tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90757981348097761742024-03-18T04:02:37.897+01:00Viking Archaeology BlogThe Viking Archaeology Blog is concerned with news reports featuring Viking period archaeology. It was primarily constructed as a source for the University of Oxford Online Course in Viking Archaeology: <a href="http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/v400-24">Vikings: Raiders, Traders and Settlers</a>. For news reports for general European archaeology, go to <a href="http://archaeology-in-europe.blogspot.de/">The Archaeology of Europe News Blog</a>.David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comBlogger1321125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-71609157341794359442024-03-04T17:15:00.002+01:002024-03-04T17:15:12.578+01:00Magnet fisherman pulls a 1,200-year-old Viking sword out of a river<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="644" height="210" src="https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SEC_194453816-bc9d.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=644%2C338" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Trevor Penny found a Viking sword while magnet fishing in Oxfordshire<br />(Picture: Trevor Penny/Triangle News)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A magnet fisherman was shocked to learn a rusty sword he had pulled from a river was a 1,200-year-old Viking weapon.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Trevor Penny was using a powerful magnet to look for metal objects in the River Cherwell near Enslow in Oxfordshire when he made the fascinating find.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Excited, he notified his local finds liaison officer and gave the sword to experts to verify.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">They have now dated the weapon to around 850 AD and say it would have once belonged to a Viking.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://metro.co.uk/2024/03/04/magnet-fisherman-pulls-a-1-200-year-old-viking-sword-a-river-20392223/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-75567338707247784242024-02-29T17:38:00.002+01:002024-02-29T17:38:59.569+01:007 Scientific Tools Archaeologists Use to Uncover the Viking World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="800" height="230" src="https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/viking-archaeology.jpg?width=1200&quality=70" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Science loves the Vikings. NASA’s 1970s mission to Mars paid homage to the Vikings, and Bluetooth wireless technology takes its name from the Viking king of Denmark and Norway, Harald Bluetooth. The Bluetooth symbol on phones and computers also hails from Viking runes. Science has become essential to uncovering Viking archaeology, and new archaeological tools have allowed us to better understand the Viking world.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Strontium Isotope Analysis and Viking Archaeology</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Trelleborg Fortress located in Zealand, Denmark is a circular fortification divided into four quadrants. Inside each quadrant are longhouses. On its own, the fortress is an archaeological marvel, but the more archaeologists dig into the fortress, the more exceptional the monument proves to be.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">King Harald Bluetooth organized defensive fortifications across the Viking world to maintain power during the 10th century. Excavations in Zealand from 1938-1940 revealed a fortification associated with Bluetooth’s reign and 157 buried individuals. But who were these people?</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.thecollector.com/viking-world-archaeological-tools/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-42270215068283562262024-02-28T10:10:00.002+01:002024-02-28T10:10:07.417+01:00Kyivan Rus: The First East Slavic State<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="800" height="234" src="https://www.worldatlas.com/r/w1300/upload/89/81/28/shutterstock-2352131921.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Long before Russia or Ukraine existed, there was Kyivan Rus.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Centuries before Russia or Ukraine raised arms against each other, Scandinavians made their way to Novgorod before moving on to Kyiv.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Kyivan Rus rose up during the 9th century and laid the foundations for the development of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The city of Kyiv was the heart of Kyivan Rus, a loosely bound federation of principalities, each under the governance of its individual prince.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The state reached its pinnacle in the late 10th century when it adopted Christianity from Byzantium, marking the conversion of Kyivan Rus into Orthodox Christianity.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It also was a crucial hub for trade between the Baltic and Black Seas, helping foster growth and cultural exchange. This fusion of Slavic and Byzantine aesthetics in art, architecture, and political rule emerged. While it was taking in and absorbing influences around it, it was truly becoming a culture of its own. </span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/middle-ages/kyivan-rus-the-first-east-slavic-state.html" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-30473525567778790192024-02-27T09:47:00.002+01:002024-02-27T09:47:36.621+01:00The Vinland Map: How a Mysterious Forgery Fooled Experts for Decades<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3840,h_2160,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FvoltaxMediaLibrary%2Fmmsport%2Fmentalfloss%2F01hq3vv3273mhmepb4kr.