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Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Viking-era silver treasures found on farm in Sweden and restored. See them shine
Sifting through the stony soil of southern Sweden, archaeologists uncovered dozens of Viking-era structures and hundreds of artifacts. One remarkable find stood out from all the rest: a collection of ancient silver treasures. A team of archaeologists excavated a massive Viking Age farm and adjacent burial ground in Täby from 2020 to 2021. The site had been occupied for roughly 500 years — from 500 to 1050 A.D. — and still had many traces of its ancient inhabitants, Arkeologerna said in a May 30 news release. When the dig finished, archaeologists had found 34 ruined buildings, about 15 ritual deposits, five graves and over 1,450 artifacts. The finds took them years to document, analyze, preserve and clean. The effort resulted in two detailed reports published in early May John Hamilton, a project manager with Arkeologerna, described the Täby site as incredibly exciting because of its variety — and its unique silver treasures. The excavation at Täby uncovered a buried pot filled with silver arm rings, necklaces, beads, coin pendants, an amulet, a ring and some fabric, archaeologists said in a report. The Viking-era collection was astonishing for its size, variety and quality of preservation. The treasure might have been buried in honor of a high-ranking individual and involved a long, grand ceremony, Hamilton said in the release. Reconstructions show how the collection was originally buried. Several of the ancient silver items had braided or twisted designs and ended in a diamond-shaped piece, photos show. Archaeologists identified the 12 coin pendants as a mixture of European and Islamic coins all dating between 904 and 997 A.D. Photos show two of these items, which have added hooks to allow them to be worn as pendants. Arkeologerna described the silver treasures as unusual and astonishing. Other finds from Täby included pottery, bones and seeds. Archaeologists analyzed the DNA of several people buried at the site and confirmed several were related. Täby is a town roughly 10 miles north from Stockholm. Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Arkeologerna, part of Sweden's National Historical Museums (SHM).
Miami Herald
01-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Unusual stones in Sweden turn out to be Viking-era grave. See its treasures
On the outskirts of a city in southern Sweden sat a row of unusual stones surrounded by miles of plains. Even from a distance, the rocks piqued the interest of archaeologists — and turned out to be a Viking-era grave. Archaeologists began excavations near Linköping in fall 2022 ahead of some planned construction and focused their work on a stone structure, Arkeologerna, a department of Sweden's National Historical Museums, said in an April 24 news release. Drone footage showed several rows of standing stones with an indent in the center, Annika Helander wrote in a 2025 report for Arkeologerna about the site. A photo shows what the structure looked like from above. Archaeologists dug in the center and unearthed a burial from the Viking Era, or the ninth century. No traces of the deceased person remained, but their coffins and artifacts had. The 1,000-year-old grave had two coffins, archaeologists said. The outer coffin was made of stone while the inner coffin was made of wood. Excavations uncovered 15 nails that once held the wooden coffin together. A photo shows one of these rusty nails. Inside the coffins sat an ax blade with traces of its wooden handle, the report said. A photo shows the roughly 8-inch-long, wedge-shaped tool. Next to the ax, archaeologists found fabric fragments made of two unidentified types of material, likely the deceased person's clothes. A photo shows the slightly yellow textile. The Viking-era burial also contained a roughly 7-inch-long knife, likely buried in a wooden case, archaeologists said. A photo shows the fragmented weapon. Based on the grave's age, design and contents, archaeologists identified elements of Christian traditions and pagan customs and identified it as a unique example of a period of changing belief systems. Excavations also found several earlier cremation burials underneath and around the Viking-era grave, the report said. The latter burial might have been added on top as a way of consecrating an older burial ground during the transition from pagan to Christian customs. Archaeologists described the site as unexpected and valuable for understanding how burial traditions changed over time. Excavations near Linköping finished in October 2022, and the ruins have been removed, archaeologists said. Linköping is a city in southern Sweden and a roughly 125-mile drive southwest from Stockholm. Google Translate was used to translate the news release and report from Arkeologerna.
