I have rather a backlog of recent books to announce. Many thanks to everybody who’s sent notices of publications to me (and, in a couple of cases, even actual books!), and apologies for the tardiness.
In the run up to Christmas I shall try to tell you about as many of these new books as possible–who knows, it might not be too late to buy one for a family member or co-worker! (If you click on the links here and then subsequently purchase the volume at Amazon, a tiny percentage is returned to me, which I put towards the costs of hosting ONN.)
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Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Medieval scholar to take one-year trip to explore Iceland’s sagas
A Cambridge scholar is starting a one-year journey across Iceland, to examine the history and significance of Icelandic sagas. Dr Emily Lethbridge, who just completed her post-doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Cambridge, will be driving around the small nation using an old ambulance as she explores the many places associated with Íslendingasögur (‘sagas of Icelanders’).
The sagas focus on Iceland and Icelandic society in the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries, and describe both the everyday life of the first generations of island-settlers, and the conflicts that arose between individuals and families. Along the way, they present a great number of highly individual and memorable characters.
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The sagas focus on Iceland and Icelandic society in the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries, and describe both the everyday life of the first generations of island-settlers, and the conflicts that arose between individuals and families. Along the way, they present a great number of highly individual and memorable characters.
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Saturday, 20 November 2010
EMAS Easter Study Tour to Denmark
20 - 27 April 2011
The full details of the EMAS (the University of London Extra-Mural Archaeological Society) Easter archaeological study tour to Denmark are now available online.
The EMAS Easter Archaeological Study Tour will be a tour of many of the major Early Medieval and Viking Period sites in Denmark.
The itinerary will include sites such as the Viking Age fort at Fyrkat, the amazing cemetery at Lindholme Høje with its ship-shaped setting in stone, the great mounds at Jelling together with the rune stones and, of course, the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde and the VikingCenter at Ribe, which has been described as the best Viking museum in the world.
You can find the details here...
The full details of the EMAS (the University of London Extra-Mural Archaeological Society) Easter archaeological study tour to Denmark are now available online.
The EMAS Easter Archaeological Study Tour will be a tour of many of the major Early Medieval and Viking Period sites in Denmark.
The itinerary will include sites such as the Viking Age fort at Fyrkat, the amazing cemetery at Lindholme Høje with its ship-shaped setting in stone, the great mounds at Jelling together with the rune stones and, of course, the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde and the VikingCenter at Ribe, which has been described as the best Viking museum in the world.
You can find the details here...
Learning more about Thanet's Viking past
DISCOVER the stories behind Vikings that splashed ashore at Pegwell with two forays into the past this week, on Sunday at Quex and next Monday in Broadstairs.
In the second in our occasional History Beneath Our Feet series, Marilyn Bishop from the Isle of Thanet Archaeology Society (IOTA) talks about what she describes as "one of the most fascinating yet still little-known times in the history of Thanet" – the Dark Ages.
She said: "When the Roman army departed in 410 AD the country, left to the mercy of raiders from across the North Sea, descended into chaos.
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In the second in our occasional History Beneath Our Feet series, Marilyn Bishop from the Isle of Thanet Archaeology Society (IOTA) talks about what she describes as "one of the most fascinating yet still little-known times in the history of Thanet" – the Dark Ages.
She said: "When the Roman army departed in 410 AD the country, left to the mercy of raiders from across the North Sea, descended into chaos.
Read the rest of this article...
How did the Norse really colonize Greenland?
Almost everybody have sometime heard or read about what is often referred to as the ferocious Vikings sometimes also called Norsemen or Norse for short. You may also have heard about how the man known as Eric the Red discovered Greenland. But that is not entirely true!
But before telling the story of Eric the Red and Greenland let’s look at what could have driven the people from mostly Scandinavia going on explorations across the world. The medieval written sources and also the rune stones reveal a society which seems to somewhat have encouraged people travelling abroad to do great deeds.
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But before telling the story of Eric the Red and Greenland let’s look at what could have driven the people from mostly Scandinavia going on explorations across the world. The medieval written sources and also the rune stones reveal a society which seems to somewhat have encouraged people travelling abroad to do great deeds.
Read the rest of this article...
Vikings brought Amerindian to Iceland 1,000 years ago: study
The first Native American to arrive in Europe may have been a woman brought to Iceland by the Vikings more than 1,000 years ago, a study by Spanish and Icelandic researchers suggests.
The findings boost widely-accepted theories, based on Icelandic medieval texts and a reputed Viking settlement in Newfoundland in Canada, that the Vikings reached the American continent several centuries before Christopher Columbus travelled to the "New World."
Spain's CSIC scientific research institute said genetic analysis of around 80 people from a total of four families in Iceland showed they possess a type of DNA normally only found in Native Americans or East Asians.
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The findings boost widely-accepted theories, based on Icelandic medieval texts and a reputed Viking settlement in Newfoundland in Canada, that the Vikings reached the American continent several centuries before Christopher Columbus travelled to the "New World."
Spain's CSIC scientific research institute said genetic analysis of around 80 people from a total of four families in Iceland showed they possess a type of DNA normally only found in Native Americans or East Asians.
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Friday, 19 November 2010
Vikings Possibly Carried Native American to Europe
Medieval texts suggest the Vikings arrived in the New World more than 1,000 years ago.
The first Native American to arrive in Europe may have been a woman brought to Iceland by the Vikings more than 1,000 years ago, a study by Spanish and Icelandic researchers suggests.
The findings boost widely-accepted theories, based on Icelandic medieval texts and a reputed Viking settlement in Newfoundland in Canada, that the Vikings reached the American continent several centuries before Christopher Columbus traveled to the "New World."
Read the rest of this article...
