Category Archives: WORLD

ROMAN, WORLD

World’s Oldest Wine Found – Imbued with a Cremated Roman Aristocrat!

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World’s Oldest Wine Found – Imbued with a Cremated Roman Aristocrat!

An extraordinary discovery was made in a Roman tomb in Carmona, Spain. Among the skeletal remains of six individuals, researchers found a glass funerary urn containing a reddish liquid. At over 2,000 years old, this liquid has been identified as the oldest liquid wine ever discovered, tracing its origins back to Roman Andalusia.

The ancient wine was discovered in this glass vessel, within a lead basket.

The identification process, led by Professor José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola from the University of Córdoba, revealed groundbreaking insights into ancient Roman funerary practices, not to mention wine preservation!

Identification of the Oldest Wine

The research team initially suspected the liquid might have been wine but needed to confirm this through rigorous chemical analysis. Conducted at the University of Córdoba’s Central Research Support Service (SCAI), the analysis, just published by the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, focused on various factors, including pH levels, absence of organic matter, and the presence of mineral salts and specific chemical compounds. Comparing these results with modern wines from Montilla-Moriles, Jerez, and Sanlúcar provided the first clues, reports The Guardian.

The definitive identification hinged on detecting polyphenols, biomarkers present in all wines. Using advanced techniques, the team identified seven specific polyphenols also found in contemporary wines from the same region.

The absence of syringic acid, a polyphenol found in red wines, indicated that the ancient wine was white. However, the researchers noted that the absence might also be due to degradation over time.

(a) and (b) Funeral chamber. (c) Urn in niche 8. (d) Lead case containing the urn.

The Tomb and Its Inhabitants

The tomb, a circular mausoleum, likely belonged to a wealthy family and was situated along the road connecting Carmo with Hispalis (modern Seville). The skeletal remains found within belonged to two men and two women, along with two others whose identities remain unknown.

The preserved wine was found in the urn with one of the men’s cremated bone remains, highlighting a significant gender distinction in Roman funerary customs. Popsci explains that interring bones in an urn filled with wine was a popular burial ritual among the Roman elite.

In ancient Rome, women were generally prohibited from consuming wine, a practice reflected in the contents of the funerary urns. While the man’s urn contained wine, a gold ring, and bone fragments, the woman’s urn held amber jewels, a perfume bottle with patchouli scent, and remnants of silk fabric. These differences underscore the gender-specific rituals and societal norms of the time.

The sunken tomb was discovered by a Spanish family who were having work done on their house.

Insights into Roman Funerary Practices

The discovery of this ancient wine provides a rare glimpse into Roman funerary rituals and also sheds light on cultural and social aspects of ancient Rome. The inclusion of wine in the man’s urn suggests it played a symbolic role in his journey to the afterlife.

The exceptional preservation of the tomb was due to the sealed environment preventing contamination which has ensured the wine remained intact for millennia.

The identification of the wine’s origin, though challenging due to the lack of contemporary samples, was aided by the analysis of mineral salts in the liquid.

These salts were consistent with those found in modern white wines from the former province of Baetica, particularly the Montilla-Moriles region. This connection highlights the long-standing wine-making tradition in Andalusia and its historical significance.

The discovery of the world’s oldest wine still in liquid form in Carmona offers a tangible link to the past, providing insights into the lives and customs of the ancient Roman era.

EUROPE, WORLD

Ancient Hunters Strategically Targeted Reindeer-rich Territory

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Ancient Hunters Strategically Targeted Reindeer-rich Territory

Prehistoric hunter-gatherers deliberately targeted prime reindeer as part of a logistically organized seasonal subsistence strategy according to new archaeological evidence.

People from the Late Gravettian era, more than 27,000 years ago, travelled many kilometers to hunting grounds in the foothills of Bohemia in what is now Chechia, armed with weapons and butchery equipment.

There, they knew they would find reindeer in sufficient quantity to supply them with meat and valuable resources such as fat, bone and antler before the freezing winter conditions returned.

