Friday, June 14, 2013

Some of the very first vikings,

from an earlier date than previously believed.
...A recent discovery on a remote Baltic island is beginning to change that. Two ships filled with slain warriors uncovered on the Estonian island of Saaremaa may help archaeologists and historians understand how the Vikings’ warships evolved from short-range, rowed craft to sailing ships; where the first warriors came from; and how their battle tactics developed. “We all agree these burials are Scandinavian in origin,” says Marge Konsa, an archaeologist at the University of Tartu. “This is our first taste of the Viking era.”

Pointed to by Michael Williamson on the Book of Face.

1 comment:

Windy Wilson said...

Interesting. Thor Heyerdahl was a diffusionist of the first order and among other things believed the Vikings originally came from the Black Sea via rivers and overland to Scandinavia, and that Asgaard was near the Crimea, if I remember correctly.