The first Native American to arrive in Europe may have been a woman brought to Iceland by the Vikings more than 1,000 years ago, a study by Spanish and Icelandic researchers suggests.
The findings boost widely-accepted theories, based on Icelandic medieval texts and a reputed Viking settlement in Newfoundland in Canada, that the Vikings reached the American continent several centuries before Christopher Columbus traveled to the "New World."
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
'Vikings were murdered in Oxford'
Archeological studies have revealed that Viking settlers of Oxford were brutally killed and dumped in a ditch in an ethnic cleansing plan some 1,000 years ago.
Remains of 34 to 38 young men were discovered in March 2008 during excavations for a new college building.
The bones dated back to between 960 and 1020 CE and included cracked skulls. Some of the skeletons bore stab wounds in their spines and pelvic bones. There were also signs of burning.
Five had been stabbed in the back, and one had been decapitated.
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Remains of 34 to 38 young men were discovered in March 2008 during excavations for a new college building.
The bones dated back to between 960 and 1020 CE and included cracked skulls. Some of the skeletons bore stab wounds in their spines and pelvic bones. There were also signs of burning.
Five had been stabbed in the back, and one had been decapitated.
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Monday, 8 November 2010
Viking life on display in Aberdeen
An exhibition inspired by Viking life has opened in Aberdeen.
Exposure is a sound and light installation at Satrosphere and runs until 6 December.
Studies of soil samples dated up to one thousand years old at a Norse settlement in southern Greenland gave clues to the harsh life experienced by settlers at the time.
Dr Paul Adderley, environmental scientist at the University of Stirling, worked with composer Dr Michael Young of Goldsmiths, University of London.
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Exposure is a sound and light installation at Satrosphere and runs until 6 December.
Studies of soil samples dated up to one thousand years old at a Norse settlement in southern Greenland gave clues to the harsh life experienced by settlers at the time.
Dr Paul Adderley, environmental scientist at the University of Stirling, worked with composer Dr Michael Young of Goldsmiths, University of London.
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Experts reveal brutal Viking massacre
VIKING skeletons buried beneath an Oxford college were the victims of brutal ethnic cleansing 1,000 years ago, archaeologists have discovered.
Experts were mystified when they discovered a mass grave beneath a quadrangle a St John’s College, St Giles, in 2008.
But, after two years of CSI-style detective work, they believe they can pinpoint the exact day in 1002 AD that Danish settlers were rounded up on the streets of Oxford and murdered, before being carted out of the city gates and dumped in a ditch.
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Experts were mystified when they discovered a mass grave beneath a quadrangle a St John’s College, St Giles, in 2008.
But, after two years of CSI-style detective work, they believe they can pinpoint the exact day in 1002 AD that Danish settlers were rounded up on the streets of Oxford and murdered, before being carted out of the city gates and dumped in a ditch.
Read the rest of this article...
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Archeologists aim to shed light on Sherwood Forest ancient monument
ARCHEOLOGISTS are bidding to shed light on one of Notts' most mysterious ancient monuments.
Three years ago the Forestry Commission revealed that the Friends of Thynghowe had found a Viking meeting place in the Birklands, part of Sherwood Forest, near Mansfield.
The earthen mound has now been listed on English Heritage's National Monument Record.
New studies have also found the name Thynghowe in an ancient Sherwood Forest book dated to around the 1200s.
But more research is needed to understand its mysterious story.
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Three years ago the Forestry Commission revealed that the Friends of Thynghowe had found a Viking meeting place in the Birklands, part of Sherwood Forest, near Mansfield.
The earthen mound has now been listed on English Heritage's National Monument Record.
New studies have also found the name Thynghowe in an ancient Sherwood Forest book dated to around the 1200s.
But more research is needed to understand its mysterious story.
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Who Ate All the Pigs in Medieval Denmark?
It’s fair to assume that Valdemar the Conqueror, while ruling over Denmark in the early 1200s, ate like a king. But, what was the diet like for the peasants below him? The answer depends on where in Denmark the peasants called home.
Radford University anthropology professor Cassady Yoder researched the diets of peasants of medieval Denmark and found a significant difference in the foods consumed by those living in rural areas as opposed to city-dwelling peasants. Yoder’s research was published in the September issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.
As part of her research, Yoder examined the diet of Dane peasants in Ribe, Denmark’s largest city during medieval times, the mid-sized city of Viborg and the population buried at a rural Cistercian monastery. Yoder found significant regional variation among the different sites. She says the city dwellers in Ribe and Viborg ate more protein rich foods such as meat from cows, pigs and fish.
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Radford University anthropology professor Cassady Yoder researched the diets of peasants of medieval Denmark and found a significant difference in the foods consumed by those living in rural areas as opposed to city-dwelling peasants. Yoder’s research was published in the September issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.
As part of her research, Yoder examined the diet of Dane peasants in Ribe, Denmark’s largest city during medieval times, the mid-sized city of Viborg and the population buried at a rural Cistercian monastery. Yoder found significant regional variation among the different sites. She says the city dwellers in Ribe and Viborg ate more protein rich foods such as meat from cows, pigs and fish.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Hungate dig to feature on Time Team
The Hungate excavation is the biggest ever archaeological dig in York city centre.
Highlights of the dig include uncovering part of a 1,700 year old Roman cemetery and learning more about Viking York.
The dig began in 2007 and is scheduled to take five years, at a cost of £3.3 million.
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Highlights of the dig include uncovering part of a 1,700 year old Roman cemetery and learning more about Viking York.
The dig began in 2007 and is scheduled to take five years, at a cost of £3.3 million.
Read the rest of this article...
Viking treasure discovered in North Yorkshire village
A VIKING treasure pendant, which has laid buried for more than 1,000 years, has been unearthed by an amateur archaeologist.
