedish coastguard happened upon the 20-metre long wreck by chance on Wednesday afternoon.
"Never before has a Viking shipwreck been found in Swedish waters," marine archaeologist Roland Peterson from the Vänern Museum told The Local.
A few Viking boats have previously been discovered in Sweden, but earlier finds were made on dry land, Peterson explained.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Church lot rock actually ancient runestone
An archaeologist says a rock used to mark a parking lot at a church in Sweden is actually a 1,000-year-old runestone.
Stockholm County Museum runic expert Lars Andersson said a rock used to help mark the lot's boundaries is thought to date back to the Viking Age in Sweden, The Local said Friday.
Andersson said in a museum statement the discovery of runic inscriptions on the rock thanks to rainy weather was akin to a "religious experience."
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Stockholm County Museum runic expert Lars Andersson said a rock used to help mark the lot's boundaries is thought to date back to the Viking Age in Sweden, The Local said Friday.
Andersson said in a museum statement the discovery of runic inscriptions on the rock thanks to rainy weather was akin to a "religious experience."
Read the rest of this article...
Exhibition opening 1 May: “Sea Stallion from Glendalough – from dream to reality
The entire exhibition area of the Viking Ship Museum will invite the public inside (and outside) to tell the story of the reconstruction of the Viking Ship Museum, the world’s longest sailing Viking longship.
The exhibition with provide insight, results and experiences from the entire history of the Sea Stallion, from its creation to its epic return voyage to Dublin 2007-08.
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The exhibition with provide insight, results and experiences from the entire history of the Sea Stallion, from its creation to its epic return voyage to Dublin 2007-08.
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Sunday, 19 April 2009
Shamans and Archaeology
What are the archaeological signatures of shamans? An interesting paper by Christine VanPool appearing in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology in the nearish future gives us a framework for answering that question.
First VanPool provides a useful delineation of the cultural traits of shamans and priests, which I've used to build a couple of detailed definitions (here: Priest and Shaman). In brief, though, the way VanPool sees it, shamans and priests are two ends of a continuum of religious specialists.
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First VanPool provides a useful delineation of the cultural traits of shamans and priests, which I've used to build a couple of detailed definitions (here: Priest and Shaman). In brief, though, the way VanPool sees it, shamans and priests are two ends of a continuum of religious specialists.
Read the rest of this article...
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Raping, pillaging Vikings were progressive
They’ve gone down in history as axe-wielding barbarians who raped their way across Europe. Now they’re enjoying a rehabilitation.
So they weren't really so fearsome?
Apparently not. Historians at a recent conference in Cambridge claim there was a lot more to the Vikings than pillage. Most of the seafaring peoples who came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark between the 8th and 12th centuries – the 'Viking Age' – were farmers and merchants, rather than violent raiders, and wherever they settled they brought advanced skills in leather and wood-work and soon integrated into local communities. You might even call them 'progressive'. Women, who were free to trade and participate in political and religious life, were afforded considerable respect, as witnessed by the riches found in their graves. Vikings were also in touch with their softer side, fussy about appearance and hygiene and very fashion-conscious. Archaeologists find more Viking combs than either swords or axes.
Read the rest of this article...
So they weren't really so fearsome?
Apparently not. Historians at a recent conference in Cambridge claim there was a lot more to the Vikings than pillage. Most of the seafaring peoples who came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark between the 8th and 12th centuries – the 'Viking Age' – were farmers and merchants, rather than violent raiders, and wherever they settled they brought advanced skills in leather and wood-work and soon integrated into local communities. You might even call them 'progressive'. Women, who were free to trade and participate in political and religious life, were afforded considerable respect, as witnessed by the riches found in their graves. Vikings were also in touch with their softer side, fussy about appearance and hygiene and very fashion-conscious. Archaeologists find more Viking combs than either swords or axes.
Read the rest of this article...
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
New find reveals Vikings may have worn horned helmets after all
A rather nice April Fool spoof article by the CBA
The imaginative depictions of Vikings popularised by national romanticism during the nineteenth century may not have been so wide of the mark, it seems.
