Vikings thank you for the skis and for the combs-6 things they invented

With the ‘never ending’ global technological revolution it is hard to imagine how our predecessors spent their time. And even harder to imagine that we still use things they created for which we should be grateful.

The Vikings dominated European territories for nearly three centuries and were tireless and curious sailors who reached to the territories of Russia and North America. From what they created and traded here are just a few things that we should be grateful to them.

1. Shipbuilding and Navigation

Perhaps the most extraordinary Viking creation is their ships were known as drekar or dragon-headed long ships. Their ships were made with nothing but an axe; it’s just that they weren’t using it as a lumberjack would, but rather an artist, in a very sophisticated way.

They used ‘clinker’ technique to build their ships which mean that the planks of the ship were overlapping at one edge and riveted together, rather than the conventional way of building the inner skeleton first. These ships were long and very light which enabled them to sail fast and then they could be easily pilotage with oars for reducing the speed.

This was ideal for their hit-and-run attacks on undefended towns and monasteries. The Vikings weren’t proficient only in shipbuilding techniques but they were also great navigators who used the sun compass calcite crystals known as “sunstones” to determine the positions of the sun.

Ships were a very important part of Viking society and tradition, not only as a means of transportation but also for the prestige that it conferred on her owner and skipper. Their ships permitted the Vikings to embark on their voyages of trading, of raiding, and of exploration.

2. Viking influence on the English language

The Vikings shared not only farming and trading activities with their neighbors from England but also marriages and hence their languages mixed. So the modern English we know today and which belongs to the German group of languages contains a number of words that originate from the Old Norse language.

Words as anger, awkward, cake, die, egg, fog, dream, husband, give mistake, root, skin, sky, ugly, want – are all borrowed from the Old Norse language and got mingled with the Old English language. Many English words beginning with the and most words beginning with sk are Norse in origin.

3. Dubh Linn (“Black Pool”)

Back in the year 795, Vikings of Norwegian origin raided islands off the coast of Ireland for the first time. In the year 837, sixty Viking ‘Dragon’ warships appeared at the mouth of the Liffey and by 841 they founded the first recorded settlement on the south bank of the River Liffey.

The harbor of what is today known as Dublin was taken by the Vikings, under the command of King Turgesius. The Vikings gave it the name Dubh Linn which means “Black Pool” and it became the hub of one of Europe’s largest slave markets.

They had control of the city for nearly three centuries until they were defeated by the Irish High King Brian Boru in the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. In addition to Dublin, the Irish cities of Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick also began as Viking settlements.

They also settled in other UK places as Islands off the coast of Scotland – Shetland, Orkney and The Hebrides; Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Stamford, and Lincoln; The Isle of Man etc.

4. Skis

Fragments of ski-like objects, discovered by 1960s archaeologist Grigoriy Burov, date back to 6000 BC in northern Russia and they are mentioned for the first time in documents from the China’s Han Dinasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220). However, what we consider as skiing today originates from the Vikings. And the word we use “ski” comes from the  Old Norse “skío.”

Skis were in regular use by Scandinavian farmers, hunters, and warriors throughout the Middle Ages. The Norwegian army held skill competitions involving skiing down slopes, around trees, across level snowfields and while shooting in the 1760’s and by the 18th century, units of the Swedish Army trained and competed on skis.

All these is linked to the Viking’s tradition of using skis for both recreation and transportation. The Norse goddess Skadi and god Ullr were often depicted on skis or snowshoes.

5. Combs

There are many common objects as tweezers, razors, and ear spoons (for scooping out wax) found in the Viking graves, but according to what is found in the archeological digs, their favorite one had been the bristled comb.

The combs were originally made out of antlers, most often deer antlers. The Vikings would use every last piece of the carcass so they would not waste it. The combs were used more by men than women helping them brush their unkempt hair. This means that even longhaired, bearded Viking warriors took their personal grooming very seriously.

6 Sagas

Most of the information we have today about the Vikings comes from written stories known as sagas. In these stories is mostly written about ancient Nordic and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, the battles that took place during the voyages, about migration to Iceland and of feuds between Icelandic families.

They were written in the Old Norse language, mainly in Iceland. Most historians today agree that these stories are “Viking fiction literature”, but through their fantasies, creativity and imagination we have learned many things about their society.

The sagas are filled with graphic depictions of the situations described in the texts. These stories are probably the early form of today’s soap operas.

Archaeologists Discovered Grauballe Man, A Preserved Bog Body From The 3rd Century B.C

Two years after the discovery of the Tollund man, another bog body was found on the 26 of April 1952, by local peat cutters in the nearby bog, Nebelgard Fen, situated near the town of Grauballe, Denmark.

Around the time of Grauballe man’s discovery, it was argued that the body belonged to that Red Christian, a local peat cutter that mysteriously vanished in the area around 1887.

It was trusted that Red fell into the bog after drinking too much alcohol, as it was said that two drunk Englishmen from Cheshire suffered the same fate by falling into Lindow moss in 1853. It was not long before the body was sent to the Prehistory museum at Aarhus for examination and preservation.

Visual Examination:

Once the body of Grauballe man was fully revealed, many wondered at how well the body was preserved. A brisk examination of the Body at the site revealed that Grauballe man was naked and had no items or belongings with him.

When Grauballe’s man was analyzed in more detail at the museum, it was revealed that he was around 30 years old at the time of his death. It was also revealed that the body of Grauballe man was 1.75 m in Height, and still had hair about 5 cm long as well as stubble on his chin. Grauballe man’s hands and fingers, when closely inspected, showed no signs of manual labor.

Scientific Investigation:

So, we know, based on a VISUAL examination, that Grauballe man was 30 years of age, was 1.75 m in Height, still had hair and his hands showed no sign of no physical work.