The silver pendant, known as Thor's Hammer, has been declared treasure at an inquest in Harrogate.
It had been found near Coprove in September last year, by metal detectorist Michael Smith, who, not knowing what it was, had dismissed it as worthless.
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The silver pendant, known as Thor's Hammer, has been declared treasure at an inquest in Harrogate.
It had been found near Coprove in September last year, by metal detectorist Michael Smith, who, not knowing what it was, had dismissed it as worthless.
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Monday, 11 October 2010
Weymouth's Vikings set for Time Team
THE Vikings are coming… on a Time Team special featuring war graves on the Weymouth relief road route.
The mass burial pit was unearthed in June, 2009 on the top of the Ridgeway with 50 decapitated skulls and the bodies strewn nearby.
The grim discovery will be included in a show called In The Real Vikings: A Time Team Special on Monday, October 11 at 8pm on Channel 4.
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The mass burial pit was unearthed in June, 2009 on the top of the Ridgeway with 50 decapitated skulls and the bodies strewn nearby.
The grim discovery will be included in a show called In The Real Vikings: A Time Team Special on Monday, October 11 at 8pm on Channel 4.
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'Mini-Pompeii' Found in Norway
Norwegian archaeologists have unearthed a Neolithic “mini Pompeii” at a campsite near the North Sea, they announced this week.
Discovered at Hamresanden, not far from Kristiansand’s airport at Kjevik in southern Norway, the settlement has remained undisturbed for 5,500 years, buried under three feet of sand.
“We expected to find an 'ordinary' Scandinavian Stone Age site, badly preserved and small. Instead, we discovered a unique site, buried under a thick sand layer,” lead archaeologist Lars Sundström, of the Museum of Cultural History at the University in Oslo, told Discovery News.
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Discovered at Hamresanden, not far from Kristiansand’s airport at Kjevik in southern Norway, the settlement has remained undisturbed for 5,500 years, buried under three feet of sand.
“We expected to find an 'ordinary' Scandinavian Stone Age site, badly preserved and small. Instead, we discovered a unique site, buried under a thick sand layer,” lead archaeologist Lars Sundström, of the Museum of Cultural History at the University in Oslo, told Discovery News.
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Archaeologists find ‘mini-Pompeii’
The most well-preserved pottery from the Stone Age ever found in Norway has turned up in an unspoiled dwelling site not far from Kristiansand. The find is considered an archaeological sensation.
The discovery of a “sealed” Stone Age house site from 3500 BC has stirred great excitement among archaeologists from Norway’s Museum of Cultural History at the University in Oslo. The settlement site at Hamresanden, close to Kristiansand’s airport at Kjevik in Southern Norway, looks like it was covered by a sandstorm, possibly in the course of a few hours.
The catastrophe for the Stone Age occupants has given archaeologists an untouched “mini-Pompeii,” containing both whole and reparable pots.
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The discovery of a “sealed” Stone Age house site from 3500 BC has stirred great excitement among archaeologists from Norway’s Museum of Cultural History at the University in Oslo. The settlement site at Hamresanden, close to Kristiansand’s airport at Kjevik in Southern Norway, looks like it was covered by a sandstorm, possibly in the course of a few hours.
The catastrophe for the Stone Age occupants has given archaeologists an untouched “mini-Pompeii,” containing both whole and reparable pots.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 4 October 2010
New images may yield Viking ships
Archaeologists think they have found two more Viking ships buried in Vestfold County south of Oslo. The biggest may be 25 metres long, larger than any found so far.
This image, and another like it, may lead archaeologists to the discovery of more Viking ships buried south of Oslo. PHOTO: LBI ArchPro/NIKU
Road construction near the old Viking trading center at Kaupang has led to the discovery of two large ship silhouettes on ground radar pictures. The pictures have been made possible through a venture involving the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (Norsk institutt for kulturminneforskning, NIKU) and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archeological Prospection and Virtual Archeology.
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This image, and another like it, may lead archaeologists to the discovery of more Viking ships buried south of Oslo. PHOTO: LBI ArchPro/NIKU
Road construction near the old Viking trading center at Kaupang has led to the discovery of two large ship silhouettes on ground radar pictures. The pictures have been made possible through a venture involving the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (Norsk institutt for kulturminneforskning, NIKU) and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archeological Prospection and Virtual Archeology.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
How global warming is aiding – and frustrating – archaeologists
From hunting gear to shoes, ancient artefacts once covered by ice are being unearthed in Norway. Now scientists face a race against time to preserve them
Archaeologists have gained an unexpected benefit from global warming. They have discovered melting ice sheets and glaciers are exposing ancient artefacts that had been covered with thick layers of ice for millennia.
The discoveries are providing new insights into the behaviour of our ancestors – but they come at a price. So rapid is the rise in global temperatures, and so great is the rate of disintegration of the world's glaciers, that archaeologists risk losing precious relics freed from the icy tombs. Wood rots in a few years once freed from ice while rarer feathers used on arrows, wool or leather, crumble to dust in days unless stored in a freezer. As a result, archaeologists are racing against time to find and save these newly exposed wonders.
Read the rest of this article...
Archaeologists have gained an unexpected benefit from global warming. They have discovered melting ice sheets and glaciers are exposing ancient artefacts that had been covered with thick layers of ice for millennia.