Horned helmet BA 103 A new find from the far north of Scotland suggests that contrary to popular belief, the Vikings did in fact wear horned helmets.
Read the rest of this article...
The imaginative depictions of Vikings popularised by national romanticism during the nineteenth century may not have been so wide of the mark, it seems.
Horned helmet BA 103 A new find from the far north of Scotland suggests that contrary to popular belief, the Vikings did in fact wear horned helmets.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 20 March 2009
UNESCO refuses to move Denmark’s Jelling Stones
The Jelling Stones, ancient monuments that declare the birth of the Danish nation, have been ordered by UNESCO to remain outdoors in their natural location despite calls from Denmark’s National Museum that they are steadily eroding. The stones’ outdoor location at Jelling Church in Jutland places them at the mercy of a cold and wet climate.
Experts from UNESCO did their own research and concluded that the stones were best left where they are. UNESCO has placed both the Jelling Stones and the church on its list of World Heritage Monuments, so if Denmark wants to maintain their prestigious status they have to follow the orders of UNESCO.
The Copenhagen Post reports that Denmark’s National Museum determined earlier that the cold, damp weather in Jelling was slowly eroding the stones and their priceless runic engravings, and suggested that they be moved indoors to better preserve them.
Read the rest of this article...
Experts from UNESCO did their own research and concluded that the stones were best left where they are. UNESCO has placed both the Jelling Stones and the church on its list of World Heritage Monuments, so if Denmark wants to maintain their prestigious status they have to follow the orders of UNESCO.
The Copenhagen Post reports that Denmark’s National Museum determined earlier that the cold, damp weather in Jelling was slowly eroding the stones and their priceless runic engravings, and suggested that they be moved indoors to better preserve them.
Read the rest of this article...
70th anniversary of Sutton Hoo's discovery
It was in 1939 an astonishing discovery was made at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk - the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon warrior king and his most treasured possessions.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of this amazing discovery and to celebrate the occasion The National Trust are holding a 1930s garden party, just as there was 70 years ago.
Mrs. Edith Pretty owned the estate at the time of discovery in 1939. She had brought in local archaeologist Basil Brown the year before to investigate the mounds located on the site, under the supervision of Guy Maynard, curator at Ipswich Museum.
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This year marks the 70th anniversary of this amazing discovery and to celebrate the occasion The National Trust are holding a 1930s garden party, just as there was 70 years ago.
Mrs. Edith Pretty owned the estate at the time of discovery in 1939. She had brought in local archaeologist Basil Brown the year before to investigate the mounds located on the site, under the supervision of Guy Maynard, curator at Ipswich Museum.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 16 March 2009
In praise of ... Vikings
There's no disputing that the Vikings have had a bad press - and not without reason. Immense whirlwinds and fiery dragons signalled their sacking of Lindisfarne in 793, states the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, while Alcuin of York thought such terror had never before been suffered in Britain. For the ensuing centuries the Vikings have been so synonymous with rape and pillage that the question "What did the Vikings ever do for us?" might seem to have no mitigating answer. In fact, as scholars have long known and as a conference at Cambridge university this weekend has heard, there was a lot more to the Vikings than pillage. Most Norse people of the nearly 300-year Viking period were farmers not raiders,
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Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Vikings 'welcomed' as immigrants
Vikings successfully blended into British and Irish culture long before they were labelled as barbaric raiders, academics have told a conference.
Researchers unveiled two dozen studies this weekend at Cambridge University revealing how Vikings shared technology and ideas with Anglo-Saxons and Celts.
They argue Vikings should be seen as an early example of immigrants being successfully assimilated.
New evidence shows this assimilation occurred over a very short period.
Read the rest of this article...
Researchers unveiled two dozen studies this weekend at Cambridge University revealing how Vikings shared technology and ideas with Anglo-Saxons and Celts.
They argue Vikings should be seen as an early example of immigrants being successfully assimilated.
