Viking woman from over 1,100 years ago found buried with her dog and boat
Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 10th-century Viking woman in Norway who was buried in a boat grave along with her pet dog, shedding more light on special funerary rituals reserved for elite Vikings.
The boat burial was a Viking funeral practice that involved placing the dead person in a ship, usually with gifts like jewellery or weapons and other objects.
It is thought to have been reserved for people of high status.
One such burial was found when amateur metal detectorists came across partially exposed bronze brooches in the dirt in Norway 's remote Senja Island in 2023.
A little digging revealed rib bones sticking out of the ground, prompting the metal detectorists to contact Norway's Arctic University Museum.
Archaeologists subsequently concluded that it was a Viking boat burial for an elite woman who lived over 1,100 years ago.
The woman was found laid to rest in a 5.5m-long burial ship, placed roughly in the middle with the head facing north, along with a pet dog and artefacts like bronze brooches, spindle whorls, and weaving and agricultural tools. The remains of a dog were found carefully placed at the feet of the deceased.
Archaeologist Anja Roth Niemi told Science Norway that "only the elite would receive a burial like this".
'The boat is rather poorly preserved, but we can still confirm that it has been approximately 5.4 meters long and that the boat tables have mainly been joined together without iron nails - that is, a sewn boat,' the Arctic University Museum said.
'As burial goods, she has brought with her an iron saw, a slate brow, a possible bronze earring, two plate-shaped pearls possibly of amber, and what appears to be a tissue sword of whale bones.'
Researchers dated the artefacts taken from the grave site to 900-950AD.
Such artefacts have not been found in a male boat burial, prompting researchers to conclude that the remains most likely belonged to a Viking woman.
Previously uncovered boat burials of Viking men contained their personal items such as swords, spears, shields or ornate combs.
Researchers said further analysis of the bones could confirm whether the remains indeed belonged to a Viking woman, and shed light on the society the person lived in. Most likely, they said, she was an important figure in the community with a high social status.
Future research could also reveal her age, height, what she ate, and her status in society. "We'll learn about the kind of work she did, whether she went through periods of poor nutrition, and whether she lived in different places during childhood and adulthood," Dr Niemi said.
'We believe the woman buried here held significant status locally, and perhaps even across the region.'
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