The research, led by archaeologists from the University of Exeter with partners across Europe, reveals that the Gravettian hunters were not following migrating herds of reindeer over long distances, but targeting relatively sedentary populations during early autumn, an optimal time of year for hunting reindeer.

Picking the Bones For Data

The focus of the research centered on a kill-butchery site called Lubná VI, located approximately 50km (31 miles) west of Prague. The area has been the focus of archaeological interest since the 1890s, but Lubná VI itself was not discovered until 2006, and has been the focus of numerous excavations since.

One of those digs – in 2018 – unearthed stone tools, bones and two hearths, which led to the identification of at least seven reindeer, along with the remains of several other species.

Radiocarbon dating of one of the bones enabled the researchers to conclude that the site would have been in operation around 27,500-27,100 years ago, and analysis of the tools estimated that they originated at least 120km (75 mi) away, in either southwest Poland or Saxony.

Reindeer skeleton in situ at the Lubná VI site.

For the project, the team selected 21 teeth for strontium, oxygen and carbon isotope analysis, a technique that enables scientists to examine the chemical make-up of enamel for evidence of where the animal had grazed on vegetation. Eleven of the teeth were subjected to additional testing to establish the season in which the animal died.

The results revealed that, unlike many modern herds of reindeer, there was little to no evidence of long-distance movement, with the majority living on the foothills of the Bohemian-Moravian highlands and in the flat Bohemian Cretaceous plains. Some seasonal migration within or between the two areas was detected in a small number of the deer.

Analysis of the dental cement was possible for three of the animals and indicated that all three had died during in the autumn or early winter.

Dr Pryor, who coordinated the project alongside colleagues in Czechia, Hungary, Poland and the University of Southampton, said the results showed for the first time that the reindeer had adapted to their Central Europe environment – and their hunters had come to understand this.

ROMAN, WORLD

2,500-year-old Illyrian helmet found in burial mound likely caused ‘awe in the enemy’

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2,500-year-old Illyrian helmet found in burial mound likely caused ‘awe in the enemy’

Archaeologists excavating a burial mound in Croatia have discovered a 2,500-year-old Illyrian helmet that may have been a votive offering.

The 2,500-year-old helmet was found upright in a stone structure on the burial mound.

Archaeologists in Croatia have discovered a 2,500-year-old metal helmet within an Illyrian burial mound that may have been a votive offering or part of a cult practice.

The helmet was unearthed in a stone structure within a burial mound at the Gomile archaeological site. It dates to sometime between the end of the sixth century B.C. and the beginning of the fourth century B.C., Hrvoje Potrebica, an archaeology professor at the University of Zagreb who is leading the excavation.

The site of Gomile has multiple burial mounds and is located near the village of Zakotorac, on the Pelješac Peninsula near the Adriatic Sea. “Each mound [contains] multiple graves and each grave contain[s] multiple burials,” Potrebica said.

According to ancient Greek records, a people the Greeks called the Illyrians flourished in the region around the time the helmet was made. The Illyrians were divided among different tribes and kingdoms and were gradually conquered by the Romans in a series of wars that occurred between 229 and 168 B.C.

This 3D model shows the burial mound where the helmet was discovered by archaeologists.

While the newly found helmet has yet to undergo conservation, it “seems to be in perfect condition” Potrebica said. The stone structure holding the helmet is separate from all the graves in the burial mound, which suggests it was intended as a votive offering “to deceased ancestors or part of some cult practice related to the whole mound and not [a] particular individual or a grave,” Potrebica said.

If the newly found helmet was used in battle, it may have had a psychological effect on the enemy, Domagoj Perkić, director of the Archaeological Museum, which is a part of Dubrovnik Museums, and a researcher working on the excavation in an email. “Just try to imagine a warrior with a shiny [helmet] on his head, in the sun, on the eve of a battle … that moment alone causes awe in the enemy.”

An aerial photo showing the mound where the helmet was found.

In 2025, archaeologists found another helmet in a stone structure in a nearby burial mound, Potrebica said. Like the newly found helmet, it likely wasn’t meant for any one person or grave.

