Medieval History
A battle-scarred, eighth-century town unearthed in northern Germany may be the earliest Viking settlement in the historical record, archaeologists announced recently.
Ongoing excavations at Füsing (map), near the Danish border, link the site to the "lost" Viking town of Sliasthorp?first recorded in A.D. 804 by royal scribes of the powerful Frankish ruler Charlemagne. Used as a military base by the earliest Scandinavian kings, Sliasthorp's location was unknown until now, said dig leader Andres Dobat, of Aarhus University in Denmark.
Whether it proves to be the historic town or not, the site offers valuable insights into military organization and town planning in the early Viking era, according to the study team. Some 30 buildings have been uncovered since excavations began in 2010.
Aerial photographs and geomagnetic surveys indicate about 200 buildings in total. Chief among them is a Viking longhouse measuring more than a hundred feet (30 meters) long and 30 feet (9 meters) wide.
The longhouse's burnt-out remains seemingly bear witness to a violent attack: Arrowheads found embedded in its charred wall posts suggest the communal building was at some point set on fire and shot at, Dobat said.
A Viking Saga from Aarhus Universitet on Vimeo.
Click here to read this article from National Geographic
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See also Legendary Viking town unearthed
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Medieval History
Lost Viking Military Town Unearthed in Germany?
Ongoing excavations at Füsing (map), near the Danish border, link the site to the "lost" Viking town of Sliasthorp?first recorded in A.D. 804 by royal scribes of the powerful Frankish ruler Charlemagne. Used as a military base by the earliest Scandinavian kings, Sliasthorp's location was unknown until now, said dig leader Andres Dobat, of Aarhus University in Denmark.
Whether it proves to be the historic town or not, the site offers valuable insights into military organization and town planning in the early Viking era, according to the study team. Some 30 buildings have been uncovered since excavations began in 2010.
Aerial photographs and geomagnetic surveys indicate about 200 buildings in total. Chief among them is a Viking longhouse measuring more than a hundred feet (30 meters) long and 30 feet (9 meters) wide.
The longhouse's burnt-out remains seemingly bear witness to a violent attack: Arrowheads found embedded in its charred wall posts suggest the communal building was at some point set on fire and shot at, Dobat said.
A Viking Saga from Aarhus Universitet on Vimeo.
Click here to read this article from National Geographic
See also Ancient town unearthed could explain Viking urban planning
See also Legendary Viking town unearthed
- Evidence Of Viking Outpost Found In Canada
For the past 50 years?since the discovery of a thousand-year-old Viking way station in Newfoundland?archaeologists and amateur historians have combed North America's east coast searching for traces of Viking visitors. It has been a long, fruitless...
- Irish Medieval 'lost Town' Opens Its Streets
The pub trade once bustled in this medieval Irish town before it was eventually abandoned after an economic meltdown. Archaeologists have found new clues about life in the early-Norman settlement in Co Kilkenny. Newtown Jerpoint, near Thomastown, is today...
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