Category Archives: EUROPE

19th-Century Farmer’s Cottage Uncovered in Iceland

19th-Century Farmer’s Cottage Uncovered in Iceland

Archaeologists have unearthed a cottage near Úlfarsfell, a mountain and popular walking area between Reykjavík and Mosfellsbær. The discovery was made during exploratory excavations made preceding the construction of the shopping centre.

Archaeologists Unearth Cottage Between Reykjavík and Mosfellsbær

According to Icelandic law, an archaeological investigation must be conducted before construction and any finds registered with the Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland.

The cottage in question, called Hamrahlíð, was found to have been inhabited from around 1850 to 1920.

Among the everyday objects found to include a knife, pottery, plates, cups, glass bottles, and some agricultural tools.

An archaeologist from Antikva ehf., the contractor responsible for the excavation, stated to RÚV that: “We’ve found cooking pits, so people were cooking something here or working with food.

We don’t have any mounds or any built-up fireplaces, but we do have these holes. In one, which is 35 cm deep, we have at least six layers of moss with burnt bones and charcoal. It can be seen very clearly on the floors that they busied themselves around this area.”

Hermann Jakob Hjartarson, the archaeologist at Antikva, has stated that relatively few studies of such small cottages have been carried out. He started to RÚV, “undoubtedly, I think that this is still just one part of a bigger story. Most people here at that time were just cottage farmers.”

Rare golden sword pommel acquired by a Scottish museum

Rare golden sword pommel acquired by a Scottish museum

Rare golden sword pommel acquired by a Scottish museum
A pommel is a decorative piece attached to the bottom of a sword sometimes used as a counter-weight

An “exceptionally rare” gold sword pommel discovered by a metal detectorist near Stirling has been acquired by National Museums Scotland. The pommel, which is about 1,300 years old, was found in 2019 and was declared to the Scottish Treasure Trove unit.

The gold decoration which would have sat at the top of a sword handle measures 5.5cm wide, weighs 25g and was valued at about £30,000.

The find has been described as “hugely significant”.

Dr Alice Blackwell, senior curator of medieval archaeology and history at National Museums Scotland (NMS), said goldwork from this period was “virtually unknown” anywhere in the UK.

She said it showed the spectacular skill and craftsmanship of the early medieval period.

The pommel is thought to date from about 700 AD.

The solid gold object is encrusted with garnets and intricate goldwork which features religious motifs and fantastical creatures.

The discovery was made at Blair Drummond towards the end of 2019 but NMS said that due to restrictions during the pandemic decisions about its acquisition were delayed.

It was allocated to them on the recommendation of the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel.

Dr Blackwell said its archaeological value was due to what it told us about important cultural, political and artistic interactions in northern Britain at this time.

She said its decoration combined elements from both Anglo-Saxon England and the kingdoms of Early Medieval Scotland.

“Early medieval Scotland is a really interesting period,” Dr Blackwell said.

“You have a number of culturally distinct kingdoms and the pommel’s design has taken from the different cultures and melded them together “

That melding of different cultural styles is known as the “insular art” style, which was made famous by illuminated manuscripts such as the Lindisfarne Gospels.

Dr Blackwell said this fusion of styles had made it hard to determine where exactly it was made and to whom it may have belonged.

However, she said it potentially could have belonged to royalty due to the higher standard of goldwork the pommel had compared with other goldware found in this period.

“In a way, this is the start of the artefact’s journey,” Dr Blackwell said.

“A lot of research and work is still to be done to uncover what stories it can tell us about the political and cultural landscape of Northern Britain at this time.”

Mummified Baby From Centuries Ago May Have Died From Lack of Sunlight

Mummified Baby From Centuries Ago May Have Died From Lack of Sunlight

Mummified Baby From Centuries Ago May Have Died From Lack of Sunlight
The infant mummy is covered in a silk coat.

For centuries, the crypt of one of the oldest aristocratic families in Austria has preserved a tragic secret. A boy, perhaps no older than a year or two in age, who died not from a lack of food, or injury. But for a simple want of sunlight on his skin.