The Centre for Prehistoric Research in Zagreb, which Potrebica is president of, is coordinating research at the Gomile site and collaborating with scientists from Dubrovnik Museums and the Institute of Archaeology in Croatia.

ENGLAND, WORLD

Metal Detectorist Milly Hardwick Finds Bronze Age Hoard of Axe Heads

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Metal Detectorist Milly Hardwick Finds Bronze Age Hoard of Axe Heads

Her metal detector went crazy. Milly Hardwick, the 13-year-old English girl, had discovered ancient treasure. This September, Milly identified a rare archaeological Bronze Age hoard in a field near Royston, on the Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire border in England.

There, in “Milly’s field” as it should now be called, archaeologists excavated about 200 Bronze Age artifacts. The question now is whether this Bronze Age hoard is a treasure or not? If so, Milly and her dad get rich, quick.

I am uncertain if this is a story of beginners’ luck, or maybe, a sharp reminder that you really do have to be in it, to win it. Young Milly discovered the rare Bronze Age hoard of about 65 axe heads on her third detecting trip with her father.

Now, English archaeologists have excavated about 200 Bronze Age items from surrounding archaeological sites. Together, the artifacts are being treated by authorities as a potential treasure hoard.

Some of the axe heads that were in the Bronze Age hoard found by Milly Hardwick on her 3rd metal detector outing.

Unearthing A Bronze Age Hoard From 1,300 BC

The first Bronze Age hoard that Milly found back in September while on a detecting trip with her father comprised a collection of axe heads dating from about 1,300 BC.

Another group of detectorists, on the same field trip, were scanning close to Milly’s axes when they identified the second potential Bronze Age hoard. BBC reported that the collection of Bronze Age artifacts has now been sent to the British Museum for analysis and accurate dating.

Following UK metal detecting regulations to the line, the group of detectorists reported their discovery to the landowner, who had permitted them to detect on his land. Then together the discovery was reported to the local coroner’s office.

As soon as the very next morning a team of professional archaeologists from Cambridgeshire County Council and Oxford Archaeology East arrived at the site. The following day, both sites were excavated, and the hoards were revealed in all their ancient glory after having spent 3,300 years in the dark!

Milly Hardwick holding up some of her metal detecting hunting finds in a photo taken by her mother Claire.

A Very Exciting Discovery

Royston Crow spoke with Councillor Lorna Dupré, chairwoman of the council’s environment and green investment committee. Dupré said we can “confirm that what we believe to be two Bronze Age hoards containing around 200 items have been found on land near to Royston.”

She added that the find is being treated as “two separate hoards, but related potential treasure cases” as is defined by the 1996 UK Treasure Act.

Dupré said the two hoards were a “very exciting discovery.” What’s special with this collection of Bronze Age hoard artifacts is that such a wide variety of tools and weapons were identified. Archaeologists have already found “socketed axe heads, winged axe heads, cake ingots and blade fragments, all of which are made of copper-alloy.”

In Bronze Age Britain alloys were traditionally made of copper and tin. While this alchemy was practiced as early as 3000 BC, Bronze weapons, tools, and ritual artifacts were not made on a mass scale until much later, in the so-called Bronze Age, between 2,500 BC and 800 AD.

For her good fortune and renown as a young and up-and-coming metal detectorist, Milly Hardwick made the cover of The Searcher magazine.

A Treasure or Not? This is The Big Money Question!

Milly Hardwick and her father followed UK treasure discovery protocols by immediately reporting their discovery to their local coroner’s office, albeit they had 14 days to do so. Smithsonian reports that the coroner’s office is now responsible for determining if the discoveries officially qualify as treasure through the English Portable Antiquities Scheme.

After the collection has been assessed and valued, if it is indeed declared a treasure hoard, it’s a hay day for the Hardwicks. At such times, English museums will line up to purchase the collection of artifacts. If this happens, the young metal detectorist says she will split the income with the field’s owner, but not a single mention of old dad getting so much as a halfpenny. Typical teen!

