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Close up of the Viking runestone (‘the Rök Stone’) from the 9th century, features the longest known runic inscription and is considered the first piece of Swedish literature.        Source: rolf_52 / Adobe stock

Viking Runestone Uncovers Climate Fears That Fed Ragnarök Myth

Much of the modern world is very worried about climate change and it appears that Vikings were also very concerned about changes to the climate. Researchers now argue that one of the world’s most...
Viking holding Christian cross. Credit: Warpedgalerie / Adobe Stock

Vikings Didn’t Just Murder Monks and Pillage Monasteries – They Helped Spread Christianity Too

Vikings are often seen as heathen marauders mercilessly targeting Christian churches and killing defenceless monks. But this is only part of their story. The Vikings played a key role in spreading...
Seated Mesolithic woman was likely a shaman.         Source: © Gert Germeraad/Trelleborgs Museum

Mesolithic Woman Stuns Onlookers With Her Electric Gaze

Thanks to modern facial reconstruction techniques, experts are now able to recreate the faces of our ancestors in stunning detail. This has recently been done to shocking effect with an extraordinary...
Underwater archaeologists discovered the sunken Swedish 17th century warship. Source: Gordon Milligan / CC BY 2.0

Swedish Warships Stir From Davy Jones’ Locker

Marine archaeologists have discovered two well-preserved 17 th century warships off the coast of Stockholm in Sweden. Last Tuesday Stockholm’s Vrak Museum of Wrecks announced in a press release that...
Newly-discovered rock art in Sweden depicting Stone Age seafarers   Credit: University of Gothenburg

Rock Art Reveals Prehistoric Seafaring in Sweden

New technology has allowed experts to understand some enigmatic Stone Age rock-art in Sweden, revealing that prehistoric people were already taking to the seas. Archaeologists have been able to...
The ancient cemetery, St. Brigitta convent, Estonia	Source: smoke666/Adobe Stock By Ed Whelan

Ancient Pirita Convent Caught Up in a Terrible War

The Baltic nation of Estonia is one of Europe’s least crowded countries and has two UNESCO World Heritage sites, one you may never have heard of. The Struve Geodetic Arc , which Estonia shares with...
Monument of the stone penis, excavated in Rollsbo near Gothenburg in Sweden. Source: The Archaeologists/NHM.

Prehistoric Stone Penis Penetrates Through Time

A Bronze Age stone penis once used for sacrificial fertility rituals has been uncovered in Sweden. The carved phallic statue stands erect at nearly 2 feet (52 centimeters) high and has been linked to...
Student studying artifacts in a museum. Credit: Monkey Business / Adobe Stock

Swedish Schools to Ditch Ancient History in Favor of Gender Roles

A controversial new proposal might see Swedish state schools dropping history classes from the national education curriculum to make space for “postmodernism and democratic values”, such as gender...
Many famous Vikings were known throughout the era

8 Notorious Vikings Who Left Their Bloody Marks on History

Although an excellent series in many ways, Vikings brought with it a pretty romanticized portrait of some of the key names found in the Norse Sagas and the lives they might have lived. Although these...
Bocksten Man. Photo source: (CC BY 2.0 ) The Tollund Man as he appears today. (Tollundman.dk) Osterby Man with hair tied in a Suebian Knot. At Archäologisches Landesmuseum. (CC BY 3.0) The face of the bog body known as Grauballe man. (Public Domain) The Upper body of the Elling Woman. (CC BY SA 3.0)

The Stories Behind Seven Mind Boggling Bog Bodies

Since at least the 18th century, there have been discoveries in northwestern continental Europe and Britain of “bog bodies” - human remains which have been preserved in the anoxic environment of bogs...
Viking Bjorn Ironside

Bjorn Ironside: Son of Famed Viking Ragnar Lodbrok Became Legendary King of Sweden

Bjorn Ironside was a famous Viking leader who legends say ruled Sweden as the first king from the House of Munsö. He lived during the 9th century AD and his father was the legendary Ragnar Lodbrok...
A Sámi family  in front of goahti and lavvu housing, early 1900s, Norway

The Sami People: Reindeer Herding and Cultural Survival in the Far North

The Sámi are the northernmost indigenous people of Europe. For thousands of years they have lived in an area called Sápmi - the northern sectors of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula...
First Genetic Proof of a Viking Age Warrior Woman is Identified from an Iconic Swedish Grave

Researchers Confirm Disputed Viking Warrior Was a Female Because Some Just Won’t Accept It

“Then the high-born lady saw them play the wounding game , she resolved on a hard course and flung off her cloak; she took a naked sword and fought for her kinsmen's lives , she was handy at fighting...
Glösa rock art.

