How Viking History Changed With Recent Archaeological Discovery

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The oldest Viking settlement in the country was recently discovered in Iceland. Sounds simple, doesn't it? It was not so! The remains of the settlement were found under another. This radically changes the opinion of historians about the time of the first arrival of the Scandinavians on the island! After all, the age of these structures is much older than the generally accepted period of time when the Vikings arrived in Iceland and settled it.

Archaeologist Bjarni F. Einarsson and his team excavated a farm at Stod, near the eastern village of Stodvarfjordur. The first excavations in the area were planned to begin in 2007. Archaeological research began in this area only in 2015. Two large buildings, or "long houses," as experts call them, were immediately discovered. They were located one below the other.

The houses were divided into rooms and most likely several families lived there, archaeologists say. In the center of the rooms were stone hearths, where a fire was made so that the room could be heated. The houses found on top date back to 874 and are believed to have belonged to a wealthy farmer.

The length of the lower house is as much as forty meters, while the length of the upper (obviously, the chief's house) does not exceed thirty. Einarsson says that the whole structure of this farm makes it possible to claim that it was the richest in Iceland. Inside were found a wide variety of utensils, Roman and Oriental coins, silver and jewelry.

In total, archaeologists have unearthed twenty-nine silver items and many Haxilvers. Haxilver are pieces of silver that were used as currency by the Vikings and other peoples at the time.

The age of the long house on top, believed to be the oldest Viking settlement, coincides with speculations about when the Vikings landed in Iceland. The second house below forces experts to reconsider their opinion about the emergence of the first Viking settlements in the area.

According to preliminary estimates of researchers, the house may be a little less than 800 years old, which predates the previously generally accepted date of the Viking settlement by at least 75 years! Among other things, this house is not like a permanent, but a seasonal dwelling. If the upper house is an upper-class dwelling, the lower one is a living quarters for workers. A smithy was found in the room. This is the only evidence of Viking blacksmithing found hitherto in Iceland.

Historians have many questions now. How did the Vikings create this settlement? There is "Landnámabók" ("Book of Settlements") - the history of Iceland, written in medieval times by the first Icelandic historian Ari Chorgilsson. It is a poetic version of how events developed on the island.

According to this chronicle, brave adventurers led by the leader Ingolfur Arnarson fled from the tyranny of King Fairhair of Norway. They sailed from the mainland and, having made some way, suddenly saw an island on the horizon. They became the first settlers in Iceland.

The story goes: “Ingolfur hit the road, vowing to build his farm wherever they went ashore. The gods sent ships to Reykjavik, where Ingolfur built his house in 874."

Einarsson says scientists were simply afraid to look beyond this evidence. But it is logical that in the beginning the earth had to be tested. The expert sees clear planning here. The seasonal camp focused on hunting and cultivating the land. All this was controlled by the Norwegian leader, and the workers made trips there and back. The absence of animal bones at the site of this settlement indicates, according to experts, that everything was loaded onto ships and taken to Norway.

Who did the Vikings hunt? Traces of an extinct species of Atlantic walrus were discovered last year. This species is extremely valuable for fishing. Everything is used: the skin, fat, and meat. It is possible that these animals were completely exterminated by the Vikings.

“The total population of Atlantic walruses appeared to be small, maybe only 5,000 animals,” says director of the Icelandic Museum of Natural History, Dr. Hilmar Malmqvist. "They were completely unaccustomed to people and were easy to kill." Obviously, walrus hunting played a very important role during the initial reconnaissance settlement of Iceland. This created opportunities for ambitious settlers to get rich quickly. Animals roamed freely along the coastline, it was easy for people to hunt them.

Einarsson and a company of archaeologists are currently engaged in a detailed study of the lower long house. This latest find represents a potentially new milestone in Viking history and is a game changer in Icelandic history.

If you are interested in history, read our article on how archaeologists have discovered the oldest and largest Mayan city ever found.