Fifty “well-preserved” Viking bones were unearthed in Denmark by archaeologists from Museum Odense, west of Copenhagen, along with five cremated graves.
“It is truly rare to find so many well-preserved bones at once, like those found in Ã…sum,” said museum director Michael Borre Lundø in a statement. “This discovery offers rare opportunities to carry out a comprehensive scientific analysis, which can reveal more about the general life, diet, and origin of those buried. The analysis may even reveal whether the buried vikings were related, which would be very important, as this has never been tested in the same cemetery.”
The remains were found in the Danish village of Ã…sum near Odense, Denmark, six months ago and were buried with artifacts from abroad, proving they traveled internationally for trade, according to the museum.
Fifty “well-preserved” Viking bones were unearthed in Denmark by archaeologists from Museum Odense, west of Copenhagen, along with five cremated graves. (Reuters/Tom Little)
“The Ã…sum cemetery is so well preserved that it may be possible, for the first time, to perform a specific aDNA analysis on many bones – that is, DNA analysis on ancient objects,” Sarah Croix, associate professor and PhD from the Department. of Archeology and Heritage Studies at Aarhus University, the statement said. “It will be very interesting to know where these people came from and that the same families were buried here for many generations.”
High water levels and good soil conditions kept the bones from decaying, Lundø said.
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A curator at Museum Odense shows a brooch found in a Viking age burial site. (Reuters/Tom Little)
“Normally when we excavate Viking graves, we would be lucky if there were two teeth left in the grave without the grave goods,” he explained, “but here we have fully preserved bones. Bones are so amazing. well maintained. There are five fingers, five toes and that opens up a whole new set of possibilities.
Some of the bones were buried with items such as knives, brooches, glass beads and even a cart.
“This woman was buried in the cart she may have traveled in,” said Lundø. “We must think that he was buried with his best clothes and his belongings. He was given a beautiful necklace of glass beads, an iron key, a knife with a silver-threaded handle, and, most notably, a small piece of glass that probably served as a charm. At the bottom of the cart, there was a beautifully decorated wooden chest, whose whereabouts are still unknown.
A drone view shows archaeologists working to excavate a Viking age burial site discovered in the village of Aasum, Denmark, on September 25, 2024. (Reuters/Tom Little)
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Another grave near the woman’s contained a three-pronged bronze brooch, red glass, a steel knife, and a small piece of rock crystal, which Lundø noted was not a natural phenomenon in Denmark. He said it might be taken from Norway.
“Several objects from many cemeteries in Ã…sum show that Viking burials were connected to trade networks with developed countries during the Viking Age,” he said.
An archaeologist excavates bones from a pit in a Viking age burial site in the village of Aasum, Denmark. (Reuters/Tom Little)
Excavation is being done in preparation for repairing the electricity grid.
Although the tomb belonged to the elite, most of the remains belonged to the farming community, the museum said.
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The burial ground covers about 2,000 square meters east of Odense and is believed to date back to the 9th and 10th centuries.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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