🌟The Bright Side: Viking burial site discovered by accident in Denmark
A 10th-century burial site believed to have belonged to a Viking noble family has been discovered by accident in northern Denmark, packed with a "spectacular" trove of ancient objects, a museum announced Tuesday.
The discovery came when pearls, coins, ceramics and a box containing a gold thread were unearthed during construction work near Lisbjerg, a village located seven kilometres north of Aarhus, Denmark's second-largest city.
Archaeologists found the site contained around 30 graves dating from the second half of the 10th century, when the famous King Harald Bluetooth reigned, said the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus.
According to the museum's archaeologist Mads Ravn, the graves are most likely linked to a noble family from the Viking Age – which lasted between the eighth and 11th centuries – whose farm was discovered less than a kilometre from the burial site in the late 1980s.
"This could have been one of Harald Bluetooth's earls or stewards," Ravn told AFP.
Ravn noted that the king, who introduced Christianity to what is today Denmark, tasked nobles with managing certain regions.
Researchers also discovered some human remains, such as teeth and bones, at the site.
"People basically took what was important to them into the grave because they wanted to transfer it to the other world," the archaeologist said.
One of the graves, which scientists believe belonged to an important woman, contained a box filled with decorative objects and a pair of scissors.
The "magnificent" box is a remarkable find, according to Ravn, with only a few having been discovered before, including one in southeastern Germany.
"It's very rare, there's only three of them we know of," he said.
The excavations at Lisbjerg are due to be completed this week, after which experts will begin a thorough analysis of the objects recovered.
Wooden objects in particular should help them accurately date the burial site.
As a royal and commercial centre, Aarhus was one of Denmark's most important cities during the Viking Age.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Canada needs 'bold ambition' to poach top US researchers
But to succeed, Canada will need to summon something it has at times lacked, namely "bold ambition," the head of the country's largest hospital chain told AFP. Trump's funding cuts for scientific research are freeing up talent and "creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to recruit, said Kevin Smith, the chief executive of Toronto's University Health Network (UHN). To seize that opportunity, Canada has to ditch its traditional "incrementalist" approach, Smith added. "Let's not say good enough is good enough. Let's say excellent is where we need to go." Experts say Trump's policies could trigger a tectonic shift in the global competition for the world's brightest minds. For decades, deep-pocketed US universities backed by federal support have scooped up talent, including in biomedical research. But Trump's administration has already slashed billions of dollars in research grants affecting various institutions, including most notably Harvard University. Programs affected by the National Institutes of Health's cuts include studies on gender, the health effects of global warming, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. France and the European Union are already trying to woo disgruntled US researchers. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said last month that the EU would launch a new incentives package worth 500 million euros ($577 million) to make the 27-nation bloc "a magnet for researchers". 'Peanut butter spread' Smith and UHN's vice president for science and research, Brad Wouters, argued that Canada -- and particularly its largest city, Toronto -- are well placed to compete for US talent. English-speaking, culturally familiar, and geographically close to major US research centers in New England and New York, Toronto boasts a hospital network and research ecosystem regularly ranked among the world's best. The city has already poached three high-profile academics from Yale University, although all work in the arts. The group -- who study fascism -- announced last month in a stirring New York Times video that they were leaving the United States to take up positions in Toronto. "I'm leaving to the University of Toronto because I want to do my work without the fear that I will be punished," one of the professors, Jason Stanley, said in the video. Wouters told AFP that since Trump's election, UHN "started to see a talent pool that was a notch higher than what we normally see" for vacant positions, with leading US-based scientists initiating inquiries about opportunities in Toronto. UHN has launched a plan to create 100 medical research positions through its own fundraising but wants institutions across Canada to attract 1,000 new scientists. Reaching that target will require government support, and confronting an ingrained Canadian mindset that prioritizes sharing healthcare resources equally across the vast country. The plan will face "a bit of a collision between the peanut butter spread of equality versus elitism," Smith said. "That isn't always easy for governments or for elected we're pretty hopeful," he added. 'Supporting role' Matthew Lebo, a political scientist at Ontario's Western University, agreed Trump's policies have created an unprecedented opportunity for brain gain in Canada. But he voiced concern the country wouldn't mobilize. "Canada has a history of being comfortable playing a supporting role," he told AFP. "There is just an inherent lack of ambition." Lebo noted that while some US-based researchers may be concerned about crackdowns on their work, others might eye Canada for personal reasons, including the desire to live in a country where reproductive and LGBTQ rights are more firmly safeguarded. While he hasn't yet seen signs of broad national action, he said "it wouldn't take deep thought to catch up." "It takes some big number (of dollars) and a plan."
