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 […]
Scandinavia
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Scandinavia’s Early Farmers Wiped Out Hunter-Gatherer Population 5,900 Years Ago
A new study from Lund University in Sweden is challenging long-held beliefs about the transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies in Scandinavia. Analyzing DNA extracted from skeletons and teeth dating back 7,300 years, researchers found evidence of not one but two almost complete population replacements occurring in what is now Denmark. The first change took […]
One of Scandinavia’s Oldest Dolmens is Intact from Neolithic Times, but Skulls and Other Parts of Buried People Are Missing
Last summer, archaeologists from the University of Gothenburg and Kiel University excavated a dolmen, an ancient stone burial chamber, in Tiarp near Falköping in Sweden. The archaeologists believe the tomb has remained intact since the Stone Age period over 3,500 years ago. However, something strange was discovered – parts of the skeletons of the buried […]
Valknut, the Nordic symbol whose original meaning and name are unknown
Although today it is sadly famous for its appropriation and use by some supremacist groups, the truth is that Nordic Valknut seems to be more related to religion and funeral rites than to politics or other types of issues. It is a symbol that appears on inscriptions and rune stones, rings, furniture, ships and other […]