Opening details

At the very beginning of the excavation, scientists realized that they had stumbled upon a large Viking cemetery. right now they Only six percent had time to research According to the news of 24 Kanal, reference is made to the Arkeologina report of this archaeological complex.

The cemetery was first discovered in 2017 in the village of Twooker in southwestern Sweden, on the eve of planned road construction. Although this place is mentioned in historical epics, no remains of this cemetery were known until recently.

The problem is that the land [давно] Plowed and leveled to create pasture, so that all outcroppings, above-ground remains and graves were broken into pieces,
– says archaeologist Petra Nordin from the Swedish National History Museum.

Archaeologists discovered the remains of 139 graves during excavations carried out between 2017 and 2019. human and animal bones, metal accessories and ceramic vesselsand large stones deliberately placed around several boat-shaped graves.

One burial was particularly well organized, according to Petra Nordin: “The grave contained 17 vessels, human and animal bones, as well as woven weights and iron arrowheads. We interpret the square pit as a structure that helped create a good airflow for the hearth.” [кремації] above ground”.

Gilded buckle found by archaeologists in Viking Age cemetery / Photo: Arkeologerna/National History Museums

A gilded necklace in the shape of a bird / Photo: Arkeologerna/National History Museums

In this common funeral ceremony of the Viking Age, the body was burned on a funeral pyre. Sacrificial animals such as cows and pigs were then placed on top. Then the tomb was closed and a ring of large stones in the shape of the outline of a ship could be built around it – the so-called stone ship.

Archaeologists too Discovered a piece of silver coin from ArabiaThey date it to between 795 and 806, giving a general time frame for the burial.

Because excavations are still ongoing and far from complete, scientists are not yet ready to provide a full report. Additionally, no settlement associated with the cemetery has been found yet.