The male child was found mummified in a family crypt reserved for the Counts of Starhemberg, having been interred there somewhere between the middle of the 16th and 17th centuries. His tiny features are withered but detailed, his body still wrapped in an elaborate silk garment.

Yet, in spite of living a life of privilege, his short existence was clearly not a healthy one.

A virtual autopsy of the corpse using CT scans has revealed malformations to the ribs that resemble classical signs of malnutrition, specifically vitamin D deficiency. Known as rickets, this condition tends to result in a bowing of the legs, a feature that wasn’t evident in the boy’s bones.

Keeping an open mind, the researchers considered a second possibility – low amounts of vitamin C, resulting in scurvy. While the rib deformations aren’t identical for both conditions, their similarities were enough for the researchers to investigate further.

Fat tissue analysis revealed the 10- to 18-month-year-old was overweight for his age, at least compared to other infants of the time. As a result, researchers suspect the child was well-fed in his patrician life, making vitamin C deficiency less likely.

Vitamin D, on the other hand, isn’t absorbed from our food in significant amounts, but rather produced in the skin through chemical reactions that depend on ultraviolet (UV) radiation, suggesting the child was severely undernourished not for want of food, but by lack of sunlight.

The chemical is absolutely crucial in building bones during childhood, explaining bone abnormalities. It also allows the body to better absorb calcium and phosphorous throughout life.

“The combination of obesity along with a severe vitamin deficiency can only be explained by a generally ‘good’ nutritional status along with an almost complete lack of sunlight exposure,” explains pathologist Andreas Nerlich from the University of Munich.

Although rickets isn’t necessarily a death sentence, a look at the child’s lungs revealed signs of lethal pneumonia, an infection that is common in infants with vitamin-D deficiencies.

A close-up of the mummified infant with his hand on his stomach.

It took until the nineteenth century and a pandemic of rickets for scientists to figure out that Sun exposure is necessary for bone formation, much too late to help the Starhemberg infant.

The mummified infant found in Austria is just one child from one time in one family in one part of Europe, but given how few infant burials have been found so well-preserved, the discovery is an interesting insight into the living conditions of noble infants of the 16th and 17th centuries.

During this time, aristocrats often avoided the Sun to keep their skin porcelain white, a sign of high rank in much of European society. Only peasants and labourers were Sun-kissed.

In Italy, many skeletons of noble children buried in the Medici Chapels in Florence during the 16th and 17th centuries also show signs of rickets, including bowing of the limbs. Researchers behind a 2013 study argued that prolonged delay in providing adequate amounts of solid foods that would provide small amounts of vitamin D in infants could add to the risks of rickets.

It’s not clear if the infant found in the Austrian crypt was weaned, or ate fatty foods rich in vitamin D. What is known is he was well-fed and cared for. In fact, his high level of body fat is probably what has kept his remains so well preserved. There’s even some recent evidence that vitamin-D deficiency is tied to childhood obesity, raising questions of just what role his privileged diet might have played in his illness.

Given that the corpse was buried in a silk funerary coat and was the only infant in the family crypt, researchers suspect he was a firstborn, possibly named Gundaker, Gregor, or Reichard, judging by the family tree. Unfortunately, his coffin did not bear an inscription.

“This is only one case,” admits Nerlich, “but as we know that the early infant death rates generally were very high at that time, our observations may have a considerable impact on the overall life reconstruction of infants even in higher social classes.”

Rare 1,000-Year-Old Viking Wooden Bowl Found By Young Boy

Rare 1,000-Year-Old Viking Wooden Bowl Found By Young Boy

To most children finding something unusual and unexpected is a joy, but discovering a precious, rare ancient artefact must be a memory for a lifetime! One can only guess what goes through the mind of the youngster who has unearthed a rare 1,000-year-old bowl from the Viking Age.

The artefact was discovered by ten-year-old Erik Briskerud, who was with his father in Glomma, Norway. The father and his son were on a boat when they spotted a sandbank in the middle of the river.

Erik was surprised to see something resembling a root in the sand and decided to find out what it was. When he reached the spot, he saw a wooden object stuck in the sand. He cleared the sand with his father to find out what kind of object this was.

