Unique Grave Of A Last Viking Discovered In Sweden

| May 2, 2016 | Archaeology News, Vikings | No Comments

MessageToEagle.com – Archaeologists excavating in the city of Linköping, Sweden have made a unique discovery. Inside a 1,000-year-old grave they found the body of the last Viking who lived in the city.

Who the Viking actually was is unknown, but he was buried along with an axe, work tools, and an odd metal plate that has not yet been identified.

What is unusual about this discovery is the Viking was buried in one of the early Christian graves at St Lars Church and was given sacrifices.  It shows that he died and was buried during times when Christianity was not yet widespread and the Viking traditions had not yet  disappeared.

Sacrifices were not part of Christian burial customs.

Tree coffin of the last Viking.
Tree coffin in which the last Viking was buried. Image credit: Peter Jigerström

According to archaeologist Rikard Hedvall it is not known whether the person in the grave was really a man. Due to the small size of the coffin and the skeleton, there is a small chance it could have been a woman.

Skeleton of the last VIking.
Skeleton of the last VIking from Linköping. The man was very short. Image credit: Peter Jigerström

“The corpse is in very bad condition and it’s impossible to determine whether it is a man or a woman. However, based on the sacrifices we found inside the grave, it appears he was a short man, “Hedvall said.

Last Viking from Linköping
A small axe was found inside the coffin. Image credit: Peter Jigerström

Next to the unknown Viking’s grave there were also two other graves that scientists estimate to be around 1,000-year-old.  The fact that the Viking was buried with his arms spread to side is yet another indication the tomb dates from the early Christian period.

Teeth of the last Viking from Linköping.
A study of the teeth can shed more light on who this Viking was. Image credit: Peter Jigerström

According to Christian tradition the deceased should have arms folded upon the chest.  Although the skeleton is in poor condition, it is still possible to conduct carbon dating analysis on the teeth. Then, we can hopefully learn more about the unknown, last Viking of Linköping.

Archaeologists in Sweden have made many intrigiung finds lately. Just recently they also came across a gold pendant of Odin and his horse Sleipnir, a unique discovery that might be linked to the Heruli tribe.

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