In the summer of 2019, the temperature rose a few degrees in Greenland, but it wasn’t solely due to climate change; rather, it was because of U.S. President Donald Trump’s idea to buy the region. This idea was revealed by the Wall Street Journal, reporting that the U.S. government claimed it could offer Greenlanders more […]
Denmark
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
A 5000-Year-Old Paved Cellar Found in Denmark Reveals the Existence of Complex Underground Structures in Prehistory
A team of archaeologists led by Marie Brinch from the Lolland-Falster Museum has unearthed the remains of what appears to be a stone-paved cellar, meticulously constructed around 5000 years ago on the Danish island of Falster. This unprecedented discovery, made at the Nygårdsvej 3 archaeological site, not only reveals the existence of complex underground structures […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
A woman buried with a Viking wagon, an iron key, and a silver-handled knife, along with 50 other graves found in Denmark
A team of archaeologists from the Odense Museum has unearthed more than 50 exceptionally well-preserved skeletons in Åsum, east of Odense, Denmark. These remains, accompanied by artifacts from distant places beyond the Danish borders, confirm that the Vikings traveled extensively for trade. Over the past six months, archaeologists have discovered more than 50 Viking graves […]
Posted inAntiquity, Science
The Greatest Climate Catastrophe in Human History May Have Originated the Myth of Ragnarok and Led to the Invention of Rye Bread
In Norse mythology, the end of the world, Ragnarok, begins with a three-year winter with no intervening summers: the Fimbulvetr. Now, a new research study from the National Museum of Denmark, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, shows that the myth could have roots in a real climate catastrophe that occurred 1,500 years […]
Posted inModern Era
Peter Freuchen, the Explorer who Survived by Making a Knife from his Own Frozen Feces
The history of explorations features a roster of people who, evidently, are out of the ordinary. They have very special, peculiar personalities, often difficult to categorize and always with a common denominator of bomb-proof determination. A good example of this was Peter Freuchen, who is not very well known because his field of action was […]
Posted inAntiquity
Danevirke, the System of Fortifications Built in the Danish Peninsula Since the Iron Age
Before diving into the subject, it should be clarified that the dates of the Iron Age in Scandinavia do not correspond with those of other regions such as the Mediterranean or the Near East. In Scandinavia, the Iron Age began around 500 B.C. and extended at least until 800 A.D., when the Viking Age began. […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
A Roman Bronze Plaque from 200 AD Depicting Alexander the Great, Found in Denmark
Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III of Macedon, was one of the greatest military leaders in history. He ruled an empire that stretched from Greece to India during his lifetime, which was cut short when he died in Babylon at the young age of 32 in 323 BC. Even centuries after his death, […]
Posted inAntiquity, Art
The Story of the Discovery and Loss of the Golden Horns of Gallehus, Created in the Germanic Iron Age
The story of the impressive and extraordinary Golden Horns of Gallehus, from their creation, discovery, and ultimate loss, is perhaps one of the saddest in European archaeology, specifically Danish. Both pieces, found separately, were recognized immediately upon discovery as exceptional finds, and the fact that today we can only admire reconstructions of the originals constitutes […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Vindelev Treasure revealed to have Belonged to a Mysterious Member of the European Elite in the Norse Iron Age
A farm located in the small town of Vindelev in Jutland, Denmark likely housed a very prominent and internationally connected individual, according to a new investigation by the National Museum of Denmark into the Vindelev Treasure, recently published in the research journal International Numismatic Chronicle. The lead researcher, Helle Horsnæs, examined the four Roman gold […]
Posted inGeography
Gunnbjørn, a Nunatak, is the Highest Peak in the Arctic Circle, Greenland and Denmark
Until the year 1930, it was believed that the highest point in Greenland was Mount Forel, located in the Schweizerland range southeast of the island. The mountain and the range were named by the Swiss explorer Alfred de Quervain in 1912. That year, Quervain’s expedition crossed the Greenland ice cap from Godhavn in the west, […]