EUROPE, WORLD

A beachcomber’s guide to finding and identifying mermaid’s purses

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A beachcomber’s guide to finding and identifying mermaid’s purses

If you have ever been beachcombing for treasures along the shoreline then you may have been lucky enough to find a mermaid’s purse. They may not look like much, but these dried-out leathery pouches are actually the used egg cases of sharks and skates, created to develop and protect their babies.

An emptied mermaid’s purse belonging to a large skate, a natural treasure for any beachcomber

Around 43% of all Chondrichthyes species (cartilaginous fish including sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras) give birth to their offspring in these purses. Between them they produce a diverse array of different types, sizes and colours, that eventually wash up on our beaches when they’ve been emptied.

However the egg cases can still be valuable even after they’re discarded, they provide an insight into the hidden lives of sharks and are also very useful for conservation work. So here is a quick guide on how to find and identify different egg cases, as well as how you can help researchers out.

What is a mermaid’s purse?

There are two types of reproduction amongst sharks, rays and the other ‘non-bony’ fish (known as Chondrichthyes). The first is viviparity, where mothers give birth to live young known as pups like mammals such as us, the second is oviparity, where mothers lay undeveloped eggs in specialised cases like birds and reptiles.

Most large species of shark and all true rays are viviparous and give birth to live young, whereas the smaller shark species such as catsharks and a sub-family of rays known as skates are oviparous.

Instead of developing their young in-utero and giving birth to them, they produce egg cases that act as a detachable uterus to develop and protect their offspring separately.

They are often laid on the seafloor in places such as seagrass meadows or rocky crevices to hide them from predators. It is these egg cases which are commonly referred to as mermaids’ purses.

A group of different catshark egg cases get tangled together by their long tendrils

Egg case 101

As the name suggests egg cases initially contain the fertilized egg of a shark or skate, which over time develops into an embryo. They are made out of the fibrous protein collagen which forms tough leathery pouches.

Almost all egg cases contain a single egg, although big skate and mottled skate cases can contain up to seven. After the cases are released from the mother they provide the embryo with all the nutrients and energy it needs to develop, including oxygen-rich seawater which can be absorbed from its surroundings.

This process usually only takes a few months for most species, however in some species like the critically-endangered white skate it can take up to 15 months. Once the babies have reached a point where they can survive on their own without their purses they swim out of a small opening at the top of the case and leave their ‘artificial mother’ behind.

To see developing embryos inside egg cases for yourselves, check out the amazing video below.

Where can you find them?

Once the baby sharks and skates have fully developed and left their purses, the empty casings are then carried around by ocean currents and occasionally wash up on our shoreline.

The best place to find a mermaid’s purse is therefore at the high tide line on most beaches. The high tide line is easily identified by the long bands of dried seaweed that stretch across a beach.

It is actually amongst the seaweed where you are most likely to find a purse, but you have to look closely because the dried out cases look very much like the seaweed they are surrounded by.

If you have no luck at the high tide line, then the next best place to look is in rock pools, because they can often get trapped in them as the tide goes out.

You won’t always be able to find a mermaid’s purse every time you go to a beach, but don’t let that stop you searching other areas or coming back for another go at a later date.

A rare find. One lucky beach goer finds the egg case of a chimaera

Different types of egg cases

Whilst there is a clearly defined shape and structure to most egg cases there is also a large variety of different sizes, types and variations between species, much like how different birds lay their own unique eggs.

The general appearance of a mermaid’s purse is a black or brown leathery pouch with either tendrils or horns coming off each or either end. For catsharks the pouch will tend to be more rounded and have long spindly tendrils, which can often get wrapped around in seaweed or other egg cases. For skates the pouches tend to be more rectangular and have defined horns in place of tendrils.

A more bizarre example is chimaeras who produce bottle-shaped pouches with a pair of feathery fins down its sides or the bullhead sharks who produce spiral auger-shaped egg cases designed to get wedged into crevices between rocks. However it is unlikely you will find these more bizarre designs, especially on your first try.