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Vinland Map courted controversy from the moment its discovery was announced. / Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University // Public Domain (map); wilatlak villette/Moment/Getty Images (background)</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1965, Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice Michael A. Musmanno traveled to Yale University to look at a map that, until recently, had been kept a closely guarded secret.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The document, dubbed the Vinland Map, was said to date back to 1440. It was inscribed with a phrase alternately deciphered as Vinlanda Insula, Vimlanda Insula, or Vinilanda Insula, and depicted a version of North America that included Greenland as an island as well as part of what appears to be the North American coast. When translated, text on the map seemed to corroborate the events of what are known as the Vinland Sagas, two 13th-century Icelandic texts that speak of legendary explorer Leif Erikson arriving in North America—likely present-day Newfoundland, Canada—by way of Greenland around 1000. If legit, as the university claimed it was, the map was the earliest representation of North America and provided more evidence that Vikings had made it to the continent nearly 500 years ahead of Christopher Columbus—who, although he sailed for Spain, was Genoese by birth and was later embraced by Italian Americans as a hero.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In a blow to their pride, the map’s existence was announced in a splashy press conference just before the holiday honoring the explorer. With it came a book written by scholars who had worked in secret for seven years to verify the map’s authenticity. “Cartographic Scholarship Turns Over New Leif,” the Los Angeles Times punned.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/vinland-map-hoax-controversy-history" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-16201367409328725482024-02-27T08:55:00.002+01:002024-02-27T08:55:43.623+01:00A 2,000-Year-Old Rune-Inscribed Knife Sheds Light on Denmark’s Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2024/02/runic-knife-front.jpeg" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The knife engraved with runes believed to be Denmark's oldest.<br />Photo: Rógvi N. Johansen, Museum Odense.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologists from the Museum Odense in Denmark recently unearthed a significant historical artifact: a small, 2,000-year-old knife bearing an exceptionally rare runic inscription.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The text, composed of five runes concluding with three depressions engraved into the knife, uses the oldest known runic alphabet. The runes represent the word “hirila,” interpreted to mean “Little Sword” in Old Norse. While it remains uncertain whether “hirila” refers to the knife itself or its owner, archaeologists affirm its status as a cherished possession interred in a grave almost two millennia ago. The relic was found under the remnants of an urn in a small burial ground east of Odense.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking on the national significance of the discovery, museum inspector and archaeologist Jakob Bonde was thrilled. “It is a unique experience to stand with such an old and finished written language,” he said. “A runic inscription is like finding a message from ancient people.”</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/knife-rare-runes-2440707" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-56529158778211852332024-02-27T08:48:00.002+01:002024-02-27T08:48:24.540+01:00Danish Unknown Royal Family Discovered Thanks to Ring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Ring-11_foto-Nationalmuseet-1024x818-1.jpg?width=1400&quality=55" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Courtesy National Museum of Denmark.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Merovingian line ruled the Franks from the middle of the fifth century until 751. The Merovingians play a prominent role in French historiography and national identity. When it comes to the ring, 39-year-old Lars Nielsen extracted it from the earth. After that, he gave it to the Museum Sønderjylland, in Haderslev. Afterwards, the institution gave the ring to Copenhagen’s National Museum of Denmark.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Kirstine Pommergaard of the National Museum examined the ring and found that its design is similar to those of rings worn by influential Merovingians. She goes on to say that the ring not only announces the arrival of a new family. Additionally, it links Emmerlev to one of the biggest European power centres throughout the Iron Age. The ring possibly belonged to a princess who wed a different prince in the area.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.thecollector.com/danish-unknown-royal-family-discovered-thanks-to-ring/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-77710999741407101772024-02-27T08:43:00.002+01:002024-02-27T08:43:08.236+01:00Gold Ring Possibly Linked to Royal Family Discovered by Metal Detectorist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://www.mensjournal.