Ten-year-old Erik Briskerud found the 1,000-year-old bowl when he was going swimming in Glomma this summer.

“When we had removed all the sand, it looked like a bowl,” he says. It would have been easy to throw away the wooden bowl, but Erik noticed someone had taken the time to create nice edges on the bowl with some carving tools.

The wooden bowl was sent to local scientists who sent a tiny sample of the object to Florida, USA, for dating. The answer came within the next few days, and everyone was excited about the results. Rooted in the sand was an 800-1,000-year-old wooden bowl dating from later Viking times.

It would be not just any bowl but one of the most special bowls found in Norway!

” I think it’s very cool. I didn’t think it was entirely from the Viking Age. Quite amazing that it is so old, Briskerud told the NRK in an interview.

“It is almost difficult to explain how special this find is, says an archaeologist at Innlandet county municipality Mildri Een Eide.

Rare 1,000-Year-Old Viking Wooden Bowl Found By Young Boy
Considering its age and condition, this wooden bowl is most likely the only one of its kind.

Some wooden bowls have previously been found in Norway from the Viking Age, but they are often only in small pieces or fragments.

“So this one is very special. Considering the age, she says that we do not know of any other finds of this kind in Norway. We think it is most likely made from a ball of wood or a wooden knot found on many trees and hollowed out.

We had to pinch ourselves a couple of times. We guessed the 18th century, but it turned out to be much older.”

As reported by the NRK, the “bowl is also special because it is roughly carved, which may indicate that it does not originate from the richest or most powerful.

Archaeologist Een Eide promises ten-year-old Erik that the cultural history museum in Oslo will take good care of the bowl.

“It is rare to find objects that belonged to ordinary Viking Age people. This is not an ornamental object”, says Een Eide.

The bowl will now be sent to the Cultural History Museum in Oslo, which will look after it for posterity. The reason why the bowl is so well preserved is most likely due to the sand.

“There is quite a little oxygen in the sand in Glomma, so it has been lying safely and well in the sand. A bit like a marsh corpse. But how it ended up there is not known. Glomma may have looked different, or it may have come with the flow.

She thinks the probability of finding more in the sandbank is small. In addition, it is challenging to dig in water. So it probably won’t happen at first,” Een Eide explained.

She praises ten-year-old Erik for realizing that this was something special.

“So we owe him a big thank you,” Een Eide says.

Unexpected Discovery Of Two Viking Swords In Upright Position In Sweden

Unexpected Discovery Of Two Viking Swords In Upright Position In Sweden

It does not happen very often that archaeologists find Viking swords. Swords were extremely important to ancient Vikings, but these weapons were expensive to produce, and only the richest warriors and chiefs could afford a sword.

As previously explained on AncientPages.com, the loss of a sword was a catastrophe for a Viking. Vikings believed a man and his sword were bound together.

The sword gave power to the warrior, but the warrior’s strength could also be transferred to the sword.

One of the Viking swords found in Köping.

A Viking sword was a deadly weapon and symbol of power. It was jewellery for a man, with ‘magical properties’. How the Vikings named, their sword was a matter of heritage. Swords were given names and passed from father to son for generations.

Viking swords are rare, and scientists are naturally excited whenever they come across them.

Archaeologists in Sweden now report that two Viking Age swords have been found during an archaeological examination of a grave field in Viby / Norrtuna outside Köping. The swords were buried in graves over 1200 years ago.

“We could see the handle of one of the swords sticking out of the ground, directly under the grass turf,” says Anton Seiler, at the Archaeologists at the State Historical Museums.

A stone’s throw from Köping in Västmanland lies the large grave field with about 100 graves – including two grave piles – dating to the younger Iron Age, about 600-1000 e. Cr.

“It was in the one grave pile that the sword was unexpectedly found. Over a later period of time, perhaps 200–300 years after it was built, humans have returned to the pile and laid three new graves built in the first one. It is about three stone laying, ie, graves built of stone.

In one stone setting, there were a large number of beautiful glass beads. In the other two, the swords have been stabbed into the ground in the middle of each grave. Something that is very unusual,” says archaeologist Anton Seiler.