The spiral bullshark egg case of the Port Jackson shark

Identifying what you have found

So how do you figure out which species has produce the egg case you have found? One of the big problems with identification is that purses you find on the beach are dried out and so often misshaped or decoloured.

Therefore the best way to make a successful identification is to take it home and re-hydrate it. You can do this by placing it in a bowl of water, preferably from the sea, for a couple of hours. You will notice that it will change shape, get darker and will feel more slimy if you touch it.

At this point you might also be able to find the opening the juvenile shark or skate swam out of when it was fully developed. Now you have a re-hydrate eggcase you will be able to determine more details about the shape, size, colour and any other features you need to make a successful ID. For the best results use online guides (like this awesome one by Marine Dimensions) and you will then know for sure what you have found.

Identifying the exact species can be hard so its best to use online guides to make an accurate ID

Reporting your findings 

Finding and identifying mermaids’ purses can be great fun for young children on family outings or just avid shark enthusiasts, but it can also provide really important and helpful information for marine researchers. Egg cases provide clues as to where certain species of shark or skates can be found, especially the nursery grounds that are important for juveniles.

This information can then be used to help inform conservation measures to help protect sharks and rays across the world. Citizen science projects involving egg cases can be found across the world online. However if you  in the UK, where we have a lot of catshark and skate species, then you can report your findings to the Shark Trust’s Great Eggcase Hunt.

Just remember to record where and when you found your case in the first place. Once you have made your contribution to science then why not keep your specimen or even start your own collection. If you leave your case in a warm dry place for a few days it will dry out properly and will stay intact for years.

EUROPE, SWITZERLAND, WORLD

Ancient Celtic Woman in Fancy Clothes Buried in a Hollow Tree Trunk

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Ancient Celtic Woman in Fancy Clothes Buried in a Hollow Tree Trunk

A Celtic woman buried in a tree trunk has excited archaeologists for a while now. Hundreds of years ago, people were buried in a number of ways, some commonplace and some downright lavish.

The Egyptians in ancient times buried their important folks by first mummifying the body, then encasing them in bronze or gold tombs. This technique, highly advanced for the times, ensured that bodies remained well preserved and endured for many centuries.

The ancient Incas used mummification as well, and used the remains in many “living” rituals, including marriage ceremonies. The mummies served as a kind of conduit to the gods that helped counsel and guide the living.

But inside a tree trunk? That’s odd and unique even by the standards of many cultures’ burial rites of centuries ago. And that’s the reason, at least in part, that a 2017 discovery near Zurich, Switzerland is so significant to archaeologists and historians.

Excavation of the grave at the schoolhouse Kern in Switzerland.

Two years ago, a group of workers inadvertently found what they thought, at first, to be just an old, buried tree. But when experts were called to the scene, they discovered a well-preserved, approximately 40-year-old woman adorned with a lot of valuable jewelry, including bracelets and several colorful necklaces.

Experts in Switzerland on the dig say she is approximately 2,200 years old, dating her to the Iron Age – another reason the remains are so important to historians and archaeologists.

Reconstruction of the woman in the “tree coffin”.

There were telltale signs that she was probably a woman of means, a woman who did little physical work and led a comfortable life. Her hands betrayed virtually no signs of wear and tear, and the remains indicate she ate a diet of carbohydrates and many sweet foods – another sign that she was likely a member of a higher class who rarely, if ever, missed a meal. They found her buried within a tree trunk that, remarkably, still had some bark on it more than 2,000 years after the burial.

The grave with jewelry and gifts

The workers were on a project digging near the Kern school complex, located in the Aussersihl area of Zurich. Earlier finds there date to the 6th century A.D., but none have been as old as the woman found two years ago, another reason she is so vital to historians and researchers.

Experts said she was found clad in a sheepskin coat and a well-crafted, sheep’s wool shawl, all further clues to her life of ease. Her bracelets are bronze, and the necklaces had vibrantly coloured glass stones; she also wore a bronze chain adorned with several pendants.