But how could we know his age? How did we know that his hands showed no sign of labor? The basic answer is that ‘we’ use Science.

When Grauballe man was scientifically inspected, through a wide array of techniques, numerous features were revealed, such as what Grauballe man ate and what wounds he sustained. The scientific examination of Grauballe man has been listed below.

Radiocarbon dating. Used to date the age of the body, which was around 310 B.C – 55 B.C. Placing the Grauballe man in the late Iron age. Scanning Electron microscope. Utilized for a closer examination of the body. Scientists and Archaeologists worked out that Grauballe man was not a very hard worker by using the microscope to Determine his fingerprints, which were relatively smooth.

It was also used to show what Grauballe man had eaten. Results from an examination of the stomach uncovered that Grauballe man’s last meal consisted of porridge made from corn, seeds from more than 60 different herbs, and grasses which were uncovered to contain traces of poisonous fungi, known as fungi ergot.

Grauballe man is believed to have died in winter or early spring as there is a lack of FRESH herbs and berries in his stomach.

Forensic analysis. Used to determine the wounds that the body sustained, which consisted of a cut to the throat that extended from ear to ear, and cracks to the skull and right tibia, which was believed to be caused by a weapon, however when the body was re-examined again it was in fact caused by the pressure in the bog.

It has also been noted that there were 4 missing lumbar vertebrae. Forensics has also been able to reconstruct the face of Grauballe man, as well as numerous other faces from various bodies.

Templates from the x-rays of the skull were utilized and the skull was sculpted from clay over these templates. CT scanning and Computer Generated imagery was also used to help modify the facial reconstruction.

Cause of Death:

There are many speculations associated with Grauballe’s man’s death. The cut on the throat is said to be the cause of Grauballe’s man’s death.

It is believed that Grauballe man was a criminal who paid the cost of death. But how would we know this? Based on the written sources of Tacitus, the Roman historian, the clans of northern Europe had a very strict society. So if one broke the law or committed an offense, they would be put to death.

A criminal or a prisoner of war would fit this description. But, what about his hands? As said before, Grauballe man’s hands showed no sign of manual labor, recommending that he was used for sacrificial purposes. Tacitus mentions that the clans of northern Europe have a connection to mother earth.

He says that during spring she visits these clans and upon departing, a selection of people are sacrificed. Based on the wounds, and the hands of the Grauballe man, as well as sources to back it up, this seems to be the Grauballe man’s likely cause of death.

But what about the poisonous fungi found in his stomach? New data suggests that if this fungus was to make Grauballe man sick, then it would of more than likely make him incapable to work.

It would have also caused agonizing symptoms which are historically known as St. Anthony’s Fire. Symptoms of this disease include convulsions, hallucinations and burning of the mouth, feet and hands. It is more than likely that Grauballe mans ingested the fungus by natural means.

If there was any bad luck in the village then the Grauballe man would be at the forefront of the allegations, which would regard him as being the cause of these woes and mishaps.

He would be seen as someone corrupted by an evil spirit, and therefore put to death and deposited in a bog far from town. The exact cause of death is however, a mystery and therefore there is no single explanation of how Grauballe man died.

Well-Preserved 3,000-Year-Old Pre-Viking Sword Unearthed in Denmark is Still Sharp

Two locals from Zealand, Denmark’s largest island, decided to walk around the field in the remote west city of Svebolle in the evening.

The decision was fortuitous to take their metal detector with them because it would allow them to uncover a major find

The two amateur archeologists began digging after the device alerted Ernst Christiansen and Lis Therkelsen to something beneath the ground.

Around 30 cm down, they spotted what looked like the tip of a spear. Christiansen and Therkelsen contacted Museum Vestsjælland — a group of 11 local museums that cover the archaeological excavation and conservation of regions in the area — who revealed that the discovery was a 3,000-year-old sword from the Nordic Bronze age. 

It was also a testament to the craftsmanship of the people in Scandinavia at the time.

“The sword is so well-preserved that you can clearly see the fine details. And it is even sharp,” the museum wrote in a press release.

Museum inspector Arne Hedegaard Andersen, who joined Christiansen and Therkelsen on the day following the discovery, reaffirmed how incredibly maintained the sword was.

The Nordic Bronze Age, circa 1700-500 BC, was sandwiched between the Nordic Stone Age and the pre-Roman Iron Age. During this time period, bronze imported from Central Europe replaced previously popular materials like flint and stone.

The impressively preserved bronze sword, which predates the Vikings by around 1,000 years, remained untouched since the Bronze Age. About 32 inches long and still fairly sharp, the museum believes that it dates to phase IV of the Bronze Age, or between 1100 and 900 BC.

Though the leather that made up the sword’s grip had long rotted, the pommel and hilt show intricate bronze work, clearly decorated by skilled workers.

The details suggest that it was an expensive piece of weaponry, likely used to indicate status rather than in actual battle. Additionally, warriors during this time tended to use clubs, spears, or axes for fighting purposes.

Though the Scandinavian people joined the Bronze age through trade relatively late compared to other European nations, the local workmanship was of a higher standard.

So although the religion, ethnicity, and language characteristics of the people during this time period are largely unknown, they left behind a rich archaeological legacy.

One of the main ways we know about life in Scandinavia during the Bronze Age is through rock carvings called petroglyphs, which depict images of daily life, great events, and supernatural beliefs of the time.

There have been several exciting archaeological discoveries in Denmark in recent years.

In June 2016, the team of three archaeologists who call themselves Team Rainbow Power uncovered the largest-ever find of Viking gold.

In October 2016, the discovery of a 5,000-year-old stone map shed light on ancient farming and topography.

In 2015, a trove of 2,000 mysterious-looking gold spirals also from the Bronze Age was discovered on Zealand