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400/MjA0NTYwOTEyMjkwNDI0MTIz/gold-wedding-band.webp" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Lars Nielsen was casually using his metal detector while exploring the Emmerlev area in Denmark when he made quite the surprising discovery: a large and luxurious-looking gold ring set with a red semiprecious stone. It turns out it's much more than just a nice piece of jewelry that someone might have left behind. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Researchers have been looking into the ring's origins and believe that it dates back to the 5th or 6th century. According to the Danish news site Via Ritzau, the discovery seemingly points to the long-ago presence of an unknown royal family in the area with close ties to the Merovingians, a royal family that once ruled the Kingdom of France. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Kirstine Pommergaard, a curator and archaeologist at the National Museum of Denmark, explained what she found and how the ring's unique build connects it to the Merovingian elite. </span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/news/gold-ring-royal-family-metal-detectorist" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-48067164935439632872024-02-20T17:13:00.003+01:002024-02-20T17:13:38.047+01:00Rare Merovingian gold ring found in Jutland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="800" height="387" src="http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Ring-1.-National-Museum..jpg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A metal detectorist has discovered a rare Merovingian gold ring dating to 500-600 A.D. in Emmerlev, Southwest Jutland, Denmark. The ring is made of 22-carat gold and is set with an oval cabochon almandine garnet, a red semi-precious stone prized among Germanic peoples as a symbol of power. The mount has four spirals on the underside and trefoil knobs where the band meets the bezel. The spirals and knobs are characteristic of the highest quality of Frankish manufacture, and rings of this type were worn by the elite of the Merovingian dynasty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">National Museum of Denmark curator Kirstine Pommergaard believes the quality and construction of the ring suggests there may have been an unknown noble family in the Emmerlev area with close connections to Merovingian royalty.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/69517" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-5203037134970541592024-02-19T18:16:00.003+01:002024-02-19T18:16:39.318+01:00Possible Viking-Age Marketplace Found in Norway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="710" height="223" src="https://www.archaeology.org/images/News/2402/Norway-Klostery-GPR.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">STAVANGER, NORWAY—According to a statement released by the University of Stavanger, a ground-penetrating radar survey conducted on Klosterøy, an island off Norway’s southwestern coast, has detected traces of possible pit houses, cooking pits, and pier or boathouse foundations that may have been part of a Viking Age marketplace. Investigation of this area of private farmland around the medieval Utstein Monastery over the years with metal detectors has also revealed coins and weights usually associated with trade, explained archaeologist Håkon Reiersen of the University of Stavanger Museum of Archaeology. “While many indicators suggest that this may be a marketplace, we cannot be 100 percent certain until further investigations are conducted in the area to verify the findings,” added archaeologist Grethe Moéll Pedersen of the Museum of Archaeology. To read about possible evidence for the Vikings' long-distance trading activity, go to "Viking Trading or Raiding?"<br /><br /><a href="https://www.archaeology.org/news/12162-240216-norway-viking-marketplace" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-66053131821702507982024-02-19T18:01:00.002+01:002024-02-19T18:01:20.180+01:00New Medieval Books: Beowulf and the North Before the Vikings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="800" height="245" src="https://medievalists.gumlet.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/mnet24021802.jpg?format=webp&compress=true&quality=80&w=768&dpr=1.5" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Beowulf and the North Before the Vikings</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">By Tom Shippey</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Arc Humanities Press</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">ISBN: 9781802700138</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">How much history is there in the story of Beowulf? The author argues that we can learn more about the people and places mentioned in the poem than has been commonly accepted, and it also sheds light on the Viking raids that began at the end of the eighth century.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Excerpt:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Beowulf’s anti-historical critics do of course have a point. If you believe that history cannot be written without dates and documents, then Beowulf offers neither. On the other hand, students of prehistory are accustomed to making what they can of other kinds of evidence, like legends and late traditions. And there is in addition the solid and ever-increasing evidence of archaeology, the “open frontier” of Beowulf-studies and of early history. As Ulf Näsman, Professor of Archaeology at Linnaeus University in Sweden, puts it: “archaeologists can write history.” Moreover, and as it happens, even for Beowulf we do have some surprising documentary evidence, which also gives us a date.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><a href="https://www.medievalists.net/2024/02/new-medieval-books-beowulf-and-the-north-before-the-vikings/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Read the rest of this article...