The discoveries are providing new insights into the behaviour of our ancestors – but they come at a price. So rapid is the rise in global temperatures, and so great is the rate of disintegration of the world's glaciers, that archaeologists risk losing precious relics freed from the icy tombs. Wood rots in a few years once freed from ice while rarer feathers used on arrows, wool or leather, crumble to dust in days unless stored in a freezer. As a result, archaeologists are racing against time to find and save these newly exposed wonders.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 24 September 2010
Long-Sought Viking Settlement Found
The Vikings, the famed Scandinavian warriors, started raiding Ireland in 795 and plundered it for decades, before establishing two Irish outposts, according to the Annals of Ulster, a 15th century account of medieval Ireland. One outpost, Dúbh Linn, became Dublin, the other, Linn Duchaill, was lost in time. Perhaps until now. A team of archaeologists announced on Friday that it has found the lost Viking settlement near the village of Annagassan, 70 kilometers north of Dublin. "We are unbelievably delighted," said archaeologist and team leader, Mark Clinton, an independent archaeological consultant.
The Annagassan locals have long believed they lived near an ancient Viking town or fort. The stories of Viking raids were told to local children by schoolteachers, and there were also occasional finds that underscored this story. For example, a few years ago, a set of handcuffs once used to shackle Viking slaves was found by a farmer ploughing land. The modern search for Linn Duchaill began 5 years ago when a local filmmaker named Ruth Cassidy, a member of the Annagassan and District Historical Society, enlisted the help of Clinton, a family friend, to find the lost Viking town. They searched through 2005, 2006, and 2007 and were on the point of despair when they came across a flat area—ideal for lifting boats out of the water for shipbuilding and repairs—a couple of kilometers up the River Glyde. They managed to secure funding to pay for a geophysicist, John Nicholls, to survey the site. Nicholls found a series of defensive ditches about 4 meters deep, running in lines. The pattern of ditches does not seem compatible with the typical Irish structure of the period, a ring fort, and no evidence of a Norman settlement, such as moat or castle remains, was found. That left just one other option: Vikings.
Read the rest of this article...
The Annagassan locals have long believed they lived near an ancient Viking town or fort. The stories of Viking raids were told to local children by schoolteachers, and there were also occasional finds that underscored this story. For example, a few years ago, a set of handcuffs once used to shackle Viking slaves was found by a farmer ploughing land. The modern search for Linn Duchaill began 5 years ago when a local filmmaker named Ruth Cassidy, a member of the Annagassan and District Historical Society, enlisted the help of Clinton, a family friend, to find the lost Viking town. They searched through 2005, 2006, and 2007 and were on the point of despair when they came across a flat area—ideal for lifting boats out of the water for shipbuilding and repairs—a couple of kilometers up the River Glyde. They managed to secure funding to pay for a geophysicist, John Nicholls, to survey the site. Nicholls found a series of defensive ditches about 4 meters deep, running in lines. The pattern of ditches does not seem compatible with the typical Irish structure of the period, a ring fort, and no evidence of a Norman settlement, such as moat or castle remains, was found. That left just one other option: Vikings.
Read the rest of this article...
Marauding Vikings' ale packs a real punch
A team of archaeologists has recreated the heather ale drunk by marauding Vikings to boost their ferocity in battle.
Galway archaeologists Billy Quinn and Nigel Malcolm and businessman Declan Moore have been involved in their "great experiment" for the past three years, sampling Bronze Age brews and unearthing Ireland's ancient recipes and beer-making traditions.
The intrepid trio have just brewed their first heather ale using a recipe believed to date back to the 8th century AD.
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Galway archaeologists Billy Quinn and Nigel Malcolm and businessman Declan Moore have been involved in their "great experiment" for the past three years, sampling Bronze Age brews and unearthing Ireland's ancient recipes and beer-making traditions.
The intrepid trio have just brewed their first heather ale using a recipe believed to date back to the 8th century AD.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Online Courses in Archaeology with the University of Oxford
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.
View the courses available this term...
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.
View the courses available this term...
Ancient Arabian treasure trove unearthed in Germany
Archaeologists in northern Germany have unearthed a treasure of Arabian silver dirhams dating back to the first half of the seventh century in a spectacular find that proves brisk trade between the Middle East and northern Europe already existed more than 1,200 years ago.
A total of 82 coins were found in a field near the town of Anklam, a few kilometres from the Baltic Sea coast, in excavations completed on September 2. They come from regions that are now Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and northern Africa. The oldest coins, about an inch in diameter, were minted around 610 AD and bear the portrait of Khosrau II, the 22nd Sassanid King of Persia who ruled from 590 to 628 AD.
Other coins in the trove were minted around 820 AD and have inscriptions in Arabic. “They are little works of art with delicately engraved writing on them,” Fred Ruchhöft, an archaeologist and historian at the nearby University of Greifswald who has analysed the find, said in an interview. “It’s good silver. It just needs a clean and then it’s like new.”
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A total of 82 coins were found in a field near the town of Anklam, a few kilometres from the Baltic Sea coast, in excavations completed on September 2. They come from regions that are now Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and northern Africa. The oldest coins, about an inch in diameter, were minted around 610 AD and bear the portrait of Khosrau II, the 22nd Sassanid King of Persia who ruled from 590 to 628 AD.
Other coins in the trove were minted around 820 AD and have inscriptions in Arabic. “They are little works of art with delicately engraved writing on them,” Fred Ruchhöft, an archaeologist and historian at the nearby University of Greifswald who has analysed the find, said in an interview. “It’s good silver. It just needs a clean and then it’s like new.”
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 20 September 2010
Viking Fortress Discovered in Ireland
A Viking fortress of major importance has been discovered at Annagassan, County Louth in Ireland. The extensive site, which was uncovered following targeted research excavation, is believed to be the infamous Viking base of Linn Duchaill. A defensive rampart, consisting of a deep ditch and a bank, was excavated and while radio carbon dates are awaited to confirm the date the rampart has all the appearances of the main fortification of the Viking Fortress.
Linn Duchaill was founded by Vikings in 841 AD – according to medieval Irish annals, the Norsemen used this place to raid throughout Ireland, trade good and export Irish slaves. A battle was recorded as having taken place her in 851, and in 927 the Vikings abandoned Linn Duchaill in order to move to Britain.
