A recent study, not yet peer-reviewed, proposes a reinterpretation of the famous Iron Age petroglyphs (helleristninger) in Norway and Sweden, suggesting that almost all of them were created by just four artists. The research, conducted by Allan Krill, a professor of geology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, is based on advanced dating […]
Sweden
Posted inAntiquity
Sandby Borg, the Place where Archaeologists Found a Chilling Iron Age Scene Frozen in Time
The isolated island of Öland, off the southeastern coast of Sweden, holds within its windswept landscape the eroded remains of several fornborgs, circular stone fortifications built during the Iron Age. At least 15 are known. In 2011, archaeologists focused their attention on one of these enclosures, known as Sandby Borg, located two kilometers from the […]
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 inArchaeology
Archaeologists Discover Over 100 Bottles of Champagne, Wine, and Mineral Water Intact on a 19th Century Shipwreck in Sweden
A team of underwater explorers has made an extraordinary discovery at the bottom of the Baltic Sea: a 19th-century shipwreck in excellent condition, loaded with unexpected treasures. The finding was made by the Baltictech group during a recent expedition to the waters of southern Sweden, and the discovery has sparked great interest among historians and […]
Posted inScience
Chemical Analysis Unveils Hidden Elements in Tycho Brahe’s Alchemy Lab
In the Middle Ages, alchemy was shrouded in secrecy, with practitioners closely guarding their knowledge. The renowned Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, known for his groundbreaking work in astronomy, also had a keen interest in alchemy, which was typical of intellectuals of his time. His laboratory, located beneath his residence and observatory, Uraniborg, on the island […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Three Strange Cases of Cranial Modification Discovered in Viking Women
The Viking era in Scandinavia has left fascinating evidence of permanent bodily modifications, such as dental alterations and cranial deformations, used as means of communication and expression of social identity. A recent study, published by Matthias Toplak and Lukas Kerk in Current Swedish Archaeology, has identified around 130 individuals, mainly men, with horizontal grooves carved […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Unique Medieval Gold Ring and Amulet Among More than 30,000 Artifacts Found in Kalmar, Sweden
A gold ring and a crystal amulet with carved figures are two unique finds among the nearly 30,000 objects discovered during excavations of medieval Kalmar in Sweden. Remains of hundreds of buildings, cellars, streets, latrines, and everyday objects from 400 years ago, between 1250 and 1650, have come to light during two years of archaeological […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
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 […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Medieval Long Sword with Decorated Blade Found in the Grave of a Six-foot-tall Man in Sweden
During an archaeological survey in Lilla Torg, Halmstad, Sweden, archaeologists made a very unusual discovery—a well-preserved, large medieval sword. The sword’s blade measures over a meter long and was found in a tomb where the sub-medieval convent of the Church of St. Anne once stood. The tomb was beneath the floor of the south nave […]
Posted inCulture, Modern Era
Dalrunes, the Nordic runes that were used until the 20th century in a region of Sweden
Runes are the letters used to write by some Germanic peoples during Antiquity and the Middle Ages, mainly in Scandinavia but also in other areas where these peoples settled. The oldest known runes date back to the 2nd century AD. The first chronologically would be the comb inscription found on the Danish island of Funen, […]
