26 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists found three large shipwrecks, 139 Viking Graves, and a ship-shaped mound in Sweden

Exciting discoveries in Sweden! Archaeologists were preparing to investigate a Stone Age settlement outside Varberg. But they came across a gigantic burial ground from the Viking Age.

In Sweden, the Stone Age ended around 1800 B.C., according to Scandinavian Archaeology, but as the team dug through the site section by section, they started to find burials that were not nearly as old.

Even in the first year, Petra Nordin, manager of the project, realized that it was a bigger job than anyone had imagined when they started finding remains of Viking age burials:

“We had found five graves with bone remains and fire layers. The bones were from dogs and humans. Then we realized that there was a large Viking burial ground that we had to focus on.”

The burial ground is strategically well-placed on a flat ridge along two important transport routes. In the east flows the Tvååkersån (formerly Uttran) which flows out at Galtabäck. The old country road (järnbärarvägen) from Spannarp to Gamla Köpstad also runs over the burial ground. The name of the village – Tvååker – and place names such as Järnmölle, Järnvirke, Gamla köpstad, Vare, Galtabäck, and Utteros are all mentioned in early historical sources.

Petra Nordin examines one of the graves, grave 20. Photo: Archaeologerna CC BY
Petra Nordin examines one of the graves, grave 20. Photo: Archaeologerna CC BY

Petra Nordin explains the state of the find: “The problem is that the ground has been plowed down and leveled to cultivate and create pastures, so all the superstructures have disappeared, and the graves have been plowed to pieces. We had to interpret everything from below because it was so torn apart. But we have investigated where the bonfires are and, among other things, found what we interpreted as a 50-meter-long shipwreck [ship burial] up on the ridge”.

She adds, “We often found dogs in small round campfires and people in oblong campfires. The dog was a companion and accompanied the human on the pyre.”

Left, Buckle with horse biting its tail. Right, Gilded bird pendant. Photo: Arkeologerna
Left, Buckle with horse biting its tail. Right, Gilded bird pendant. Photo: Arkeologerna

The burials were dated to between 800 and 1050 A.D. — the Viking era. Before long, more and more burials were found, and other Viking-age artifacts emerged from the dirt, archaeologists said.

In total, the archaeologists found three large shipwrecks and a ship-shaped mound.

It was a massive burial ground, the Arkeologerna said, and in the years since the excavations began, archaeologists have only been able to reach 6% of the total site.

Among the finds were costume buckles such as fibulae and clasp buckles, ceramics, as well as a clip of an Arab silver coin. It is dated to between 795 and 806 AD, which matches well with the oldest graves at the site.

Left’ A gilded clasp buckle. Center, Part of an Arab coin, a so-called Abbasid. Right, A bronze pin. Photo: Arkeologerna
Left’ A gilded clasp buckle. Center, Part of an Arab coin, a so-called Abbasid. Right, A bronze pin. Photo: Arkeologerna

Animal bones of birds, dogs, cattle, and pigs as well as human bones have also been found. The most usual burial ritual during this time period was cremation. Most of the objects found were heavily affected by fire.

Arkeologerna

Cover Image Credit: Arkeologerna

Related Articles

Iron Age Children’s a Unique Funerary Building Discovered in Oman

3 March 2024

3 March 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a unique Iron Age children’s funerary building at the Manaqi archaeological site in Rustaq, South Al Batinah...

In Germany, volunteers unearthed the largest hoard of Slavic coins to date and bronze-age seven swords

29 November 2023

29 November 2023

Volunteer archaeologists found bronze age seven swords and from the 11th century 6000 silver coins in the northeastern German state...

The mythical hero of Troy and Rome Aeneas’s peerless mosaic discovered in Türkiye

11 May 2023

11 May 2023

A large mosaic depicting the legendary Trojan hero Aeneas, the protagonist of Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid” and the ancestor...

Poseidon’s Trident Discovered in Lake İznik

4 May 2025

4 May 2025

The depths of Lake İznik have yielded a discovery of profound significance, instantly captivating historians and archaeologists. The recent recovery...

New evidence pushes the origins of the Great Wall back by 300 years

19 February 2025

19 February 2025

Recently discovered evidence from the Changqing district of Jinan, located in East China’s Shandong Province, reveals that the origins of...

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of the poet Aratos in the Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City

13 August 2021

13 August 2021

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of Aratos, the famous poet and astronomer of the...

Britain’s Oldest Prehistoric Circle Uncovered, Potential Blueprint for Stonehenge

10 March 2025

10 March 2025

Recent archaeological findings at the prehistoric funerary site of Flagstones in Dorset have unveiled that this remarkable circular enclosure, dating...

Olmec reliefs show Ancient Olmec Leaders In Trance-Like State Roaring Like Jaguars

14 August 2022

14 August 2022

Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered two carved reliefs from the late Olmec period (900-400 B.C.) in Villahermosa, Tabasco, southeastern Mexico...

1800-year-old statue head found in Ancient Smyrna Theater in western Turkey

30 July 2022

30 July 2022

A statue head dated to the 2nd century AD was unearthed during the excavations at the Ancient Smyrna Theater, located...

Multiple Burials found at Çatalhöyük

17 September 2021

17 September 2021

Multiple burials were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the house on the eastern mound of the Neolithic settlement Çatalhöyük....

Military veterans uncovered ‘richest grave this year’ on final dig at Anglo-Saxon Cemetery

19 July 2023

19 July 2023

During excavations at an Anglo-Saxon cemetery on military training lands on Salisbury Plain, military veterans have unearthed the richest tomb...

Surprising Genetic Findings from Early Middle Ages Burial Sites in Austria

22 January 2025

22 January 2025

In a groundbreaking archeogenetic study, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in collaboration with an international team,...

The Longest Greek Papyrus from the Judean Desert Sheds Light on a Pivotal Roman Court Case

31 January 2025

31 January 2025

New research by a group of Austrian and Israeli scholars has finally deciphered a 1,900-year-old scroll describing a tense court...

2,500-Year-Old Tombs Uncovered Of Unknown Persons With Gold Tongues in Egypt

6 December 2021

6 December 2021

The remains of two unknown persons with golden tongues were found inside tombs, dating back to the Saite Dynasty (664...

1500-year-old Elite tombs were discovered vicinity of the ancient seaport of Berenice Troglodytica in Egypt

22 May 2022

22 May 2022

Polish archaeologists have discovered a tomb complex near the ancient port of Berenice Troglodytica in Egypt. Archaeologists from the University...