The archaeological work was only started three weeks ago on a stretch of farm land between the coast and the river Glyde. Finds of Viking ship rivets and cut-up Viking silver and looted Irish metalwork also appears to be amongst the excavated material.
Read the rest of this article...
Linn Duchaill was founded by Vikings in 841 AD – according to medieval Irish annals, the Norsemen used this place to raid throughout Ireland, trade good and export Irish slaves. A battle was recorded as having taken place her in 851, and in 927 the Vikings abandoned Linn Duchaill in order to move to Britain.
The archaeological work was only started three weeks ago on a stretch of farm land between the coast and the river Glyde. Finds of Viking ship rivets and cut-up Viking silver and looted Irish metalwork also appears to be amongst the excavated material.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 17 September 2010
I am a Viking! DNA test reveals shock result for Leicestershire villager
Little did village heritage warden Wayne Coleman realise what a simple DNA test would reveal about his family.
He had just wanted to help build up a picture of the history of his home village of Kibworth Beauchamp.
For hundreds of years the Coleman family has been part of the rural life of the community.
Mr Coleman, who has done much to protect the fabric of the village, readily took the swab of the inside of his mouth and sent off the sample.
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He had just wanted to help build up a picture of the history of his home village of Kibworth Beauchamp.
For hundreds of years the Coleman family has been part of the rural life of the community.
Mr Coleman, who has done much to protect the fabric of the village, readily took the swab of the inside of his mouth and sent off the sample.
Read the rest of this article...
Investigating Ragnar Shaggy-Breeches
Dr Elizabeth Ashman Rowe, Lecturer in Scandinavian History in ASNC, writes about her current research on Ragnar Loðbrók:
One of my current research projects has to do with a legendary Viking named Ragnar Loðbrók. His nickname means ‘Shaggy Breeches’, and my husband likes to refer to him as ‘Ragnar Shaggy-Pants’. According to Ragnar’s saga (here illustrated by Niels Skovgaard), Ragnar got his nickname from the time that he killed a serpent, protected from the monster’s venom by a suit of fur clothing dipped in tar. As you might expect, by killing the serpent he won the hand of the lovely Thora. The story of Ragnar was very popular in Iceland in the Middle Ages, and Ragnar was believed to have been a real person, and even the ancestor of certain Icelanders. My project is to survey these references to Ragnar and to investigate what he meant to different authors.
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One of my current research projects has to do with a legendary Viking named Ragnar Loðbrók. His nickname means ‘Shaggy Breeches’, and my husband likes to refer to him as ‘Ragnar Shaggy-Pants’. According to Ragnar’s saga (here illustrated by Niels Skovgaard), Ragnar got his nickname from the time that he killed a serpent, protected from the monster’s venom by a suit of fur clothing dipped in tar. As you might expect, by killing the serpent he won the hand of the lovely Thora. The story of Ragnar was very popular in Iceland in the Middle Ages, and Ragnar was believed to have been a real person, and even the ancestor of certain Icelanders. My project is to survey these references to Ragnar and to investigate what he meant to different authors.
Read the rest of this article...
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Melting glaciers expose artifacts
Climate change in northern Europe is exposing hunting gear used by the Vikings' ancestors faster than archaeologists can collect it. Stuart McDill reports.
Watch the video...
Watch the video...
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Viking silver found on Isle of Man declared as treasure
A rare Viking silver ingot found in the North of the Island has been declared as treasure trove by the Coroner at Douglas Courthouse.
The ingot was found in a field in Andreas by John Crowe in October 2009.
Manx National Heritage believe the ingot, which contains 87% silver and weighs 20 grams, could date back a thousand years.
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The ingot was found in a field in Andreas by John Crowe in October 2009.
Manx National Heritage believe the ingot, which contains 87% silver and weighs 20 grams, could date back a thousand years.
Read the rest of this article...
FEATURE-Home of "Ice Giants" thaws, shows pre-Viking hunts
Climate change is exposing reindeer hunting gear used by the Vikings' ancestors faster than archaeologists can collect it from ice thawing in northern Europe's highest mountains.
"It's like a time machine...the ice has not been this small for many, many centuries," said Lars Piloe, a Danish scientist heading a team of "snow patch archaeologists" on newly bare ground 1,850 metres (6,070 ft) above sea level in mid-Norway.
Specialised hunting sticks, bows and arrows and even a 3,400-year-old leather shoe have been among finds since 2006 from a melt in the Jotunheimen mountains, the home of the "Ice Giants" of Norse mythology.
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"It's like a time machine...the ice has not been this small for many, many centuries," said Lars Piloe, a Danish scientist heading a team of "snow patch archaeologists" on newly bare ground 1,850 metres (6,070 ft) above sea level in mid-Norway.
Specialised hunting sticks, bows and arrows and even a 3,400-year-old leather shoe have been among finds since 2006 from a melt in the Jotunheimen mountains, the home of the "Ice Giants" of Norse mythology.
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Long lost Viking gateway found near Schleswig
Archaeologists have found a legendary 1,200-year-old gateway to the massive wall the Vikings built to defend themselves against their rivals the Saxons, according to a Friday media report.
Records of such a gateway existed, but archaeologists were due Friday to announce they had found the actual site, news magazine Der Spiegel reported. The team described the find as a ''sensation.''
The discovery, near the town of Schleswig in Germany's far north near the Danish border, reinforces the view that the Vikings were more than plunderers and pillagers, and that they also built and traded.
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Records of such a gateway existed, but archaeologists were due Friday to announce they had found the actual site, news magazine Der Spiegel reported. The team described the find as a ''sensation.''
