18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Apocalypse Ship of the Vikings

Researchers discovered a stone boat made by Vikings and surprising gifts inside a cave in Iceland.

Aside from the cave, researchers discovered rare Middle Eastern artifacts, as well as orpiment, remains from Turkey, according to the archaeologists.

In Surtshellir Cave in Iceland, the researchers found a boat made of stone, which they said may have been used by the Vikings to prevent Ragnarök, the end of the world in Norse mythology.

The cave is near a volcano that erupted nearly 1,100 years ago, according to the results of the research, which were recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

“The impacts of this eruption must have been unsettling, posing existential challenges for Iceland’s newly arrived settlers”, reads the study.

Archaeological research indicates that after the lava cooled, the Vikings entered the cave and built a boat-shaped structure out of rocks. As a sacrifice, the Vikings would have burned animal bones, such as those of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, and pigs, at high temperatures within this structure.  It’s possible that this was done to avoid Ragnarok.

“The world would end when Surtr, an elemental being present at the world’s creation, would kill the last of the gods in the battle of Ragnarök and then engulf the world in flames”, the researchers wrote.

The archaeologists are baffled as to why such valuable items from as far away as the Middle East were left in the cave. The Vikings traveled as far as the Middle East, and These goods may have made their way to Iceland via trade routes after.

Another theory for why Vikings performed sacrifices and placed artifacts inside the boat is that they were attempting to strengthen Freyr, the god of peace and fertility who was fighting Surtr.

Icelanders converted to Christianity around 1,000 years ago, and they soon stopped depositing objects in the cave. The final items placed in the boat-shaped stone structure included a “set of scale weights with one in the shape of a Christian cross,” according to the team. Even after the Icelandic people converted to Christianity, they continued to associate the cave with the end of the world. According to the team, one Icelandic tradition considers the cave to be “the place where Satan would emerge on Judgment Day,”

Related Articles

Human blood proteins were found in the red paint on a 1,000-year-old gold mask from Peru

27 October 2021

27 October 2021

Traces of human blood have been discovered in the red paint that decorated a gold mask found on the remains...

Arrowhead from the Biblical Battle Discovered in the Hometown of the Giant Goliath’s

30 May 2021

30 May 2021

A bone arrowhead discovered in the ancient Philistine city of Gath might have been used fired off by the city’s...

The discovery that surprised archaeologists; a Rare glass cup adorning the table of rich Romans in Crimea

2 April 2022

2 April 2022

A discovery made in Frontovoye-3 necropolis in Crimea shows that during the Roman Empire there were more centers of glass...

A Large Roman Building Discovered on the Limmat

13 April 2024

13 April 2024

In the Steinacher area (Canton of Aargau) on the Limmat there was a Roman settlement that was significantly larger than...

The Headless Corpses of Somersham was Victims of Roman Executions

30 May 2021

30 May 2021

Excavations at Knobb’s Farm in Somersham, Cambridgeshire, unearthed three small late Roman graves on the outskirts of an agricultural village....

From Türkiye to Iraq: Returning 6,000-Year-Old Cuneiform Tablets That Unlock Ancient Mesopotamia

2 July 2025

2 July 2025

Türkiye has made a significant contribution to cultural diplomacy and historical justice by returning six ancient cuneiform clay tablets to...

Magnificent Discovery: A Major Tomb Filled with Gold and Ceramic Artifacts was Discovered in Panama

3 March 2024

3 March 2024

In an archaeological find in the El Caño Archaeological Park, located in the district of Natá, province of Coclé, in...

A statue of God Apollo was found during sewerage works in Afyon city in western Turkey

30 May 2021

30 May 2021

A statue thought to belong to God Apollo was found during sewerage works in Afyon city in western Turkey. During...

5,500-Year-Old ‘Polish Pyramids’ Discovered by Archaeologists in Western Poland

11 July 2025

11 July 2025

Archaeologists in western Poland have uncovered two massive prehistoric structures dubbed the “Poland pyramids,” offering a remarkable glimpse into one...

New mosaics unearthed in “Zeugma of the Black Sea”

3 October 2022

3 October 2022

New mosaics with various figures were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, which is called...

Ancient Ruins of an Ancient Capital Found in Beijing

15 March 2021

15 March 2021

After two years of excavation, Chinese archaeologists recently exposed Zhongdu, the capital city of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) next to...

Tragurium Twins: A Rare Roman Archaeological Discovery in Croatia

12 March 2025

12 March 2025

Recent archaeological excavations in Croatia have unearthed a remarkable and heart-wrenching discovery: the remains of twin babies interred together in...

Archaeologists discover traces of ancient Jalula, the city that witnessed the famous battle of the same name 1386 years ago

23 November 2023

23 November 2023

The  Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) has announced the discovery of the boundaries and various structures of...

Archaeologists Unveil Sanctuary of Odysseus on Ithaca: A Monumental Discovery Rooted in Myth and History

15 June 2025

15 June 2025

A major archaeological breakthrough on the Greek island of Ithaca has brought new clarity to the island’s legendary past. Researchers...

‘World’s oldest dated rune stone’ found in Norway

18 January 2023

18 January 2023

The oldest known Rune stone in Norway has been discovered by Norwegian archaeologists working at the Museum of Cultural History...