The Woman Warrior of Birka

 In 1878, the body of a great Viking warrior was found in Birka, Sweden. For many years, the body was exhibited at the national museum without further attention to it.

But in 2017 a team of Swedish archaeologists under the lead of Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson have come to a surprising conclusion. The analysis of the DNA proves that the great warrior was not a man but actually a woman. Ever since, several counter-hypotheses have been made. Was the analysis duly made and are the results correct? Did the scientists study the right bones? What if there had been two skeletons in the grave? Charlotte is currently preparing a major scientific study to be published early 2019 in answer to the many questions raised. Based on the work of other experts, she and her team need to confirm the existence of women warriors, prove that the weapons found in the grave could be used by a woman, explain why the skeleton bore no sign of injury and show that a woman could lead the Birka garrison. All of the pieces of the puzzle will be put together in our documentary in order to tell the stry of a fascinating archaeological adventure behind the only female Viking warrior known to date.

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Legendarisk vikingastad kan ha hittats i Polen

Den mytomspunna vikingastaden Jomsborg nämns i flera av de isländska sagorna och ska ha uppförts av Harald Blåtand på en ö i Östersjön omkring år 960. Trots flera hundra år av arkeologiskt arbete har det emellertid inte gått att hitta några bevis för stadens existens – förrän nu.

På den polska ön Wolin har arkeologen Wojciech Filipowiak funnit rester av bränt trä från 900-talet, som ser ut att ha varit delar av en försvarsanläggning.

Wojciech Filipowiak var egentligen inte på jakt efter vikingar. Han grävde i stranden på Wolin för att de lokala myndigheterna har planer på att bygga ett observationstorn på det som kallas Hangman Hill. Området användes i flera hundra år som avrättningsplats och begravningsplats. Det var denna mörka historia som Filipowiak skulle avtäcka.

Nu tror arkeologen att han i stället har löst ett av vikingatidens största mysterier.

Sagorna älskade jomsvikingarna

Wolin har i åratal betraktats som en av de troligaste placeringarna för Jomsborg. Ön var en del av Tyskland från 1871 till slutet på andra världskriget, och tyska arkeologer sökte under 1930-talet igenom ön på jakt efter den legendariska vikingastaden, men hittade inget.

Medan lokalstyret på Wolin ofta har framställt ön som den historiska hemvisten för Jomsborg, så har många historiker ansett att staden enbart skapats av sagornas författare.

Det finns många myter förknippade med de så kallade jomsvikingarna från ön. Jomsvikingarna ska ha varit ett förband av hårdföra och oerhört disciplinerade vikingar, som ska ha varit verksamma i Östersjön och Skandinavien på 900-talet.

Historierna om dessa fruktade vikingar och legosoldater blandar fritt historiska händelser med sagor. Jomsvikingen Palnatoke nämns till exempel ofta i sagorna och ska bland annat ha dödat Harald Blåtand genom att skjuta honom med en pil i rumpan, och som kom ut genom munnen.

Med det nya fyndet har Jomsborg förflyttat sig lite längre bort från sagorna och närmare verkligheten.

Vikingatidens New York

Enligt de gamla sagorna var Jomsborg vikingarnas maktcentrum i det baltiska området. Karolina Kokora, direktör för Wolins historiska museum, beskriver staden som ett ”medeltida New York i Östersjön”.

Det var ett myllrande handelscentrum med en heterogen befolkning bestående av vikingar, germaner och slaver. Staden hade en formidabel fästning och en lång pir, som kunde ta emot åtskilliga vikingaskepp.

Staden hade emellertid en utsatt position och belägrades och förstördes flera gånger. Först av den dansk-norske kungen Magnus den gode år 1043, och 1185 ska staden ha jämnats med marken av den danske biskopen Absalon. Efter det försvinner den befästa staden från de historiska källorna.

Det krävs givetvis ytterligare analyser och forskning för att kunna slå fast om det verkligen rör sig om den legendariska staden, men Wojciech Filipowiak anser att det redan är ”till 80 procent säkert” att det förhåller sig så.

”Debatten om Jomsborgs placering – eller om staden verkligen har existerat – har pågått länge. Förhoppningsvis kan jag bidra till att avsluta den”, säger Wojciech Filipowiak.

Magnet fisherman finds Viking sword

 First of all, there is such a thing as a magnet fisherman: ie, someone who uses a powerful neodymium magnet on a rope to retrieve metal objects from bodies of water. I did not know this. Secondly, magnet fisherman Trevor Penny pulled up an intact Viking sword from the River Cherwell in West Oxfordshire last November.

Magnet fishing usually pulls up relatively modern debris — tire rims, keys, bicycles, unexploded ordnance — not iron swords hundreds of years old. Penny didn’t know what it was at first, but after consulting with friends and knowledgeable acquaintances, he called it in to the Portable Antiquities Scheme finds liaison officer in Standlake. The finds liaison officer identified it as a Viking sword dating to between 850 and 975 A.D. It is the oldest object ever discovered in Oxfordshire by magnet fishing.

It looks like a Petersen Type M to my untutored eye, based on the hilt shaped like a capital I, the long blade and the date range. Type M swords in good condition can retain traces of organic remains (wood, leather, cloth) on the grip, so it’s important that this sword be carefully conserved. It is corroded, but there could be organic treasure hiding underneath that crusty exterior. Thankfully, the sword is already in the hands of museum professionals and will remain there.