The discovery, near the town of Schleswig in Germany's far north near the Danish border, reinforces the view that the Vikings were more than plunderers and pillagers, and that they also built and traded.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 27 August 2010
Archeologists Find Gateway to the Viking Empire
For a century, archeologists have been looking for a gate through a wall built by the Vikings in northern Europe. This summer, it was found. Researchers now believe the extensive barrier was built to protect an important trading route.
Their attacks out of nowhere in rapid longboats have led many to call Vikings the inventors of the Blitzkrieg. "Like wild hornets," reads an ancient description, the Vikings would plunder monasteries and entire cities from Ireland to Spain. The fact that the Vikings, who have since found their place as droll comic book characters, were also avid masons is slightly less well known.
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Their attacks out of nowhere in rapid longboats have led many to call Vikings the inventors of the Blitzkrieg. "Like wild hornets," reads an ancient description, the Vikings would plunder monasteries and entire cities from Ireland to Spain. The fact that the Vikings, who have since found their place as droll comic book characters, were also avid masons is slightly less well known.
Read the rest of this article...
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Scientists develop new methods to discover maritime archaeology
By combining meteorology and archaeology, Norwegian scientists may discover old sea routes and mooring sites, and boost our knowledge of maritime culture dating from the ancient period to the end of the Middle Ages.
“Archaeology has a long-standing tradition in protecting areas on land. But unfortunately, there is little attention to cultural monuments at the sea-shore and under water,” says meteorologist Marianne Nitter at the University of Stavanger’s Museum of Archaeology.
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“Archaeology has a long-standing tradition in protecting areas on land. But unfortunately, there is little attention to cultural monuments at the sea-shore and under water,” says meteorologist Marianne Nitter at the University of Stavanger’s Museum of Archaeology.
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Friday, 13 August 2010
Viking gold ring found in Yorkshire farm field
A gold ring once worn by a Viking was unearthed by a metal detector in a farmer's field in Yorkshire, a treasure trove inquest in Wakefield heard yesterday.
Dating back around 1,000 years, the large gold ring was found last April on pasture land in the Aberford area, east of Leeds. The finger ring, which is 90 per cent gold, was found by a man scouring the land with a metal detector with the permission of the landowner.
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Dating back around 1,000 years, the large gold ring was found last April on pasture land in the Aberford area, east of Leeds. The finger ring, which is 90 per cent gold, was found by a man scouring the land with a metal detector with the permission of the landowner.
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Thursday, 12 August 2010
"Thor's Hammer" Found in Viking Graves
Long dismissed as accidental additions to Viking graves, prehistoric "thunderstones"—fist-size stone tools resembling the Norse god Thor's hammerhead—were actually purposely placed as good-luck talismans, archaeologists say.
Using fire-starting rock such as flint, Stone Age people originally created the stones to serve as axes. But the Vikings, whose Iron Age heyday lasted from about A.D. 800 to 1050, saw the primitive tools as lightning repellent.
Because the axes predate the Viking age by thousands of years, archaeologists have long seen the stones as random artifacts, perhaps stirred up from earlier, lower burials or dropped in centuries after the Viking era.
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Using fire-starting rock such as flint, Stone Age people originally created the stones to serve as axes. But the Vikings, whose Iron Age heyday lasted from about A.D. 800 to 1050, saw the primitive tools as lightning repellent.
Because the axes predate the Viking age by thousands of years, archaeologists have long seen the stones as random artifacts, perhaps stirred up from earlier, lower burials or dropped in centuries after the Viking era.
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Friday, 6 August 2010
Archaeologists work on Medieval site in Isle of Man
Archaeologists from North America and the UK have been excavating an early Medieval site in the Isle of Man.
The team, along with local volunteers, is investigating Port y Candas, near the Ballacraine crossroads.
Archaeologist Harold Mytum said the site was of "international importance" as it is one of the few pre-Viking settlements known on the island.
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The team, along with local volunteers, is investigating Port y Candas, near the Ballacraine crossroads.
Archaeologist Harold Mytum said the site was of "international importance" as it is one of the few pre-Viking settlements known on the island.
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Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Neston to Chester pilgrimage marks Wirral’s historic Viking links
WALKERS from across the country joined the annual St Olav Wirral Viking Walk from Neston to Chester.
The 13-mile trek started out from the historic St Mary’s and St Helen’s church, in Neston, which is famous for its Viking burial stone and finished at St Olav’s church in Chester.
The pilgrimage is held each year to commemorate St Olav, the “Viking Saint” and patron saint of Scandinavia, and to celebrate Wirral’s links with the Vikings.
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The 13-mile trek started out from the historic St Mary’s and St Helen’s church, in Neston, which is famous for its Viking burial stone and finished at St Olav’s church in Chester.
The pilgrimage is held each year to commemorate St Olav, the “Viking Saint” and patron saint of Scandinavia, and to celebrate Wirral’s links with the Vikings.
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Friday, 23 July 2010
More Staffordshire Hoard items on show
Nineteen pieces of the Staffordshire Hoard have gone on public display for the first time.
They are on display at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Bethesda Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
Museum manager Keith Bloor said the function of many of the items was still being researched
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They are on display at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Bethesda Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
Museum manager Keith Bloor said the function of many of the items was still being researched
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Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Jorvik Viking Centre links up with Orchard Energy to cut energy costs
JORVIK Viking Centre has become the latest tourist attraction to link up with Yorkshire energy specialist Orchard as it looks to cut costs without impacting on visitor experience.
With an annual spend of between £80,000 and £90,000 on electricity alone, the York venue’s director of finance, Peter Nicholson, said energy had become one of its biggest overheads and the obvious place to start when making cutbacks.
He said: “We’re a charity and our main objective is to offer people a good value day out and maintain a strong educational focus.