New evidence shows this assimilation occurred over a very short period.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 13 March 2009
Vikings lived 'harmoniously with our ancestors'
Viking warriors who raided and colonised Britain in the 11th century went on to form harmonious relationships with our ancestors, scientists claim.
The Scandinavian invaders are remembered in history books as barbaric savages who pillaged towns and villages, and raped their women.
But new evidence shows that following their violent arrival, the Vikings lived in relative harmony with their Anglo-Saxon and Celtic counterparts.
Read the rest of this article...
The Scandinavian invaders are remembered in history books as barbaric savages who pillaged towns and villages, and raped their women.
But new evidence shows that following their violent arrival, the Vikings lived in relative harmony with their Anglo-Saxon and Celtic counterparts.
Read the rest of this article...
The Vikings: it wasn't all raping and pillaging
Forget what history tells us about the Nordic invaders. New research suggests they were model immigrants who co-existed peacefully with the natives
For centuries, they have been stereotyped as marauding barbarians arriving in their helmeted hordes to pillage their way across Britain. But now a group of academics believe they have uncovered new evidence that the Vikings were more cultured settlers who offered a "good historical model" of immigrant assimilation.
The evidence is set to be unveiled at a three-day Cambridge University conference starting today, when more than 20 studies will reveal how the Vikings shared technology, swapped ideas and often lived side-by-side in relative harmony with their Anglo-Saxon and Celtic contemporaries. Some may have come, plundered and left, but those Vikings who decided to settle rather than return to Scandinavia learnt the language, inter-married, converted to Christianity and even had "praise poetry" written about them by the Brits, according to the experts.
Read the rest of this article...
For centuries, they have been stereotyped as marauding barbarians arriving in their helmeted hordes to pillage their way across Britain. But now a group of academics believe they have uncovered new evidence that the Vikings were more cultured settlers who offered a "good historical model" of immigrant assimilation.
The evidence is set to be unveiled at a three-day Cambridge University conference starting today, when more than 20 studies will reveal how the Vikings shared technology, swapped ideas and often lived side-by-side in relative harmony with their Anglo-Saxon and Celtic contemporaries. Some may have come, plundered and left, but those Vikings who decided to settle rather than return to Scandinavia learnt the language, inter-married, converted to Christianity and even had "praise poetry" written about them by the Brits, according to the experts.
Read the rest of this article...
Spotlight on the cuddly side of the Vikings
Academics gathering for a three-day conference on Vikings starting today at Cambridge University will celebrate the gentle side of the invaders: the town planners, ship builders, farmers, coin minters and stone carvers who were forever swapping songs, stories or a better way to rig a mainsail with their Gaelic neighbours.
"The rehabilitation of the Vikings is nothing new to academics, but it is surprising how enduring the myths are," conference organiser Maire Ni Mhaonaigh said. "Of course, initially there were extremely destructive raids, but over the four centuries covered by our conference they became completely integrated, even identifying themselves as the Gall-Gael, the Irish Scandinavians."
Read the rest of this article...
"The rehabilitation of the Vikings is nothing new to academics, but it is surprising how enduring the myths are," conference organiser Maire Ni Mhaonaigh said. "Of course, initially there were extremely destructive raids, but over the four centuries covered by our conference they became completely integrated, even identifying themselves as the Gall-Gael, the Irish Scandinavians."
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 9 March 2009
North Yorkshire's heritage goes on line
FULL details of some of North Yorkshire’s finest historic monuments is being published on the internet for the first time.
The Historic Environment Record, owned and maintained by the county council, is a database of information about archaeology, historic buildings and landscapes.
Primarily used by the authority and others to help manage and protect them, it is also often of use to researchers and of interest to the public.
Read the rest of this article...
The Historic Environment Record, owned and maintained by the county council, is a database of information about archaeology, historic buildings and landscapes.
Primarily used by the authority and others to help manage and protect them, it is also often of use to researchers and of interest to the public.
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Face-to-face with a brutal past
YORK’s Viking Festival reaches a spectacular finale tonight.