Body decoration with glass beads and brooches

A discovery close to the woman, made in 1903, is the grave site of a Celtic male, and experts say he was also someone of import and high standing. Researchers said that, because of the sites’ close proximity, the two may have, in fact, been acquaintances, or something more.

Zurich’s Department For Urban Development released a statement that said it is “quite possible” that these ancient individuals did know one another.

Reconstruction of decorative necklace contained in grave with glass beads and brooches
SOUTH AMERICA, WORLD

Magical new 4,500 year old finds add to ‘oldest toy collection in the world’

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Magical new 4,500 year old finds add to ‘oldest toy collection in the world’

Archaeologists have made ‘rare’ discoveries of pre-historic toys at the Itkol II burial ground in the Republic of Khakassia, southern Siberia. At 4,500 years old, they are some of the oldest children’s toys found to date.

Several toys were discovered in what might be described as a haul of prehistoric artifacts. One doll had ‘carefully worked out facial features’ and was made of soapstone – a soft rock made mostly of talc, said archaeologist Dr Andrey Polyakov, from the Institute of History of Material Culture in St Petersburg.

The head of the doll is around 5 centimeters long.

The doll had ‘carefully worked out facial features’ and was made of soapstone.

Another toy in the collection is an animal head made from antler or horn. Experts are as yet unsure what animal it depicts but it is perhaps mythical.

In both cases the bodies of the toys were made from organic material and did not survive the deterioration over the years.

The finds were made in the grave of a ‘common child’ – not an elite burial, said Dr Polyakov.

A figurine of a pagan god pulled out of a Siberian river by an angler was likely a child’s toy or rattle to ward off evil spirits.

The Okunev culture is seen as having links to Native Americans – and this is not the first time their toys have been found.

Indeed, the latest finds add to an intriguing collection.

A figurine of a pagan god pulled out of a Siberian river by an angler was likely a child’s toy or rattle to ward off evil spirits.

It has almond-shaped eyes, a large mouth with full lips, and a ferocious facial expression.

On the back is ‘plaited hair with wave like lines. Below the plait there are lines looking like fish scales.’

Fisherman Nikolay Tarasov made ‘the catch of a lifetime’, said museum staff.

Eight intricately carved figurines with the faces of humans, birds, elk and a boar lay on the chest of the ancient infant.

Meanwhile a collection of ghoulish figurines discovered with a baby’s remains in a birch-bark cradle two years ago have been hailed as the oldest rattles ever found.

Eight intricately carved figurines with the faces of humans, birds, elk and a boar lay on the chest of the ancient infant.

Each was up eight centimeters long.

This discovery was made on the northwest short of Lake Itkul.

Eight dolls in total were contained in the grave of a child.
ROMAN, WORLD

A Hidden Underground Chamber Has Been Found in The Palace of Emperor Nero

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A Hidden Underground Chamber Has Been Found in The Palace of Emperor Nero

The grand, sprawling palace built by the Roman Emperor Nero nearly 2,000 years ago has been keeping a secret. While working on restorations in 2019, archaeologists found a secret chamber – a large underground room decorated with murals depicting both real and mythical creatures.

In red and ochre hues, with traces of gilding, centaurs dance across the walls with depictions of the goat-legged god Pan, some bearing musical instruments.

Birds and aquatic creatures, including hippocampi, are also depicted, and a warrior armed with bow, shield and sword fighting off a panther, all framed by plant elements, and arabesque figures.

And the creature for which the room is named – a “silent and solitary sphinx” above what seems to be a Baetylus, a type of sacred stone.

The sphinx. (Parco archeologico del Colosseo)

The so-called Sphinx Room was discovered quite by accident as part of ongoing restoration of the palace, named the Domus Aurea, or “Golden House”.

Built after the Great Fire of Rome that ravaged the city over the course of nine days in 64 CE, the palace was an opulent building consisting of 300 rooms that sprawled across the Palatine, Esquiline, Oppian and Caelian Hills, covering up to over 300 acres.

