Mysterious Viking boat graves unearthed in central Norway

Republication from Norwegian scitech news

The oldest grave is from the 8th century. But why were these two people buried together? (Illustration: Arkikon)

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Two people died roughly 100 years apart. Nevertheless, they were buried together. In boats.

In the second half of the 9^th century, an important woman dies at the farm now known as Skeiet at Vinjeøra, in central Norway. Her dress is fastened at the front with two large shell-shaped brooches of gilded bronze along with a crucifix-shaped brooch, made from an Irish harness fitting. She is then placed in a boat, about seven or eight metres long. Grave goods are also buried along with body, including a pearl necklace, two scissors, a spindle whorl– and a cow head.

Expanse of the Hanseatic League

A map of the expanse of the Hanseatic League, mostly known as Hansa (copyright: W. Heinemann / Bibliographisches Institut Leipzig). The Hanseatic League was a large commercial and also politico-military confederation of merchant guilds and commercial towns in North and Central Europe.

How contemporary conflicts resemble the medieval wars in Scandinavian areas

Republication from www.hf.uio.no ( University of Oslo)

“King Sverre’s march over the Vosse mountains” by Peter Nicolai Arbo (1862). Sverre was King of Norway from 1184 to 1202. Picture: Wikimedia Commons

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There are many ways in which to understand the new wars of today. One way is to look at the wars that took place in medieval times.

Most wars since 1989 have not been fought between states. The divisions associated with classical types of warfare – between soldiers and civilians, soldiers and criminals, war and peace – are not that clear anymore. Such as the present situation in Afghanistan.

In recent years, there has been a major international discussion among political scientists and anthropologists about how to understand new types of wars that have arisen since the Cold War.

The classical understanding of the term “civil war” is often imprecise when wars are fought across national borders. Instead, the term “new wars” has become more common among many experts and researchers.

The Growth of the Swedish empire

This is an interesting map on the Growth of the Swedish empire in 1560-1660. Acquisitions are noted in accordance with the reigns of the respective Swedish kings. Note that in 1560 the Kingdom of Sweden had already

Half the population of the Viking-town Sigtuna were migrants

Republication from Stockholm University

New analysis of the remains of 38 people who lived and died in the town of Sigtuna during the 10th, 11th and 12th century reveals high genetic variation and a wide scale migration. The study is the largest of its kind so far in Sweden and a combination of several methods, including DNA analysis and Strontium isotope analysis of teeth. The results are published in a new article in Current Biology.

Sigtuna is well known as one of the earliest actual cities in the area and was formally founded around 980 AD. More unknown is the fact that the picturesque town, which today is home to around 10 000 people, was a distinctly cosmopolitan place back then.