The five-day sell-out festival is the largest event of its kind in the UK, attracting over 40,000 visitors from around the world, many from the Scandinavian countries. It culminates with a sound and light battle at the Eye of York in the shadow of Clifford’s Tower. Entertainment starts from 4.45pm, with the battle starting at 5.45pm.
The huge number of visitors to the festival put a big strain on temporary traffic lights at the junction of Water End and Salisbury Terrace, and caused some traffic delays in the city.
Read the rest of this article...
The five-day sell-out festival is the largest event of its kind in the UK, attracting over 40,000 visitors from around the world, many from the Scandinavian countries. It culminates with a sound and light battle at the Eye of York in the shadow of Clifford’s Tower. Entertainment starts from 4.45pm, with the battle starting at 5.45pm.
The huge number of visitors to the festival put a big strain on temporary traffic lights at the junction of Water End and Salisbury Terrace, and caused some traffic delays in the city.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Heritage at Risk from Nighthawking
New Survey Reveals Low Levels of Prosecution and Crime Reporting
A national survey commissioned by English Heritage and supported by its counterparts across the UK and Crown Dependencies has revealed that the threat to heritage posed by illegal metal detecting, or nighthawking, is high but arrest or prosecution remains at an all time low and penalties are woefully insufficient.
The Nighthawking Survey, published today (16th February 2009), found out that over a third of sites attacked by illegal metal detectorists between 1995 and 2008 are Scheduled Monuments and another 152 undesignated sites are also known to have been raided, but secrecy surrounding the crime means that it is significantly under-reported. Only 26 cases have resulted in formal legal action, with the punishment usually being a small fine from as little as £38. (Illegally parking a car carries a £120 fine.)
Read the rest of this article...
A national survey commissioned by English Heritage and supported by its counterparts across the UK and Crown Dependencies has revealed that the threat to heritage posed by illegal metal detecting, or nighthawking, is high but arrest or prosecution remains at an all time low and penalties are woefully insufficient.
The Nighthawking Survey, published today (16th February 2009), found out that over a third of sites attacked by illegal metal detectorists between 1995 and 2008 are Scheduled Monuments and another 152 undesignated sites are also known to have been raided, but secrecy surrounding the crime means that it is significantly under-reported. Only 26 cases have resulted in formal legal action, with the punishment usually being a small fine from as little as £38. (Illegally parking a car carries a £120 fine.)
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 16 February 2009
No Comment
Owing to the rather infantile behaviour of a number of people who seem unable to confine their comments to a decent academic debate, I have very reluctantly decided to remove all comments from this blog and not to allow any comments in the future.
My sincere apologies to those of you who made useful contributions. I am afraid that it is a case of a thoughtless few idiots spoiling things for everyone else.
David Beard
My sincere apologies to those of you who made useful contributions. I am afraid that it is a case of a thoughtless few idiots spoiling things for everyone else.
David Beard
Inukpasuit, Inuit and Viking contact in ancient times
There are many stories of ‘Qavlunaat,’ white-skinned strangers who were encountered in Inuit-occupied lands in times of old. Stories of contact between these foreign people and Inuit were passed down the generations and used mostly to scare children to behave “or the Qavlunaat will get them.”
This sparked my curiosity to explore both sides of the encounters from written records and Inuit oral legends to see if some of these events can be correlated. One must recall that these legends were passed down orally in the Inupiaq language.
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This sparked my curiosity to explore both sides of the encounters from written records and Inuit oral legends to see if some of these events can be correlated. One must recall that these legends were passed down orally in the Inupiaq language.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Major study to map our Viking heritage
MEN with long family links to West Cumbria are wanted to take part in a study to uncover the area’s Viking heritage.
Researchers at the University of Leicester are seeking men from northern England to help map the impact the arrival of Vikings in about 900AD had on the area.
Professor of genetics Mark Jobling said some knowledge of how Vikings affected the landscape could be gauged from archaeology and place names, such as Branthwaite, Flimby, Birkby, Crosby, Allerby and Dovenby, but the effect on genetics was less clear.