</span></a>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-7098758095731134482024-02-15T11:09:00.002+01:002024-02-15T11:09:53.824+01:00Vikings and their impact in Britain examined in new set of stamps issued by Royal Mail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="634" height="149" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/15/01/81285383-13085445-image-a-1_1707959190278.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The impact the Vikings had on Britain is being examined in a new set of stamps issued by Royal Mail. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The eight stamps feature Viking artefacts and locations of significance from around the UK.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">These include an iron, silver and copper sword, a silver penny minted in York, silver and bronze brooches, an antler comb and case from Coppergate, York, and a Hogback gravestone from Govan Old, Glasgow.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The release of the collection also marks 40 years since the Jorvik Viking Centre opened in York.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13085445/Vikings-Britain-new-stamps-issued-Royal-Mail.html" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-53655619176204966562024-02-08T12:17:00.001+01:002024-02-08T12:17:04.517+01:00Traces of Saxon town found beneath London’s National Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="800" height="301" src="https://www.heritagedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MOLA2-1920x1446.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> Archaeologists from Archaeology South-East have uncovered traces of the Saxon town of Lundenwic beneath the National Gallery in London.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Following the collapse of Roman Britain, Londoninium (London) fell to ruin and was abandoned during the 5th century AD.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Anglo-Saxons settled 1.6 km’s to the west of the former Roman capital, establishing a small town known as Lundenwic in the area of present-day Covent Garden.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">During the 6th century AD, England was split into multiple Anglo-Saxon kingdoms termed the Heptarchy. As borders changed through conquest and marriage, the town of Lundenwic found itself first within the domain of Essex, then Mercia, and subsequently Wessex.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/02/traces-of-saxon-town-found-beneath-londons-national-gallery/150454" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-49065842537842852942024-02-05T15:57:00.002+01:002024-02-05T15:57:44.856+01:00Ship burial discovered in Norway predates Viking Age<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://medievalists.gumlet.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/mnet24020401.jpg?format=webp&compress=true&quality=80&w=768&dpr=1.5" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">A burial mound explored last June in Norway holds the remains of a ship that predates the Viking age. Archaeologists believe this is Scandinavia’s oldest known ship burial.</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologists and a metal detectorist conducted the survey at Herlaugshagen at Leka, which is located in Trøndelag County in central Norway. Carried out by NTNU Science Museum and Trøndelag County Municipality, it was funded by a grant of NOK 100,000 from Norway’s National Antiquities Agency. The purpose was to be able to date the burial mound more closely, and possibly confirm whether the burial mound may have contained a ship. The archaeologists found iron rivets, a horse’s tooth, preserved remains of wood and charcoal.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The rivets allowed the researchers to date the site. “The mound was constructed in approximately 700 CE,” said Geir Grønnesby, an archaeologist at the NTNU University Museum. “This is called the Merovingian period and precedes the Viking Age. This dating is really exciting because it pushes the whole tradition of ship burials quite far back in time.”</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.medievalists.net/2024/02/ship-burial-discovered-in-norway-predates-viking-age/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-81451993279620879642024-02-03T17:03:00.002+01:002024-02-03T17:03:29.720+01:0010 Facts About L’Anse aux Meadows, North America’s Only Viking Ruins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_761,h_428,x_263,y_18/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FvoltaxMediaLibrary%2Fmmsport%2Fmentalfloss%2F01hne3hqgvv2rh9xgx8x.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Recreated Viking sod houses behind a wooden fence at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada. / Dylan Kereluk, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">L’Anse aux Meadows, an archaeological site in Newfoundland, Canada, represents the first and only confirmed Viking presence in North America—proving beyond doubt that Vikings reached the Americas some 400 years before Christopher Columbus. Here are 10 facts about L’Anse Aux Meadows and some of its mysteries that are yet to be solved.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Vikings were not the first people to live at L’Anse aux Meadows.