A team of researchers from the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester has conducted the first study on motherhood in the Viking Age, discovering that pregnant women were depicted in art and literature with martial equipment, while newborns entered a hostile world where they did not always receive a burial and, in some cases, were not […]
Scandinavia
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Ancient Scandinavians Mastered Open-Sea Voyages 3,000 Years Before the Vikings
In the waters of the Baltic Sea, long before the Vikings and the written records that tell us of conquests and explorations, there were already peoples venturing out to sea. A new study published in PLOS ONE has shed scientific light on how these peoples might have navigated during the Nordic Bronze Age (ca. 1700–500 […]
Posted inAntiquity, Middle Ages
The Roman Empire Gave Rise to the Viking Age and the First Scandinavian Kingdoms
The period between AD 180 and 550 was an era of great transformations in Scandinavia, where ancient tribal societies faced significant challenges and the first forms of organized kingdoms began to take shape. A new book published by historian Dagfinn Skre, based on six years of research across various disciplines such as archaeology, numismatics, runology, […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Strange Carolingian-Era Graves with Unusual Positions and Orientations Found on the Island of Ré
Located on the northern coast of the island of Ré, in southwestern France, La Flotte has been a strategic enclave since ancient times and may have served as a mooring port. Its archaeological history suggests that this area has witnessed intense maritime interactions since Antiquity, playing a key role in the commercial and military movements […]
Posted inArt, Stone Age Archaeology
The Enigma of the Absence of Figurative Representations in the Neolithic of Northern Europe: Where Are the Figurines?
For centuries, the Neolithic has been associated with a rich artistic heritage, particularly in regions like Southeast Europe, where clay figurines have been abundant and representative. However, a new study published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal reveals a stark contrast with northern Europe, where these visual expressions are practically nonexistent. The research, conducted by an […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Roman gladiator with Scandinavian ancestry found in York reveals unknown migrations before the Viking Age
A discovery in York, England, has shed light on a previously unknown chapter of human migration. Researchers identified a Roman-era gladiator or soldier with partial Scandinavian ancestry, offering evidence of significant migrations long before the Viking Age. Using an innovative DNA analysis method called Twigstats, scientists have revealed intricate migration patterns that shaped early medieval […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Neither Bread Nor Beer: What Did Early Farmers in Northern Europe Actually Eat?
An international team of researchers has shed new light on the use of grinding stones in early Neolithic Scandinavia. These stones, discovered at a settlement of the Funnel Beaker Culture on the island of Funen, Denmark, have undergone exhaustive analysis that reshapes our understanding of the dietary habits of the first farmers in Northern Europe. […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
The Lost Shipyards of the Nordic Bronze Age, an Enigma Hidden in Plain Sight
The Nordic Bronze Age, marked by its iconic imagery of ships carved into rocks and metal objects scattered throughout Scandinavia, has always left an unsolved enigma for archaeologists: where were these ships built? Despite the abundance of ship representations in the region’s archaeology, direct evidence of prehistoric shipyards has been extremely scarce. Now a new […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Scandinavian Horses Imported a Thousand Years Ago for the Last Equestrian Sacrifices in Europe
The study, which focused on horse remains found in ancient burial sites in Russia and Lithuania, was published in the journal Science Advances. It reveals that these horses were imported from Scandinavia through extensive trade networks connecting the Viking world with the Byzantine and Arab empires. Previously, researchers believed that sacrificial horses were always local […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
The Enigmatic Ring Forts of Ireland and Great Britain, Home to the Fairies and Giants from Legends
Scattered across the landscapes of Ireland, Great Britain, parts of Scandinavia, and northern Europe are enigmatic fortified structures known as ringforts. These circular or oval enclosures, bounded by earth walls and ditches, mostly date from between 500 and 900 AD, a period that spans the late Bronze Age to the early Middle Ages in these […]