A total of more than 20 Viking Age swords have been found in Västmanland in the past. Finding two specimens on the same burial ground as we have done, and also untouched in the graves, is a bit of a sensation. Especially as they are positioned the way they are, ” Seiler explains.

Why the swords stand upright is difficult to determine, but they have been placed very shallowly in the ground. Seiler suggests that it was a way of venerating and remembering their relatives by visiting where the swords were found and touching them.

“We do not know why several individuals have been buried later in the mound, whether this was about kinship or if you wanted to mark some belonging. Hopefully, the osteological analyses can provide answers to whether it is male or female graves.

“Cremated bones from humans and animals, a game piece, parts of a comb, and Bear Claws, which may have been part of a bear trap, are other finds made in the graves. A little unusual about the burial ground in Viby / Norrtuna is that it seems to be built on top of an older Farm, says archaeologist Fredrik Larsson.

Unexpected Discovery Of Two Viking Swords In Upright Position In Sweden

According to the press release issued by Arkeologerna, the area was explored in stages. Under the grave field, there are farm remains that are older, from the Bronze Age or the older Iron Age. There is evidence that iron production has also been involved, so it is a very complex place.

The major archaeological excavations along the E18 in Västmanland have been going on for two years. They are being done in connection with widening the motorway between Köping and Västjädra. The excavations are now completed, and the swords are submitted for preservation.

History buffs on 2,000-year-old Roman road discovery near Evesham

History buffs on 2,000-year-old Roman road discovery near Evesham

The possible Roman ford was found near Evesham.

History buffs have shared their thoughts on a possible Roman road found near Evesham. Severn Trent workmen came across what some believe to be a nearly 2,000-year-old ford when completing sewerage works several weeks ago.

Aidan Smyth, the archaeology advisor for Wychavon District Council, thinks it could have global significance and now history fans from around Worcestershire have weighed in on the discovery.

Paul Harding, who runs Discovery History with his wife Helen, thinks it could put Evesham ‘on the map’.

He said: “The recent find of a possible Roman Ford in Worcestershire is really exciting.

“A surviving Roman Ford is extremely rare in what was once the Roman Empire.

“It looks like a well-made Roman road surface and may have taken over from an earlier trackway or route that the Britons were using before the Romans.

“We had simple roads before the Romans, and these sometimes followed traditional routes.

“This will put the area on the archaeological map and allow for further study in this kind of structure.”

Severn Trent workmen made the discovery whilst completing sewerage works.

Richard Ball, trustee at Vale of Evesham Historic Society, is equally enthused about the discovery.

He said: “There are some traces of Roman times in the Vale but in general these are few and far between, and this is by far the most important that has been found for a long time.

“I am hopeful that Aidan Smyth and his archaeology team will have an opportunity to examine it thoroughly and expect that the VEHS will wish to keep on close touch with developments and help in any way appropriate.”

Meanwhile, metal detectorist Stephen Grey is no stranger to uncovering the area’s history, having dug up a ‘Viking’ axe just a few weeks ago himself.

He said: “It could well be Roman as there’s been plenty of Roman items found by archaeologists and metal detectorists in the area.

“I myself have found a first-century silver roman coin albeit closer to Pershore but that does prove the Romans were in the general area at that time.

“I’ve also found a second-century Roman brooch much nearer to the site.

“If it proves to be a first-century Roman road leading into a ford, I think that’s very exciting.

“I know the experts are hoping it is and if true they seem to think it’s fairly unique in this country.”

Ship’s Cargo Offers Clues to Medieval Trade Routes

Ship’s Cargo Offers Clues to Medieval Trade Routes

Research at the University of Gothenburg has shown that the Skaftö wreck had probably taken on cargo in Gdańsk in Poland and was heading towards Belgium when it foundered in the Lysekil archipelago around 1440.

Modern methods of analysis of the cargo are now providing completely new answers about the way trade was conducted in the Middle Ages.

“The analyses we have carried out give us a very detailed picture of the ship’s last journey and also tell us about the geographical origins of its cargo. Much of this is completely new knowledge for us,” says Staffan von Arbin, a maritime archaeologist.