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeological evidence of fireplaces, tent rings, and other artifacts suggest that several Indigenous groups lived at L’Anse aux Meadows before and after the Vikings occupied the site. They include peoples of the Maritime Archaic tradition from roughly 4000 to 1000 BCE, the Groswater tradition from 1000 BCE to 500 CE, and the Middle Dorset Culture from 400 to 750 CE. Historians believe there were no people present at the time of the Norse arrival, though.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/lanse-aux-meadows-vikings-facts" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Read the rest of this article...</span></a>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-41999278071256105092024-01-31T09:49:00.002+01:002024-01-31T09:49:58.714+01:00Early medieval sword fished out of Polish river is in 'near perfect' condition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wGVz6ixyFitmni4DdsYvXK-970-80.jpg.webp" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Images of the early medieval sword as well as an X-ray image. (Image credit: O. Ochotny)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Workers made a surprising discovery in Poland when they pulled an early medieval sword from a muddy riverbed while dredging, and some researchers think the weapon could have a Viking connection.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The 1,000-year-old sword, which is thought to be older than Poland itself, was found cloaked in silt and in "near perfect" condition in the depths of the Vistula (also spelled Wisła) River, which runs through Włocławek, a city in northern Poland, according to Warsaw Point, a Polish magazine. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Local authorities contacted the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments about the unusual finding. The city’s Center for Sport and Recreation announced the discovery Jan. 12 via a Facebook post.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">X-ray imaging revealed that the sword's blade contained an inscription that reads "U[V]LFBERTH," which could be read as "Ulfberht" — "a marking found on a group of 170 medieval swords found mainly in northern Europe" that may be a Frankish personal name, according to CBS News.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/early-medieval-sword-fished-out-of-polish-river-is-in-near-perfect-condition" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-46036890620143401242024-01-31T09:45:00.004+01:002024-01-31T09:45:21.239+01:00Archaeology Classes on the Oxford Experience summer school 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="1200" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0aoSHQBHyPagcTWN1OJGbQbpJk6ntFZOc7Gh8orqUr8DgmfB3l0yW1IQUFzl_AQDaD7FNgxcQqLkF9dqWQ1Ou4SUrs-xH3ZaLfgWEk3Y_xvHi3psCrDJh3cvHoOancHFd2euly2w4SecQn1n3XUz-ORUk-Ob50W-mCkOh7cwppr4T-3d_Z1L/s320/Tom%20Quad%20DJB.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tom Quad, Christ Church, Oxford University – image David Beard</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Oxford Experience summer school is held at Christ Church, Oxford. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Participants stay in Christ Church and eat in the famous Dining Hall, that was the model for the Hall in the Harry Potter movies.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This year there are twelve classes offered in archaeology.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://archeurope.com/oxford-experience-archaeology/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">You can find the list of courses here…</span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-32310972010091908112024-01-30T10:11:00.002+01:002024-01-30T10:11:30.950+01:00Viking “Ulfberht” 9th Century Sword Recovered from Vistula River in Poland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.labrujulaverde.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/418855103_954905262790603_8093335469782026970_n-2.jpg?w=1300&ssl=1" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The sword at the discovery site | photo Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji Włocławek</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A Viking sword from the 9th to 10th centuries was accidentally discovered a few days ago at the bottom of the Vistula River in Włocławek. According to experts, this is an extraordinary find, as only thirteen weapons of this type have been found in Poland until now. The sword has been handed over for preservation to the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">During the dredging of the harbor basin on Piwna Street in Włocławek, a sword from the 9th-10th century, likely belonging to a Viking due to the inscription ULFBERHT, was unearthed from the bottom of Poland’s longest river.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Provincial curator Sambor Gawinski stated on Wednesday in Toruń that around 170 Ulfberht swords have been found in Europe, most likely 177.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2024/01/viking-ulfberht-9th-century-sword-recovered-from-vistula-river-in-poland/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-46926677239151554942024-01-30T10:08:00.002+01:002024-01-30T10:08:30.583+01:00Up Helly Aa: What happens at Shetland's Viking fire festival?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/16FE3/production/_132497149_gettyimages-1461317339.jpg.webp" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The festival reaches its climax with the burning of a Viking galley</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Shetland's Up Helly Aa Viking fire festival is taking place in Lerwick - with a new prominence for women at the 143-year-old event.