France 24
14 hours ago
- France 24
🌟The Bright Side: Viking burial site discovered by accident in Denmark
A 10th-century burial site believed to have belonged to a Viking noble family has been discovered by accident in northern Denmark, packed with a "spectacular" trove of ancient objects, a museum announced Tuesday. The discovery came when pearls, coins, ceramics and a box containing a gold thread were unearthed during construction work near Lisbjerg, a village located seven kilometres north of Aarhus, Denmark's second-largest city. Archaeologists found the site contained around 30 graves dating from the second half of the 10th century, when the famous King Harald Bluetooth reigned, said the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus. According to the museum's archaeologist Mads Ravn, the graves are most likely linked to a noble family from the Viking Age – which lasted between the eighth and 11th centuries – whose farm was discovered less than a kilometre from the burial site in the late 1980s. "This could have been one of Harald Bluetooth's earls or stewards," Ravn told AFP. Ravn noted that the king, who introduced Christianity to what is today Denmark, tasked nobles with managing certain regions. Researchers also discovered some human remains, such as teeth and bones, at the site. "People basically took what was important to them into the grave because they wanted to transfer it to the other world," the archaeologist said. One of the graves, which scientists believe belonged to an important woman, contained a box filled with decorative objects and a pair of scissors. The "magnificent" box is a remarkable find, according to Ravn, with only a few having been discovered before, including one in southeastern Germany. "It's very rare, there's only three of them we know of," he said. The excavations at Lisbjerg are due to be completed this week, after which experts will begin a thorough analysis of the objects recovered. Wooden objects in particular should help them accurately date the burial site. As a royal and commercial centre, Aarhus was one of Denmark's most important cities during the Viking Age.
France 24
15 hours ago
- France 24
UK startup looks to cut shipping's carbon emissions
For two celebrated young designers, it is the beginning of a journey aimed at helping the maritime sector decarbonise. "We're simulating what happens on a ship," Alisha Fredriksson told AFP of the technology she developed alongside her friend Roujia Wen. The women, both aged in their early thirties, met at university and have since founded the company Seabound. Its work on "ocean-ready carbon capture" has seen the friends shortlisted for this year's Young Inventor Prize, which rewards technology contributing to sustainable development goals put forward by the United Nations. Winning the award on Wednesday "would be an extra boost to the team... a validation that the world cares about the shipping industry and its decarbonisation journey", said Fredriksson. Shipping accounts for three percent of global emissions, while the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recently voted in favour of a pricing system to help tackle excess carbon. At Seabound's miniature courtyard factory, Fredriksson showed off the prototype, which is fitted with a generator. "We're burning fuel, and that creates CO2," she explained, as exhaust gas was routed through a complex system of pipes into various containers. The carbon pollution was captured by lime pebbles, while the other elements were released into the atmosphere. The white-coloured lime acts "like a sponge", said chemical engineer Glexer Corrales, wearing a navy laboratory coat as he tested the quality of the granular-like substance that "is readily available" and "cheap". Once absorbed, the carbon was transformed into limestone through a chemical process. Seabound claims that minimal customisation is necessary for its system to work across many types of vessel. Shipping transformation Technology for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) has so far been used primarily on land by heavy industry, for example in the production of cement, glass and steel. Potential safety risks of using CCUS at sea have yet to be set out by the IMO. And for the process to be truly beneficial, the amount of carbon captured "must be greater than the carbon produced" through the energy use incurred in installing the system, including on land, IMO official Camille Bourgeon told AFP. This objective was largely achieved during an initial test in 2023, when Seabound's system captured 78 percent of CO2 emitted aboard a ship run by Lomar Labs. From 2028, all ships will be required to use a less carbon-intensive fuel, the IMO recently ruled, while a penalty of $380 will be imposed for each tonne of CO2 emitted beyond allowances permitted by the UN shipping body. The IMO move has created "a big tailwind for our system", said Fredriksson, whose company aims to charge $150 for each tonne of captured CO2, before selling it on to companies requiring it for the production of certain types of fuel. © 2025 AFP