Read the rest of this article...
Researchers at the University of Leicester are seeking men from northern England to help map the impact the arrival of Vikings in about 900AD had on the area.
Professor of genetics Mark Jobling said some knowledge of how Vikings affected the landscape could be gauged from archaeology and place names, such as Branthwaite, Flimby, Birkby, Crosby, Allerby and Dovenby, but the effect on genetics was less clear.
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Are you descended from Vikings?
But did the Vikings leave their genes behind as well? Scientists at the world-famous Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester, home of DNA fingerprinting, are beginning a new study to map the extent of Viking ancestry in men who live in the north of England.The study will focus on the Y chromosome, part of our DNA that is passed down from fathers to sons.Previous work from the group, led by Prof Mark Jobling, has shown a high degree of Viking ancestry among men from the Wirral and West Lancashire, and now the aim is to extend the work further afield.One question to be addressed is the relative distribution of Norse Vikings, focused in the west, and Danish Vikings in the east.
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Read the rest of this article...
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Thousands celebrate Up Helly Aa
Europe's biggest annual fire festival has been staged in Shetland.
Known as Up Helly Aa, it celebrates the islands' Viking heritage with a torch-lit procession and the spectacular burning of a replica galley.
This year it was led by a 60-strong band of latter-day Viking warriors known as the Jarl Squad led by the Viking chief or Guizer Jarl.
Read the rest of this article...
Known as Up Helly Aa, it celebrates the islands' Viking heritage with a torch-lit procession and the spectacular burning of a replica galley.
This year it was led by a 60-strong band of latter-day Viking warriors known as the Jarl Squad led by the Viking chief or Guizer Jarl.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Vikings ready for fire festival
The usually dark winter skies above Shetland are to be lit up with colour for the Up-Helly-Aa fire festival.
Bearded Vikings wielding swords will be taking to the streets of Lerwick on Tuesday evening before burning their replica galley.
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Bearded Vikings wielding swords will be taking to the streets of Lerwick on Tuesday evening before burning their replica galley.
Read the rest of this article...
1,000 Vikings to set night ablaze
Almost 1,000 "Vikings" will take to the streets of Shetland on Tuesday night in a torchlight procession to celebrate the islands' Norse heritage.
The guizers, dressed as Vikings, will march through Lerwick for the Up Helly Aa festival which will culminate in a Viking longboat being set alight.
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The guizers, dressed as Vikings, will march through Lerwick for the Up Helly Aa festival which will culminate in a Viking longboat being set alight.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 8 January 2009
1,000 years on, perils of fake Viking swords are revealed
It must have been an appalling moment when a Viking realised he had paid two cows for a fake designer sword; a clash of blade on blade in battle would have led to his sword, still sharp enough to slice through bone, shattering like glass.
"You really didn't want to have that happen," said Dr Alan Williams, an archaeometallurgist and consultant to the Wallace Collection, the London museum which has one of the best assemblies of ancient weapons in the world. He and Tony Fry, a senior researcher at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, south-west London, have solved a riddle that the Viking swordsmiths may have sensed but didn't quite understand.
Some Viking swords were among the best ever made, still fearsome weapons after a millennium. The legendary swords found at Viking sites across northern Europe bear the maker's name, Ulfberht, in raised letters at the hilt end. Puzzlingly, so do the worst ones, found in fragments on battle sites or in graves.
Read the rest of this article...
"You really didn't want to have that happen," said Dr Alan Williams, an archaeometallurgist and consultant to the Wallace Collection, the London museum which has one of the best assemblies of ancient weapons in the world. He and Tony Fry, a senior researcher at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, south-west London, have solved a riddle that the Viking swordsmiths may have sensed but didn't quite understand.
Some Viking swords were among the best ever made, still fearsome weapons after a millennium. The legendary swords found at Viking sites across northern Europe bear the maker's name, Ulfberht, in raised letters at the hilt end. Puzzlingly, so do the worst ones, found in fragments on battle sites or in graves.
Read the rest of this article...
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