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The festival celebrates the Scottish islands' Norse heritage, culminating in the burning of a replica Viking galley.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The abolition of gender restrictions began last year, when women and girls first took part in the procession.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">For the first time, women and girls will join the main "squad" at the head of the procession through the town.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It is an important change to the event which is incredibly important to the people of Shetland.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-68131664" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-91132588166123753192024-01-29T17:14:00.002+01:002024-01-29T17:14:35.958+01:00Medieval and Viking-Age artifacts discovered in Norway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="800" height="223" src="https://medievalists.gumlet.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/mnet24012815.jpg?format=webp&compress=true&quality=80&w=700&dpr=1.5" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A very rare Byzantine coin is among dozens of medieval and Viking-era objects discovered in eastern Norway last year. Officials with Innlandet County Municipality have released details of items found by metal detectorists, including buckles, seals and pieces from swords.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Around 700 coins have now been found with by metal detectors in recent months – they date from the Roman period to 1650, with the most spectacular being a gold histamenon in excellent condition. Minted during the reigns of Basil II and Constantine VIII, sometime between 977 and 1025 AD, it shows the joint Byzantine emperors on one side and Jesus holding a book on the reverse.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.medievalists.net/2024/01/medieval-viking-artifacts-norway/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-77181053338840964642024-01-24T09:40:00.002+01:002024-01-24T09:40:48.932+01:00Oldest runes in Denmark discovered on 2000-year-old knife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://ic-cdn.flipboard.com/flipboard.com/5a3f70190e1cef703b4ae8057021f3989a78960f/_xlarge.jpeg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://flipboard.com/video/euronews/099bc8a347" target="_blank">Watch the video...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-40680786632650447362024-01-24T09:35:00.002+01:002024-01-24T09:35:32.736+01:00Denmark’s oldest runes found on knife blade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="225" src="https://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/fund_1top-768x432.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologists at the Museum Odense have identified Denmark’s oldest runes inscribed on a 1,850-year-old knife blade. The inscription consists of five runes with three depressions that runologists have interpreted as “hirila,” meaning “Little Sword.” The runic script is Proto-Norse, the oldest known runic alphabet, and the context dates the blade to around 150 A.D.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The knife was discovered by Museum Odense archaeologists in a burial ground in Tietgenbyen, east of Odense. It was one of several artifacts in an urn grave. Among the grave goods were three fibulae of a type that was only in use for a very brief period in the mid-2nd century A.D., the Early Roman Iron Age. The knife blade could then be indirectly dated to around the same time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">When the blade was first unearthed, it was coated in a layer of rust that obscured the inscription. Conservators spotted the runes after cleaning the corrosion and contacted National Museum runologist Lisbeth Imer. She examined the blade under a microscope and was able to translate the runic inscription.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/69330" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-91328784193317155422024-01-23T17:42:00.001+01:002024-01-23T17:42:14.928+01:00Why Is The Oseberg Ship Burial A Great Viking Mystery?<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Zj5nxaM6vgGC24FdnJO51KR_vMjl1WiboyTSyAoLtxqMhh41Dx1yKCzJQUhXT7Js5ESEngAf-8RYr8ebDPEnONW94LIXaMpdFkFz2bzBfzhab6I1Yg2PXPWTqN_u3L5JLXDKQ6NsmAp5i_V-AZ_1ympZL1N74KzPp6gYpRxfQcAYY3cUpwla/s700/Oseberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="700" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Zj5nxaM6vgGC24FdnJO51KR_vMjl1WiboyTSyAoLtxqMhh41Dx1yKCzJQUhXT7Js5ESEngAf-8RYr8ebDPEnONW94LIXaMpdFkFz2bzBfzhab6I1Yg2PXPWTqN_u3L5JLXDKQ6NsmAp5i_V-AZ_1ympZL1N74KzPp6gYpRxfQcAYY3cUpwla/s320/Oseberg.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Oseberg Ship burial is one of the greatest Viking mysteries. The individuals buried together with the ship are a riddle, and the fact something very strange occurred before the burial was sealed gives scientists reason to say the ship took a mystery with it to the grave. Will we ever be able to solve the mystery of the Oseberg ship?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Vikings traveled to distant lands in their remarkable longships. The Vikings’ ships were the greatest technical and artistic achievement of the European Dark Ages. Without these magnificent ships, the Viking Age would never have happened.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">"During the Viking era, there were different classes of ships. The longships were mainly used as warships, and the ships called Knarrs (or knorrs in Old Norse) served as slower passenger and cargo ships."