Strange Viking grave with 'Christian overtones' discovered by perplexed archaeologists: 'Very unusual'
The discovery was announced by Arkeologerna, an archaeological organization affiliated with the Swedish government, in April. The grave was found on the outskirts of Linköping, a city in southern Sweden, in fall 2022, though the find was unknown until last month.
In a Facebook post, Arkeologerna said its archaeologists were investigating a stone quarry in the area when they came across the "unusual coffin grave."
"The stone arrangement stood alone in majesty on the crest of a hill," the organization said in a statement translated from Swedish to English. "The view from there was expansive over the flat plains surrounding Linköping."
Arkeologerna added that the stone arrangement "had a very strong edge chain, mostly consisting of edge-set blocks."
"In the middle was a coffin grave from the 10th century," the translated statement added. "The coffin had been placed in a grave shaft with stone-lined sides."
Archaeologists soon found that the person in the grave had been buried with an axe and a dagger, and that there were "remnants of textile, likely from a garment."
Pictures show archaeologists working at the site of the carefully arranged stone circle, along with a preserved nail and a wooden sheath that held a knife.
The buried person, most likely a man, came from the "upper echelons of society," according to the archaeological organization.
The grave also dates back to a pivotal point in Swedish history when inhabitants gradually transitioned from pagan customs to Christian ones. The burial was "done with Christian overtones, but the stone setting was erected on a burial site from the older Iron Age."
Arkeologerna project manager Alf Eriksson said that he "really did not expect a coffin grave from the Viking era."
"Previously, we have investigated stone settings in the area, and they have been from the older Iron Age, so we thought this one would be, too," the expert said.
"The strong edge chain of raised/edge-set stone blocks is very unusual."
The discovery is one of many fascinating Viking-related finds in recent months.
In January, a University Museum of Bergen archaeologist spoke to Fox News Digital about recently discovered Viking graves that were filled with coins, jewelry and other treasure.
Last year, metal detectorists on the Isle of Man stumbled across a 1,000-year-old Viking "wallet," filled with 36 silver coins that were minted between 1000 and 1065.
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