Ship’s Cargo Offers Clues to Medieval Trade Routes
In 2003, the Skaftö wreck was found at the bottom of the sea off Lysekil, north of Gothenburg. The photo shows the Copper ingots.

For example, it was not previously known that calcium oxide (CaO), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, was exported from Gotland in the 15th century.

In 2003, the Skaftö wreck was found at the bottom of the sea off Lysekil, north of Gothenburg. But it is only now that researchers have been able to carry out analyses of its cargo using new, modern methods.

An international research team, headed by maritime archaeologist Staffan von Arbin at the University of Gothenburg, has succeeded in mapping the origins of its cargo and the probable route of the ship. The study contributes new knowledge about the goods traded in the Middle Ages and the trade routes in that period.

The cargo included copper, oak timber, quicklime, tar, bricks and roof tiles. Samples of the cargo have been taken up from the wreck during previous underwater archaeological investigations carried out by the Bohusläns museum. But it’s only now that analyses of its cargo have been possible using modern analysis methods.

From Gotland in Sweden

With these analyses, the researchers have been able to establish that the copper was mined in two areas in what is currently Slovakia, for example. The analyses also show that the bricks, timber and probably also the tar originated in Poland, while the quicklime is apparently from Gotland.

According to medieval sources, copper was transported from the Slovakian mining districts in the Carpathian Mountains via river systems down to the coastal town of Gdańsk (Danzig) in Poland. In the Middle Ages, Gdańsk was also the dominant port for exporting Polish oak timber.

“It is therefore very likely that it was in Gdańsk that the ship took on its cargo before it continued on what would be its final voyage.”

Heading for Belgium

The composition of the cargo indicates that the ship was on its way to a western European port when, for unknown reasons, it foundered in the Bohuslän archipelago. Here, too, the research team have drawn conclusions from historical sources. 

“We believe that the ship’s final destination was Bruges in Belgium. In the 15th century, this city was a major trading hub. We also know that copper produced in Central Europe was shipped on from there to various Mediterranean ports, including Venice.”

The study presents recent investigations of the composition of the cargo. These results were then compared with other sources from the same period, archaeological and historical. The study has been published in the article Tracing Trade Routes: Examining the Cargo of the 15th-Century Skaftö Wreck, in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 

Facts in brief

  • The Skaftö wreck, which was discovered in 2003, dates back to the late 1430s and is believed to have sunk around 1440. The wreck was the subject of archaeological examinations between 2005 and 2009 by the Bohusläns museum under the leadership of maritime archaeologist Staffan von Arbin.
  • ‘The study just published is part of Staffan von Arbin’s upcoming doctoral thesis in archaeology at the University of Gothenburg, which deals with medieval maritime transport geography in the now-Swedish region of Bohulän, which during this period was part of Norway.

Late-Roman Ruins and Pottery Uncovered at Antioch

Late-Roman Ruins and Pottery Uncovered at Antioch

Late Roman-era rooms and earthen offering vessels have been discovered by archaeologists in southern Türkiye amid ongoing excavations of the ancient city of Antiocheia, the head of the dig said on Friday.

Late-Roman Ruins and Pottery Uncovered at Antioch

Excavations around the Church of St. Pierre, a pilgrimage site for many Christians, began on Oct. 10 in the province of Hatay, launched by a 12-person team led by the local archaeology museum.

“During the excavations, we found rooms and many offering vessels belonging to the settlement from the late Roman era,” said Ayse Ersoy, head of the Hatay Archeology Museum.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ersoy said: “We think that at that time, people who visited the church on pilgrimage bought offering vessels from here, and filled it with holy water in the Church of St. Pierre”

Touching on the historical significance of the site, Ersoy said: “Antiocheia was founded by Seleukos I in 300 BC, and then this region was inhabited during the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods.”

The ancient city was situated on the foothills of Mount Starius, also known as Habib-i Neccar, and the Asi River, including the cave church, carved into the mountainside at the place where St. Pierre first preached, according to UNESCO.

These were the first scientific excavations in the residential areas of Antiocheia, noted Ersoy.

She also said the team was working on a project to turn the site of the Church of St. Pierre and the nearby Necmi Asfuroglu Archeology Museum into an open-air museum.