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New York Post
30-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Viking-era burial site with elite family treasures and gifts discovered, plus an ‘unusual casket'
Archaeologists recently found an artifact-filled Viking-era burial site in Denmark — revealing treasures that once belonged to an elite family. The discovery was announced by Moesgaard Museum (MOMU), a regional Danish museum, in a June statement. The graveyard was found in the village of Lisbjerg, located north of the major Danish city of Aarhus. Archaeologists found 30 graves containing a vast number of burial gifts, including beads and coins. Ceramics were also found at the site, along with gold thread, scissors and 'an unusual casket with beads,' officials said. The site also retained the bones and teeth of the deceased. In a statement translated from Danish to English, officials noted the graves 'contain a number of spectacular items that may indicate connections to the Danish royal power.' 3 An aerial photo shows archaeologists working at a Viking Age burial site in Lisbjerg on June 13, 2025. AFP via Getty Images They added, 'Aarhus was one of Denmark's most important and oldest cities during the Viking era, serving as a center for the king and international trade … Aros and Lisbjerg were closely connected by the old main road, which ran from the Viking city to the manor.' One discovery of particular interest was a silver-plated oak casket that likely belonged to a high-status woman. The grave contained a brooch, needle and a filigree bead, made by twisting fine threads of metal into ornate designs. Mads Ravn, head of local cultural heritage at MOMU, said the grave site is 'very likely' connected to a Viking-era manor less than a mile away. 3 Conservator Helle Strehle holds a Viking Age silver coin discovered at a Viking Age burial site in Lisbjerg, on June 13, 2025. AFP via Getty Images He noted, 'The items we have found in the graves tell us that those buried were people of high status – it could be the very family from the manor that is buried here.' Kasper H. Andersen, a historian at MOMU, said the recent finds are 'part of a series of previous remarkable discoveries in the Aarhus area.' He added, 'Together, they paint a picture of an aristocratic environment linked to royal power, which was part of the Vikings' extensive and dynamic world.' 3 Conservator Helle Strehle points to x-ray images on a computer screen showing a preserved Viking Age casket discovered at a Viking Age burial site in Lisbjerg, on June 13, 2025. AFP via Getty Images The Viking Age lasted from roughly 800 AD to 1050 AD. Artifacts from that era continue to be discovered throughout Europe by archaeologists and hobbyists alike. In April, Swedish archaeologists announced the discovery of an 'unusual' Viking-era coffin. Before that, two curious metal detectorists found a 1,000-year-old Viking 'wallet' last year.
Kuwait Times
18-06-2025
- Science
- Kuwait Times
‘Spectacular' Viking burial site discovered in Denmark
In an accidental find, a 10th-century burial site believed to have belonged to a Viking noble family has been discovered 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 kilometers (four miles) 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 kilometer from the burial site in the late 1980s. Conservator Helle Strehle holds a Viking Age silver coin discovered at a Viking Age burial site. An aerial photo shows archaeologists working at a Viking Age burial site in Lisbjerg. Conservator Helle Strehle places a preserved Viking Age casket discovered at Lisbjerg into an x-ray machine at Moesgaard Museum's labs in Aarhus, Denmark. Conservator Helle Strehle points to x-ray images on a computer screen showing a preserved Viking Age casket discovered at a Viking Age burial site. A Moesgaard Museum conservator holds a Viking Age ceramic bowl discovered at a Viking Age burial site. A Moesgaard Museum archaeologist dusts off two coins at a Viking Age burial site. Archaeologists work at a Viking Age burial site in Lisbjerg. '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 center, Aarhus was one of Denmark's most important cities during the Viking Age.— AFP