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With an annual spend of between £80,000 and £90,000 on electricity alone, the York venue’s director of finance, Peter Nicholson, said energy had become one of its biggest overheads and the obvious place to start when making cutbacks.
He said: “We’re a charity and our main objective is to offer people a good value day out and maintain a strong educational focus.
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Sunday, 18 July 2010
Medieval Atmosphere in North Iceland
The annual medieval festival at Gásir, an ancient trading point near Akureyri in north Iceland, will take place this weekend. Booths are currently being set up where people dressed in medieval outfits will sell their handicrafts or demonstrate ancient work methods.
“The market will vibrate with life,” Haraldur Ingi Haraldsson, “mayor” of Gásir, told Morgunbladid. “People will demonstrate sulphur cleaning, clay production and repair of utilities. Bows and arrows will be made and ball games played.”
Gásir is located by Eyjafjördur fjord at the mouth of Hörgá river, 11 kilometers north of Akureyri. It was a trading point in the middle ages and probably the most international location in Iceland at that time—foreign merchants came there to sell their goods.
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“The market will vibrate with life,” Haraldur Ingi Haraldsson, “mayor” of Gásir, told Morgunbladid. “People will demonstrate sulphur cleaning, clay production and repair of utilities. Bows and arrows will be made and ball games played.”
Gásir is located by Eyjafjördur fjord at the mouth of Hörgá river, 11 kilometers north of Akureyri. It was a trading point in the middle ages and probably the most international location in Iceland at that time—foreign merchants came there to sell their goods.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Oxford University opens Anglo-Saxon archive to online submissions
Widespread interest in last year's discovery of a hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold in Staffordshire has prompted Oxford University to embark on a mission to create the world's largest online archive about the period.
The university is asking members of the public to upload any stories, poems, writing, art or songs they have composed or heard that relate to Old English and the Anglo-Saxons to Project Woruldhord (Old English for "world-hoard"). Oxford is also keen for translations of Anglo-Saxon texts, pictures and videos of Anglo-Saxon buildings or monuments, recordings of Old English, and even videos of historical re-enactments, to be included in the archive.
"We've just appointed a new professor of poetry, Geoffrey Hill, whose Mercian Hymns [about eighth-century ruler King Offa] harks back to the period," said Dr Stuart Lee, who is running Project Woruldhord. "Many other people have also been inspired by the literature and have written their own work."
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The university is asking members of the public to upload any stories, poems, writing, art or songs they have composed or heard that relate to Old English and the Anglo-Saxons to Project Woruldhord (Old English for "world-hoard"). Oxford is also keen for translations of Anglo-Saxon texts, pictures and videos of Anglo-Saxon buildings or monuments, recordings of Old English, and even videos of historical re-enactments, to be included in the archive.
"We've just appointed a new professor of poetry, Geoffrey Hill, whose Mercian Hymns [about eighth-century ruler King Offa] harks back to the period," said Dr Stuart Lee, who is running Project Woruldhord. "Many other people have also been inspired by the literature and have written their own work."
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Sunday, 4 July 2010
Harald Blauzahns Königshof gefunden
In Jelling im dänischen Jütland haben Archäologen Strukturen freigelegt, die vermutlich zum Königshof von Harald Blauzahn gehören. Der König, nach dem die Funktechnik Bluetooth benannt ist, herrschte im 10. Jahrhundert über Dänemark und Norwegen.
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Thursday, 24 June 2010
Ten things you didn’t know about the Lewis Chessmen
The Lewis Chessmen Unmasked exhibition in Edinburgh brings together the British Museum and the National Museum of Scotland’s collections of the Lewis Chessmen – a set of medieval gaming pieces, originating most likely from Trondheim in the 12th or 13th century, which were discovered on the Hebridean island of Lewis sometime between 1780 and 1831.
Individually hand-carved from walrus ivory, and numbering 93 pieces in total – 82 of which are held by the British Museum, the remaining 11 by the National Museum of Scotland – the Lewis Chessmen are world famous for their mysterious origins, unique design and curious, almost comical expressions, which range from moody kings to a frightened-looking warder biting down on his shield. They even made a cameo in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
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Individually hand-carved from walrus ivory, and numbering 93 pieces in total – 82 of which are held by the British Museum, the remaining 11 by the National Museum of Scotland – the Lewis Chessmen are world famous for their mysterious origins, unique design and curious, almost comical expressions, which range from moody kings to a frightened-looking warder biting down on his shield. They even made a cameo in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Read the rest of this article...
Archaeologists uncover Harald Bluetooth’s royal palace
In what they describe as a ‘sensational’ discovery, archaeologists from Århus find the remains of 10th century king’s royal residence
After speculating for centuries about its location, the royal residence of Harald Bluetooth has finally been discovered close to the ancient Jellinge complex with its famous runic stones in southern Jutland.
The remains of the ancient wooden buildings were uncovered in the north-eastern corner of the Jellinge complex which consists of royal burial mounds, standing stones in the form of a ship and runic stones.
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After speculating for centuries about its location, the royal residence of Harald Bluetooth has finally been discovered close to the ancient Jellinge complex with its famous runic stones in southern Jutland.
The remains of the ancient wooden buildings were uncovered in the north-eastern corner of the Jellinge complex which consists of royal burial mounds, standing stones in the form of a ship and runic stones.
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Monday, 21 June 2010
Two Birch Bark Manuscripts Found by Schoolgirl
Three ancient birchbark manuscripts and a seal have been discovered at Troitsky archeological pit in Veliki Novgorod.
On June, 17th a schoolgirl named Elizaveta Godunova taking part in the digging found two manuscripts. One of them is a three-line fragment 28 cm long. As roughly estimated by experts it dates back to the early 13th century and, probably, represents a bill of debt, since it monetary units of Old Russia are specified in it. The manuscript has been given the number 974.