Nero was not well loved in his lifetime. He was cruel and tyrannical with those around him, yet lived extravagantly. His ostentatious palace was therefore something of an embarrassment to his successors following his death by assisted suicide in 68 CE, after his people revolted.

A centaur (left) and Pan (right). (Parco archeologico del Colosseo)

Significant pains were made to obliterate any traces of the Domus Aurea. Parts of it were built over – one of these structures is the famous Colosseum – others filled with dirt.

Excavating and restoring it has been an ongoing project by the Parco archeologico del Colosseo – the Palatine Hill section was just opened to the public for the first time ever earlier this year.

The archaeologists were working in an adjoining room in the section on the Oppian Hill when they found the Sphinx Room.

(Parco archeologico del Colosseo)

They had mounted the scaffolding, and turned on the bright lights they need to work – which flooded into an opening in the corner of the room, through which “appeared the entire barrel vault of a completely frescoed room,” according to a statement from the Parco archeologico del Colosseo.

Much of the room is still filled with dirt, covering parts of the walls and very likely sections of mural. However, there are no plans to excavate it at this time, since removing the dirt could destabilise the entire complex.

But, even under the rubble, the room is a valuable snapshot of the days of one of Rome’s most hated rulers.

“In the darkness for almost twenty centuries,” said Parco director Alfonsina Russo, “the Sphinx Room … tells us about the atmosphere from the years of the principality of Nero.”

NORWAY, WORLD

Mysterious Viking Women’s Tombs Filled with Extraordinary Artifacts Discovered in Norway Contain No Human Remains

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Mysterious Viking Women’s Tombs Filled with Extraordinary Artifacts Discovered in Norway Contain No Human Remains

Just 20 centimeters beneath the windswept soil of Senja, a remote island in Northern Norway, archaeologists have uncovered a stunning remnant of the Viking Age: a woman of status laid to rest in a boat, accompanied by her beloved dog and a wealth of symbolic artifacts.

First discovered in 2022 thanks to a lucky signal from a metal detector, the grave was alarmingly close to being destroyed by routine ploughing, reports Science in Norway. But what lay beneath the surface turned out to be among the most evocative Viking burials ever found in the region.

One of the two oval brooches, still undergoing conservation.

A Woman of Distinction

The discovery began with the unearthing of two finely wrought oval brooches, glittering with silver thread – jewelry unmistakably associated with Viking women of high status, from around 900–950 AD.

As the excavation unfolded, archaeologists from the Arctic University Museum of Norway revealed a 5.4-meter-long (18 feet) sewn-plank boat, buried with a woman whose life and death reflect local power and prestige.

The woman’s grave included personal objects suggesting authority over domestic life and textile production: a ring-shaped pendant, a suspected weaving sword carved from whale bone, beads made of bone or amber, a spindle whorl, a whetstone, and even an iron sickle.

A Loyal Companion in Death

Perhaps most touching of all was the small dog buried tenderly at the woman’s feet.

The small dog was placed at the feet of the deceased.

Dogs are occasionally found in Viking graves, though rarely in such well-preserved contexts. This find echoes Iron Age burial traditions in Northern Norway, where animals were sometimes interred alongside humans as companions into the afterlife.

Preserved by Time and Soil

While the boat’s wooden planks had long since decomposed, they left their ghostly outlines, dark stains in the shell-rich soil. Parts of the skeleton, particularly those in contact with the bronze brooches, were impressively preserved. Northern Norway’s lime-rich sand and cool climate have helped save such fragile remains, even after over 1,000 years underground.

The full boat grave recently excavated on Senja Island, Norway.

Traces of textiles were also recovered – thanks to the care taken by the original metal detectorists, who left the artifacts with the surrounding soil intact. These could offer rare insights into Viking funeral dress and textile production, particularly the role of women in Norse society.

Clues to Her Life Still Emerging

Ongoing analysis will determine the woman’s age, diet, stature, possible illnesses, and whether she moved during her life-information preserved in the very chemistry of her bones. DNA testing might one day reveal her hair and eye color, although that is beyond the scope of the current project.

Archaeologist Janne Oppvang carefully cleans the skeleton.

