Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2013-05-07 07:02
Historians and craftsmen have long pondered the absolute regularity of Viking jewelry made from twisted rods of gold and silver, but a new theory by Kasper Olsen and Jakob Bohr at the Technical University of Denmark may have solved the puzzle: mathematics.
Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2013-05-03 16:43
Those interested in Nordic culture, especially when it comes to brewing, may want to take a look at a scholarly article by Christie L. Ward entitled Norse Drinking Traditions, delivered to the Alexandrian Company Symposium on Food and Festival in the Middle Ages. The paper is available to read or download on Scribd, the digital book and document website.
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2013-04-21 08:20
While the image of the Vikings has been rehabilitated in the past few years, showing them as peaceful farmers and artisans, some evidence of cruel and bloodthirsty behavior does exist. In Smithsonian's blog Past Imperfect, Mike Dash looks at the more brutal side of the Norsemen, and the fact of torture such as the "blood eagle."
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2013-04-14 13:09
Experts have long speculated that a Norse Solarsteinn, or sunstone, was used to help Viking mariners find their way west through cloudy weather, and the discovery of such an artifact on a sunken, 16th century English warship may prove it.
Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2013-04-06 13:40
Archaeologists have long known that Vikings loved their ale, but, according to Merryn and Graham Dineley, the experts have seldom considered just where the ale was brewed. Now, a new study speculates that stone structures in Britain, once believed to be bathhouses, might actually have been brewhouses.
Submitted by Alys Katharine on Wed, 2013-04-03 17:31
Low water in Stockholm's harbor reveals the outline of two sunken warships believed to be from the 17th century.
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2013-03-31 11:05
Everyone knows that the Vikings were dirty louts in helmets with horns -- at least that is what Danish Facebook readers thought in a recent survey by ScienceNordic’s Danish partner site, videnskab.dk. ScienceNordic debunks the myths about Viking appearance on a webpage entitled What Vikings really looked like.
Submitted by Alys Katharine on Mon, 2013-03-25 20:03
A greenish-brown wool tunic was uncovered when a glacier in south Norway began retreating.
Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2013-03-23 16:16
In December 2012, metal detector enthusiast Morten Skovsby got lucky near the village of Hårby, Denmark. His detector hit on a thumb-sized silver figurine depicting a Valkyrie, the only known 3D Viking representation of the battle maiden. (photos)
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2013-03-10 22:15
The Annual IMR Postgraduate Conference at the University of Nottingham in England is calling for papers to be presented at its conference to be held July 5, 2013. The deadline for submission is April 1, 2013
Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2013-03-01 10:35
On March 3, 2013, Vikings will sail onto television screens in a "nine-part drama series from Michael Hirst, creator of The Tudors." The series will focus on the exploits of Ragnar Lothbrok and his followers, complete with "dynamic displays of superherolike derring-do and physical stamina."
Submitted by gijchar on Mon, 2013-02-18 20:41
How To Forge A Helmet is a step-by-step guide for making your own Viking-Age Spangenhelm. It is a Kindle Book on Amazon, written by Armourer Joe Piela aka Gijchar of The Lonely Mountain Forge. Approximately 24 pages long, this book is illustrated with 19 photos, including 1 of the pattern used to make the helmet.
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2013-02-10 12:57
Travelers in northern Norway were inconvenienced recently when a truckload of burning cheese closed the Brattli Tunnel at Tysfjord. The fire continued for five days, releasing toxic gases, and making clearing the tunnel hazardous.
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2013-02-07 12:10
“To assume that Viking men were ranked above women is to impose modern values on the past, which would be misleading,” cautions Marianne Moen one of the organizers of the Viking Worlds Conference, to be held in March 2013.
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2013-02-03 10:01
Those interested in Icelandic and Scandanavian textiles will want to watch a video featuring archaeologist and textile expert Michele Hayeur Smith presenting at the Anthropology Distinguished Lecture at Bridgewater State University.
Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2013-01-28 17:07
The Roskilde 6, the largest Viking long ship ever found, is traveling to England, not to loot and pillage, but to educate, 1,000 years after it carried troops for King Canute of Denmark. The warship wil be displayed by the British Museum in 2014.
Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2013-01-23 11:42
A recent study by a team of Danish-Canadian scientists rules out cold weather as the reason that the Vikings abandoned their settlements in Greenland in the 15th century. When cold destroyed crops, say the experts, the settlers just changed their diets to seal meat.
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2013-01-15 11:13
In the 13th century, Scotland was divided between the Scots on the mainland and the Vikings of the western islands. The struggle that followed brought an end to Viking rule in the country. A new BBC Two program looks at The Last Battle of the Vikings.
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2012-12-27 15:39
One of the theories about the demise of Viking settlers on Greenland was that the Norse were unable to adapt to the island's harsh climate, but Danish and Canadian researchers believe that was not the cause.
Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2012-12-22 19:05
Much of the Norse mythology we recognize today comes courtesy of the writing of 13th century Icelandic chieftain Snorri Sturluson. Nancy Marie Brown takes a look at Snorri on her blog God of Wednesday.
Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2012-12-17 17:10
Scandinavian museums proudly display artifacts plundered throughout Europe by the Vikings, but now some museum curators ask if these stolen treasures should be returned to their original countries.
Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2012-12-12 10:32
On an island in a small river in Norway's Nord-Trøndelag County, archaeologists have discovered a 14th-century copper smeltery. “This is the first evidence that copper was produced from copper ore in Norway during the Middle Ages,” says Associate Professor Lars F. Stenvik, at the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology in Trondheim.
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2012-12-04 13:30
Unlike Hollywood's version of sword fighting, based on fencing, the true Viking fighting style was close in and vigorous. In a short video posted on the Discovery website, a father and son team of professional fight choreographers shows how it was really done.
Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2012-12-01 14:18
At a conference in October 2012, archaeologist Patricia Sutherland announced that new evidence has been found of a Viking outpost on Canada's Baffin Island.
Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2012-11-26 15:24
Game creator Gregor Vuga reports that he is developing a roleplaying game focusing on the lives of Icelandic settlers in the 10th century CE. Sagas of the Icelanders is an independent endeavor funded by private contributions. A short video explains the project.
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2012-11-13 16:26
Dr Tarrin Wills, from the Centre for Scandinavian Studies, believes that Vikings used their understanding of human psychology to "profile" possible trouble-makers. He recently presented his research at the British Science Festival.
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2012-11-06 19:45
A recent program in the PBS NOVA series explores Secrets of the Viking Sword. The 53-minute program is available to download and view from the NOVA website.
Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2012-10-26 18:14
Tavern Tourney / A DAY IN VALHALLA December 8, 2012. Site: Chuparosa Park, 2400 S. Dobson Rd., Chandler, AZ, 85244 which is on Dobson, south of Germann.
Submitted by Sabine Berard on Wed, 2012-10-24 12:40
Artifacts from an excavation on Baffin Island, Canada have yielded evidence that the Vikings may have had a settlement there in the 14th century. Evidence includes traces of bronze, European-style stonework and tools, Old World rat pelts, and yarn similar to that made in Greenland at the same time.
Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2012-10-19 23:42
There are documents a plenty on how the Vikings influenced the culture of England, but a new study looks at ways that Danish Norse were influenced by the English they conquered. According to Ph.D candidate Marie Bønløkke Spejlborg, it was the English who inspired Danes to organise themselves into cities."