Data concerning the second manuscript under the number 975 are still specified, but, according to archeologists, these are two independent documents, not related to each other.
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On June, 17th a schoolgirl named Elizaveta Godunova taking part in the digging found two manuscripts. One of them is a three-line fragment 28 cm long. As roughly estimated by experts it dates back to the early 13th century and, probably, represents a bill of debt, since it monetary units of Old Russia are specified in it. The manuscript has been given the number 974.
Data concerning the second manuscript under the number 975 are still specified, but, according to archeologists, these are two independent documents, not related to each other.
Read the rest of this article...
Friday, 18 June 2010
Herbal cold remedy from Iceland
SagaMedica’s online store has launched “SagaVita”, a herbal cold remedy made from Icelandic angelica herb; the same plant Vikings used in herbal medicine a thousand years ago.
There are absolutely, and without a doubt, no accounts of Leif the Lucky ever having suffered from a cold infection.
Leif, like other Vikings, was probably an avid consumer of the angelica herb. And justifiably so, it would seem, as modern research suggests antiviral angelica remedies may be used for preventing colds and other seasonal illnesses.
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There are absolutely, and without a doubt, no accounts of Leif the Lucky ever having suffered from a cold infection.
Leif, like other Vikings, was probably an avid consumer of the angelica herb. And justifiably so, it would seem, as modern research suggests antiviral angelica remedies may be used for preventing colds and other seasonal illnesses.
Read the rest of this article...
Monday, 14 June 2010
School set to pay fiery tribute to a Viking past
A Viking boat will be burnt on Broadstairs beach as part of a school’s celebrations to mark its links with the past.
The 32ft-long Viking longship will burn brightly on the beach for about 50 minutes on the evening of Saturday, June 26.
The fire will be lit at 8pm and everyone is invited to attend Viking Bay to watch the spectacle, which is being held to mark Bradstow School’s 100th birthday.
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The 32ft-long Viking longship will burn brightly on the beach for about 50 minutes on the evening of Saturday, June 26.
The fire will be lit at 8pm and everyone is invited to attend Viking Bay to watch the spectacle, which is being held to mark Bradstow School’s 100th birthday.
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Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Historian reveals new insights into medieval rune stones
It was not necessary to be literate to be able to access rune carvings in the 11th century. At the same time those who could read were able to glean much more information from a rune stone than merely what was written in runes. This is shown in new research from Uppsala University in Sweden.
Rune stones are an important part of the Swedish cultural environment. Many of them are still standing in their original places and still bear witness about the inhabitants of the area from a thousand years ago. They thereby represent a unique source of knowledge about the Viking Age, providing us with glimpses of a period we otherwise would have known very little about. Among other themes, they tell us about family relations, travels, or matters of faith, and all of it in a language that scholars can understand fairly readily.
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Rune stones are an important part of the Swedish cultural environment. Many of them are still standing in their original places and still bear witness about the inhabitants of the area from a thousand years ago. They thereby represent a unique source of knowledge about the Viking Age, providing us with glimpses of a period we otherwise would have known very little about. Among other themes, they tell us about family relations, travels, or matters of faith, and all of it in a language that scholars can understand fairly readily.
Read the rest of this article...
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Archaeologists given the rune around
A new study of rune stones from Viking times shows that many of the carvings are meaningless
After studying about a thousand inscriptions on ancient rune stones scattered around Scandinavia, a researcher from Uppsala University in Sweden has come to the conclusion that many of the carvings are gibberish.
The researcher claims that the Vikings who carved them couldn’t write and the people who saw them couldn’t read.
‘What was important was showing that you could write,’ explained researcher Marco Bianchi, who is an expert in Nordic languages. ‘What you wrote wasn’t so important since no-one could read it anyway.’
Read the rest of this article...
After studying about a thousand inscriptions on ancient rune stones scattered around Scandinavia, a researcher from Uppsala University in Sweden has come to the conclusion that many of the carvings are gibberish.
The researcher claims that the Vikings who carved them couldn’t write and the people who saw them couldn’t read.
‘What was important was showing that you could write,’ explained researcher Marco Bianchi, who is an expert in Nordic languages. ‘What you wrote wasn’t so important since no-one could read it anyway.’
Read the rest of this article...
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Priest who led campaign to save Viking site is honoured
THE most important Viking settlement ever found in Europe would have been lost forever were it not for an Augustinian priest who led the public campaign to halt its destruction by Dublin Corporation.
Fr FX Martin, the leader of the 'Save Wood Quay' campaign in the 1970s, was honoured at a ceremony in the National Library yesterday after it acquired his personal papers relating to the struggle, which ultimately failed to stop the local authority from building its civic offices on the site.
Discovered in the late 1970s, there was a public outcry over the decision to destroy the archaeological remains of what was regarded as one of the most important Viking sites in Europe.
Read the rest of this article...
Fr FX Martin, the leader of the 'Save Wood Quay' campaign in the 1970s, was honoured at a ceremony in the National Library yesterday after it acquired his personal papers relating to the struggle, which ultimately failed to stop the local authority from building its civic offices on the site.
Discovered in the late 1970s, there was a public outcry over the decision to destroy the archaeological remains of what was regarded as one of the most important Viking sites in Europe.
Read the rest of this article...
Viking graves found with laser
Archaeologists sitting in front of a PC, dig up one of the largest burial mounds from Viking Age.
Recently they have discovered seven new mounds in an area that already has many others.
“Sparbu of Nord-Trøndelag is about to become the richest of these historical relics,” said county archaeologist Lars Forseth.
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Recently they have discovered seven new mounds in an area that already has many others.
“Sparbu of Nord-Trøndelag is about to become the richest of these historical relics,” said county archaeologist Lars Forseth.
Read the rest of this article...
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