Two Viking Age swords have been found during the archeological investigation of a burial ground outside the city of Köping in Västmanland County.
The area features about a hundred graves, two of which are burial mounds dating to the Late Iron Age, approximately 600-1000 AD.
The Viking swords, apart from being a rarity per se, astounded the researchers with their peculiar position. The weapons were driven into the shallow ground, in the middle of the respective graves, and were left like that for about 1,200 years.
“We could see the handle of one of the swords sticking out of the ground, directly under the turf”, says Anton Seiler of the Archaeologists, Sweden's leading consultant on archeology and cultural environments, said in a press release. “In total, around 20 Viking Age swords have been found in Västmanland before, so finding two in the same burial ground as we did, and also untouched in the graves, is a bit of a sensation. Especially as they are positioned the way they are”.
So far, the scientists have no explanation as to why the swords are in an upright position. Maybe it was a way to honor and remember one's relatives, by being able to visit the place where the swords were and touch them, Anton Seiler mused.
“We do not know why several individuals were buried later in the pile, whether it is about kinship or whether they wanted to mark another kind of belonging. Hopefully, bone analyses can provide answers whether these are men's or women's graves,” he added.
The find was accompanied by a large amount of ornate glass beads, cremated human and animal bones, a piece from a board game, parts of a comb and bear claws.
Another unusual feature about the burial field is that it seems to be built atop an older farm from the Bronze Age or earlier Iron Age, archeologist Fredrik Larsson explained.
The archaeological excavations along the E18 motorway in Västmanland, which has to be widened, have been going on for two years. The excavations are now finished and the swords have been submitted for conservation.
The archaeological excavations along the E18 motorway in Västmanland, which has to be widened, have been going on for two years. The excavations are now finished and the swords have been submitted for conservation.
The term Viking Age usually refers to the Early Middle Age between 800 and 1050 and derives its name from the raiding and trading voyages made by Norsemen known as Vikings, starting from the attack on the monastery of Lindisfarne in northern England in 793.
During the Viking Age, Scandinavia saw a surge in population coupled with the rise of nation-states, which together with the Norsemen's maritime prowess facilitated their exploits in lands far away, including the Byzantine Empire and the Arab world. During the same era, the Vikings founded settlements from the British Isles, France and Italy to Russia and even North America.