The Glösa Rock Art in Sweden Provides a Peek Into the Lives of Stone Age Hunters

One of the most interesting and enjoyable historic sites in the Scandinavian country of Sweden is Glösa. This is an area with remarkable prehistoric petroglyphs, excavated hunting pits, and a center...
Elfdalian, the Ancient Viking Forest

Elfdalian, the Ancient Viking Forest Language of Sweden, Set to be Revived

The ancient Viking language of Elfdalian has been almost entirely wiped out, with an estimate of only 3,000 people in a tiny forest community in Sweden currently keeping it alive. Now, people fight...
The Royal Mounds of Gamla Uppsala, Ancient Pagan Site of Sweden

The Royal Mounds of Gamla Uppsala, Ancient Pagan Site of Sweden

The 11th century writer and historian, Adam of Bremen described Gamla Uppsala (meaning ‘Old Uppsala’) in Sweden as a pagan site where a temple dedicated to Thor, Odin and Freyr stood. Adam wrote...
The sword has been dated to the 5th or 6th century.

Girl Finds Pre-Viking Sword While Wading in Swedish Lake

There have been many remarkable discoveries in lakes, over the centuries. One such find has just been recently announced in Sweden. A young girl found an incredibly rare 5 th or 6 th century AD sword...
adult man (ID 2072) buried at Sigtuna

First Swedish City was Metropolis of Viking-Era Immigrants

Researchers in Sweden have made an important discovery about one of the first cities in Sweden. They have conducted tests on a number of skeletons in Sigtuna and have found that many were Viking era...
In house 40 in the Sandby borg ringfort, the skeletons of two young men were found right inside of the door. Further into the house were more human remains.

The Crime of Sandby Borg: Site of a 1,600-Year-Old Tragedy in Sweden

Something terrible happened on Sweden’s Öland Island about 1,600 years ago. It was so bad that after an attack on a small fort there the site was taboo for years. Possibly hundreds of people were...
The Mars lies at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where it sank during a naval battle in 1564. Composite photograph by Tomasz Stachura, Ocean Discovery

New Finds at the Well-Preserved Wreck of the Formidable Warship Mars

Mars, which is also known as Makalös (a Swedish word that may be translated as ‘peerless’ or ‘matchless’), was a 16th century warship. Named after the Roman god of war, Mars was one of the largest...
Beer. (CC0) Insert: Carbonized germinated grains found at Uppåkra, Sweden.

Swedes Have Been Brewing Beer Since the Iron Age, New Evidence Confirms

Archaeologists at Lund University in Sweden have found carbonised germinated grains showing that malt was produced for beer brewing as early as the Iron Age in the Nordic region. The findings made in...
The Blå Jungfrun labyrinth.

Blå Jungfrun Island, Sweden: Where Witches Dwell and Labyrinths Confuse

Its natural beauty led the Swedish government to declare the island of Blå Jungfrun, often translated as ‘Blue Maiden’, a national park. However, there is a dark side to this site and the island has...
A meteorite in space. (Public Domain) Insert: This meteorite is the oldest item to have ever been bought in an auction.

Space Rock Sold! 4.5-Billion-Year-Old Meteorite is the Oldest Item Ever Sold on Earth

A 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite is one of the oldest of its kind in the world and a chunk of this space rock has now become the oldest item ever sold in an auction. But its purchaser is not the...
The gold coin and rings recently unearthed at Sandby Borg.

Archaeologists Strike Gold While Searching for Answers to the Sandby Borg Massacre

Researchers piecing together the horror story of a 5th century massacre off the coast of Sweden have a new element to add to the tale – a gold coin and rings. But does this additional aspect provide...

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