More Graves Await?

The discovery has prompted interest in the surrounding area. Just meters from the burial site, another oval brooch was discovered-suggesting a second, still-untouched grave. Archaeologists hope to survey the area with ground-penetrating radar, to reveal what other secrets lie hidden beneath the thin northern soil.

A Glimpse into a Viking World

This remarkable boat grave is more than a burial – it’s a window into the social fabric, beliefs, and emotional bonds of the Viking world. In life, the woman commanded respect. In death, she was sent into the afterlife with dignity, tools of her station, and the faithful companion who likely shared her hearth and home.

ENGLAND, WORLD

Medieval Skeleton Pulled From Thames, Still Wearing Thigh-High Leather Boots

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Medieval Skeleton Pulled From Thames, Still Wearing Thigh-High Leather Boots

In the mud of London’s Thames river, a strange skeleton that lay hidden for 500 years has finally seen the light of day. Face-down, one arm upflung, the only remnants of his clothing a pair of half-rotted, thigh-high black leather boots.

(Museum of London Archaeology)

It’s those boots that have archaeologists abuzz – an incredibly rare find.

“It’s extremely rare to find any boots from the late 15th century, let alone a skeleton still wearing them,” explained Beth Richardson of the Museum of London Archaeology.

Because the British Isles have such a rich and ancient history, England has legislation to ensure that archaeological assessments and appropriate preservation measures are carried out for all major development.

So the bones were found as part of excavations for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, a project to divert sewage away from the Thames, in a bid to reduce pollution.

It’s not unusual to find artefacts and remains in and around the Thames. The area around the river has been inhabited for a long time, and anyone who’s lived near a body of water knows how easy it is to lose items in the murky depths. But clothing of any kind is extremely rare.

“Historic clothing mostly survives accidentally, and the further back in time, the less there is. The majority of survivals are therefore elite or special garments that are exceptional compared with what the majority of people would have worn,” dress historian and archaeological textile specialist Hilary Davidson of La Trobe University in Melbourne, who was not associated with the discovery, told ScienceAlert.

“Also, it’s extremely rare to find boots still on their wearer. Most medieval footwear found in London was originally discarded into rubbish heaps, which is where it survived.”

The fact that he was still wearing the boots – as well as his location, face-down pose, and preliminary assessment of his bones – have allowed archaeologists to make a few educated guesses about his death, and the life he led beforehand.

The boots were well made, stitched with flax thread, with reinforced soles and stuffed with an unknown plant material, perhaps for a better fit. The fact that they were so long – thigh-length with the tops unrolled – suggests that he may have worked on the river as a fisherman or sailor, wearing the boots as waders to protect his legs.

These boots are made for lastin’. (Museum of London Archaeology)

Wear on his teeth is consistent with a repetitive action – such as passing a rope through them, as a fisherman or sailor might. This lifestyle is supported by the style of the boot, which, according to Davidson, was not high fashion of the time, but close to the everyday shoes of the working class seen in paintings in the 14th and 15th centuries.

If he was a river-worker, this could help explain the remarkable state of the boots’ preservation. “While cellulosic fabrics such as linen tend to decay in waterlogged areas, protein-based garments like wool and especially leather survive anaerobic damp conditions much better,” Davidson explained.

“The tanning process makes leather even more durable, and if his boots were for working in the water they may have had extra protection like oils, fats, pitch or resin worked into the hide which has helped them last for 500 years – better than his skin.” And they even offer clues as to how he died. 

MOLA notes that leather was a highly prized material at the time, often reused and recycled. So, had he been buried by his loved ones, it’s likely they would have removed his boots for re-use first.

This suggests that his death was a tragic one, either by accident or design, and examination of his bones supports this theory. He was less than 35 years old.

However, since his bones show no signs of trauma, we’ll probably never know whether he was pushed, fell, or jumped. Ongoing conservation work on the boots will hopefully reveal more about material reality – what people wore, how they wore it, and their relationship with the dangerous river that has proven to be an incredible thread woven throughout history.