Posted on by AllThingsViking Posted in Archaeology News — No Comments ↓

Danish archaeologists excavating at a site in northern Jutland, have announced finding what they believe to be evidence of early contact between England and Denmark. The artifacts date as far back at 2000BC. They have been sent for further DNA testing.

More evidence for reconsidering Viking Age starting date

Anyone following our page will know we find the whole “Viking Age started EXACTLY in 793AD” to be outdated. Yet it is still too often unquestioning repeatedly used as THE date. Even History’s “Vikings” were blatantly off in the opening episode. Our heroes supposedly sail into the unknown and accidentally discover England!

longship-closeup

Now, no one is saying there was extensive interaction as far back as 2000BC. However, a recent new study of the Bronze Age remains known as “the Egtved Girl” showed that she was born in Germany. And given the fluidity of the Migration Age, it’s about time once and for all to allow that the Viking Age was a natural extension of events and not a “sudden explosion from Scandinavia” (as stated in yet another newly published Viking Age book)!

Source: b.dk (in Danish)

Posted on by AllThingsViking Posted in Videos - Documentaries — No Comments ↓

Video from annual Wolin Viking Festival 2016, including great overhead drone footage.

Source: YouTube.com

Posted on by AllThingsViking Posted in Videos - Documentaries — No Comments ↓

Another great 50 minute lecture-style presentation about Norse religion, beliefs and views on the Viking afterlife in the Viking Age by the guys from Hurstwic. Including talk about sources, and stories about how Vikings viewed death and the universe.

Presentation

Source: www.YouTube.com

This is the latest presentation in the series. Find the previous presentation in blog article here on the page, or on Hurstwic’s YouTube channel. Meanwhile, we’ll await in anticipation for the next!

Posted on by AllThingsViking Posted in Archaeology News — No Comments ↓

Interesting short video about the possible origin of the crucible steel used to make the famous Viking Ulfberht swords.

There is no archaeological evidence that the Norse during the Viking Age had the technology or know-how to produce the steel used for the Ulfberht swords. It would be centuries after the Viking Age before Western Europe had the skills to produce steel as good. So, where did the steel come from during the Viking Age?

Hypothesis for origin of crucible steel

Historians are now zeroing in on the most likely origin being the Middle East. The Norse could have obtained the steel via the trade routes along the Russian river systems. If the hypothesis is correct, then it would have been a very strong incentive indeed for the dangerous Viking trade expeditions.

A Viking wielding an Ulfberht sword had a technological arms advantage.

Source: www.youtube.com

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After having crossed the North Atlantic, the long ship replica Draken Harald Hårfagre sailed into Quebec city harbor on June 14th. This is part of the leg heading to the Great Lakes. Draken is scheduled to arrive in Toronto by July 1st, for the Tallships Redpath Waterfront Festival.

Question… technically should the dragon prow not have been taken down to signal they come in peace?!

Draken Harald Hårfagre arriving at Quebec City

DrakenQuebec

Image source and read more: https://www.facebook.com/DrakenHaraldHarfagre/

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Viking themed computer game “For Honor” to be released in 2017. Pitting Vikings against knights and samurai. Strangely with all the historic nonsense of History’s “Vikings” TV show, having Vikings fight samurai does not feel as far-fetched!

It will be interesting to follow the final development. Looks promising and ambitious (coming to all platforms), but alas so have a lot of other games before launch!!

Youtube gameplay video from E3 2016

Homepage – http://forhonor.ubisoft.com/game/en-us/home/

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Animation video (unfortunately without narration). It shows the layout and excavation sites. Borgring was located/discovered in 2014. The site opened to the public on June 1, 2016.

This Trelleborg type fortress is located close to Copenhagen, and excavations are ongoing. The remarkable thing about this fortress is that only a bead has been found as a personal effect, and as yet no remains from housing pillars have been located. Pending more discoveries the current hypothesis is that it would seem to indicate that the ring fortress was never completed or used.

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New ambitious Viking Age TV series “Storm Warrior” going into production on location in Denmark. It is set to air in 2017. Exciting news, and hey they themselves mention “Vikings” and “Game of Thrones”, just “more historically realistic” (uhm, so “Last Kingdom”-ish?).

Apparently centering around the fate of three Danish viking brothers – and to include conflicts with the Wends, appearance of the Jomsvikings and (almost obligatory) encounter with Native Americans… so it seems series set around year 1000 (wisely so much later, that even Vikings creative space-time continuum shifting should avoid overlap!).

Fingers crossed that it’ll hit somewhere close to GOT/Vikings/LastKingdom quality, yet bring something new too… and FFS not end up like “Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands” TV series epic fail!

Check out the homepage: http://www.stormwarriorseries.com/

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Superb new 50 minute lecture-style presentation of Norse runes in the Viking Age by the guys from Hurstwic. Covers the Elder Futhark runes, Younger Futhark runes, links with Latin, runestones and more…

The text description on YouTube promises there will be more in the series… we’ll await in anticipation for the next!

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The largest Viking longship replica currently is the Norwegian built “Draken Harald Hårfagre”. It is currently engaged in a living archeaology experiment with a trans-Atlantic crossing from Norway to America.

Below is latest video update – from the Shetland to Faroe Islands leg of the expedition. In the meantime, the modern Vikings have completed the leg to Iceland. Preparations being made for the next stage, taking the Draken to Greenland.

The expedition will take the Viking longship through the Great Lakes, and finally arriving in mid-August 2016 at Duluth, Minnesota.

More updates will follow the progress of the expedition.

Read more: DrakenExpeditionAmerica.com

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