In what is being called a “sensational” find, archaeologists have unearthed two Viking burial ships in the Swedish municipality of Uppsala.
Burial ship sites of this kind is extremely rare in Sweden. Only 10 such discoveries have been made in the Scandinavian country, according to experts.
One of the burial ships (or “boat graves) found in Uppsala, Sweden. (Photo Credit: Arkeologerna, Shm)
“This is a unique excavation, the last burial ship was examined 50 years ago,” said Anton Seiler, an archeologist with Arkeologerna, which works with Sweden’s historical museums.
The two graves were accidentally discovered near the grounds of a vicagare in Gamla Uppsala during an excavation last fall in preparation for the construction of an extension to the site by the Swedish Church. Archeologists investigated the find this past June.
A skeleton of a man, buried with a horse and a dog, was found in one of the burial ship sites. (Photo Credit: Arkeologerna, Shm)
In one “pristine” grave, archaeologists found the remains of man buried in the stern of the boat together with his horse and dog. Iron fittings, most likely from horse equipment, were found with the remains. Weapons, including a sword, spear, and shield, and a richly ornate comb, believed to belong to the man, were also found in the grave.
Archaeologists believe the other “less intact” grave was damaged when the basement of the vicarage was constructed. They also unearthed boat rivets of iron and parts of wood from the planks that constituted the boats. The damaged boat was likely the larger of the two, measuring about 23 feet long.
A shield and a comb was found in one of the burial ship sites. (Photo Credit: Arkeologerna, Shm)
These types of burials, where individuals were placed in full-sized boats, typically dates back to the Vendel Period (around 550-800 AD) or the Viking Age (800-1050 AD), when it was more common to cremate the dead. The burials were not available to the common folk. They are thought to have been reserved for individuals with high status.
Researchers are hoping to analyze the ships, especially the “untouched” one, to learn more about the burial rituals.
Archaeologists work on the skeleton of a horse found in the burial ship site. (Photo Credit: Arkeologerna, Shm)
“It is exciting because it is very rare to investigate boat graves,” Seiler said. “Now we have [more opportunities] than before for scientific analyses, which will give exciting results and generate completely new findings.”
Parts of the new discovery will be exhibited at Gamla Uppsala Museum and Stockholm’s Swedish History Museum.
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