Mr Penny confirmed that it will be retained by Oxford museum services and will either stay in Witney or be put on display in a museum.

He added: “There was a little dispute with the landowner and the rivers trust who don’t permit magnet fishing. The latter sent a legal document saying they wouldn’t take action on the condition the sword was passed to a museum, which I had done.”

Huge 500-Year-Old Longsword Recovered from Medieval Grave on Swedish Coast

 

Researchers digging at the Lilla Torg site in the western Swedish port city of Halmstad unearthed something extraordinarily rare. While excavating a grave in a medieval era cemetery, archaeologists from Kulturmiljö Halland (the Cultural Environment of Halland) and its partners at the Lödöse and Bohusläns Museums found a long, rusted metal sword that measured more than four feet (1.2 meters) long. The massive weapon was discovered buried next to an elite man who had died in the late 15th or early 16th century, and this individual was unique in his own right as he measured over six feet tall (an atypical height for medieval times).

This remarkable discovery occurred on December 19, during excavations of a large cemetery containing 49 graves that was found beneath Halmstad’s Lilla Torg square. The burial sites were unearthed under what had once been a Franciscan monastery and church, which were known to have been open and occupied by the Franciscan Order from 1494 through 1531.

Archaeologist Eirik Johansson from Bohusläns Museum holds up the medieval sword he found during the ongoing archaeological survey of Lilla Torg in Halmstad. (Kulturmiljö Halland)

A Giant Figure With a Huge Sword

Among all these burials, the grave that held the skeleton of the tall man stood out, firstly because of the size of its occupant, and second because of the heavy sword that was buried at his side. While an osteological examination of the man’s skeleton showed he would have been about 6’3” (1.9 meters) in height, his sword was only two feet (0.6 meters) short of this in length, measuring an impressive 4’3” (1.3 meters). The sword was the only artifact in the grave, and it had been placed at the man’s left side (presumably he would have been left-handed).

The fairly intact sword was measured at 1.3 meters (4 foot 3 inches). (Kulturmiljö Halland)

The metal sword still included its wooden hilt, which managed to survive the passage of five centuries since the sword’s time of burial. Following a series of X-rays taken after the sword was removed from the ground, the archaeologists discovered that it was decorated by two inlaid crosses made from some type of precious metal.

The medieval longsword was the only burial item found in the tall man’s grave. But this artifact alone was enough to determine that the man must have enjoyed elite status in medieval Scandinavian society.

“Finding swords in medieval graves is very rare, and the people who were buried with swords belonged to the upper echelons of society,” Kulturmiljö Halland reported.

“The sword find at Lilla Torg confirms that Sankta Anna's church was used as a burial place for, among other things, people of noble birth during the 35 years that the Franciscan order operated on the site.”

Excavating the Long-Lost Franciscan Order of Halmstad

The Franciscan monastery and its accompanying church, which were dedicated to Sankta Annas (St. Anna), were constructed between 1494 and 1503, under the direction of Christina of Saxony, the Scandinavian Queen of Denmark (she ruled over the lands of Sweden as well).

After the premature closure of the monastery in 1531, the structure was repurposed as first a hospital and later as an armory, and it remained in use until being destroyed in a massive fire that ravaged the city of Halmstad in 1619.

The very first excavations at the Lilla Torg square took place in 1932, which led to the discovery of the ruined church building and the monastery kitchen. The excavation of the grave with the sword, and the other 48 graves found so far, proved conclusively that the site was used as a burial spot for people of noble birth and/or high status. This would have been a policy of the Franciscans, and the burials that took place on church grounds would all have occurred during their period of occupation.

Three of the graves under investigation at the Lilla Torg site. (Kulturmiljö Halland)

Archaeologists unearthed the grave of the tall man and its accompanying sword beneath the floor of the church on the southern side. Two other burials of adults, one a man and one a women, were discovered adjacent to the tall man’s tomb, but neither of these graves contained any material goods. In fact none of the other graves excavated in the medieval cemetery held any burial goods, which suggests the tall man enjoyed unique stature in either in the greater community or among the Franciscan monks and nuns.

The historic town of Halmstad, which was founded in 1307, is located approximately 270 miles (435 kilometers) southwest of Stockholm, on Sweden’s Atlantic Ocean coast. It was part of the Danish Kingdom in medieval times, which explains why the Sankta Anna church and monastery could only be built with the approval of the Queen of Denmark. She undoubtedly intended the place to function as a permanent home for the Franciscans, but shifting political winds determined the site would remain a religious sanctuary for less than four decades.

A Sword of Mystery

After its discovery, the medieval longsword was quickly removed from the site and sent to a conservation facility for further examination, and to make sure it is preserved and protected. It was during analysis at this facility that archaeologists discovered the existence of the two inlaid crosses, signaling the tall man’s religious devotion.

Interestingly, the archaeologists believe the sword’s blade might have been partially broken off at some point, meaning it was even longer and heavier than it currently is. Further investigations are expected to reveal the truth about the enigmatic sword’s actual size and real age, and possibly about how it would have been used (i.e., as a ceremonial object or in actual battles).

Top image: Burial of tall medieval man with longsword in Sweden.          Source: Kulturmiljö Halland

By Nathan Falde