</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.ancientpages.com/2024/01/22/oseberg-ship-burial-great-viking-mystery/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-91296793888377308092023-12-19T09:40:00.002+01:002023-12-19T09:40:33.754+01:00Oldest known ship burial discovered in Norway predates Vikings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="800" height="224" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FQzYaxZYFc8JmuCwmATLsD-970-80.jpg.webp" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">An aerial view of the burial mound in central Norway. (Image credit: Geir Grønnesby)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A large, grassy hill in Norway known as the Herlaugshagen burial mound was likely the site of a pre-Viking ship burial, a new analysis finds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archaeologists have long wondered whether the oversize mound in Leka, a municipality in central Norway located along a known centuries-old shipping route, once housed a ship. This summer, researchers conducted surveys at the coastal site and discovered several large rivets that would have held the vessel together, as well as wooden remains that are likely from the ship, according to Norwegian SciTech News, a news outlet that provides coverage for the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the Foundation for Industrial and Technical Research (SINTEF).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">"The sizes of the ship's rivets and the preserved wood around several of the rivets show that the preservation conditions are good," Geir Grønnesby, an archaeologist at NTNU who led the surveys, told Live Science in an email. "This is the largest burial mound in Trøndelag (Central Norway) and one of the largest in Norway."</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/vikings/oldest-known-ship-burial-discovered-in-norway-predates-vikings" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-51297965670635564762023-12-19T09:29:00.002+01:002023-12-19T09:29:50.023+01:00Vikings Pillaged, Conquered And Cleaned Their Teeth With Toothpicks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="800" height="129" src="https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/6580e12e505afd19bfd4e401/A-filed-hole-from-the-crown-of-a-Viking-tooth-into-the-pulp-to-reduce-infection-/960x0.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A hole filed from the crown of a Viking tooth into the pulp to reduce toothache and infection. UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">After a long, hard day of pillaging with axes and swords, Vikings likely celebrated their victories with a feast that included a roasted pig or ox and goblets overflowing with ale. In movies and books about the ancient seafaring conquerors, they don’t pause their revelry to remove gristle from their teeth with toothpicks. But in real life, they did, according to a new study.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And toothpicks are just one way they cared for their chompers.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The study, published in the journal Plos One, describes what scientists discovered when they analyzed human teeth from about 800 to 1,000 years ago to gain a better sense of everyday oral health and habits in one community of Swedish Vikings. The researchers describe the sort of bleak dental picture common to medieval Europe—frequent tooth decay, infections and tooth loss. In the Viking population studied, 49% had one or more cavities, due largely to a high intake of starchy foods combined with a lack of dental care. Adults lost an average of 6% of their teeth, excluding wisdom teeth, over the course of their lifetimes.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lesliekatz/2023/12/18/vikings-1000-years-ago-had-surprisingly-advanced-dental-care/" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9075798134809776174.post-33545538246602030182023-12-19T09:16:00.002+01:002023-12-19T09:16:54.371+01:00Sutton Hoo Saxon ship reconstruction aims for 2025 sailing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TvBQZZzdo5i4d4eTmqCMXHMrwQEsdpLxp0hxzC2c2FPpUEiCl0T4uxCPpXEPmSRwvQjkP7wzfyVmOlKV3CglryYHkFyqvpVhG5Q0gs3ImW1zYcfrKBz2um6vMJHyezBfK0Hmw54vC_3QvaBtXcG9PQpa1JQWnoeGzoYaQMGT0ET4sZzf_kNc/s320/Sutton%20Hoo%20Replica%201.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Sutton Hoo Saxon ship project, spearheaded by master shipwright Tim Kirk, is a remarkable effort to reconstruct the largest Saxon ship ever discovered.<br />Source: The Sutton Hoo Ship's Company</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The treasures of Sutton Hoo in East Anglia are legendary, including the imprint left by the largest Saxon ship ever found.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Expert shipwright Tim Kirk has been leading a team of volunteers to create an authentic reconstruction of the vessel, with a view to it being sailed in 2025. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">With occasional references to the reconstruction activity at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Tim talks at length to The Viking Herald about how the project came about, the pitfalls of using a unique Saxon burial site as an army training ground, and the quest to discover what the ship was used for 1,400 years ago. </span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><a href="https://thevikingherald.com/article/sutton-hoo-saxon-ship-reconstruction-aims-for-2025-sailing/764" target="_blank">Read the rest of this article...</a></span>David Beard MA, FSA, FSA Scothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04960863966432246464noreply@blogger.com