The Viking's Haul

19/07/2025

First, a once prosperous farm stead was found and then 30 graves, all from the Viking Age, at Lisbjerg, in Denmark. Many of the graves contain lavish grave goods and it is thought that they belong to the family & retainers from the farm, from a number of generations.
The finds just keep on coming!

Archaeologists were surprised to find 30 Viking Age burials in Denmark, and even more surprised by the extravagant grave goods found within them.

18/07/2025

Most of us are aware of the significance of cats in Viking Age society, thanks to their sacred status with Goddess Freyja. We also know of the prominence of wolves in Norse mythology, but what role did dogs play in Viking lives? As it turns out, dogs held considerable value, both as working companions and beloved pets, for our Viking ancestors.

Thanks to Hirst, for sharing this article with me👍😊

🔥 Check out more videos: The Nordic countries are home to some of the world’s most unique and fascinating dog breeds, each with a rich history and ...

17/07/2025

Has anybody lost a cat?

We’ve seen a long haired, dark tortoiseshell with a green harness, behind The Viking's Haul, opposite the public toilets in Woodville.

Because of the harness, I’m wondering if it’s escaped from someone in a campervan🤔

Ph. 0272068812 or 063764469.

16/07/2025

If you’re in the north of England, you might want to check out this exhibition, as well as the many other attractions that are available to see & experience in York. The exhibition is on now and runs until July 2027, covering 200 years of Norse history in northern England, from their arrival as invaders & settlers, through until Harald Hardrada’s abortive invasion that ended with the Battle of Stamford Bridge, in 1066.

The Yorkshire Museum's exhibition presents classic collections alongside never-before-seen artifacts.

11/07/2025

Georgette Heyer was an English author known for quality novels and short stories, particularly in the Regency Romance and crime Fiction genres. My grandmother had a lot of her books. Thus far, she has stood the test of time. I have traditionally always had a few of her books and they have steadily turned over.

When modern authors such as Philippa Gregory & Diana Gabaldon raised the profile of romantic historical fiction, publishers resurrected some older authors from this genre, republishing some of their books with fresh, new covers. Georgette Heyer and Jean Plaidy were two writers to benefit from this.

A little while ago, I realised that I was completely out of Georgette Heyer books, but now I’m pleased to say that this situation of lack has been remedied. I currently have a large collection of her books🥳📚

10/07/2025

The woman in this photo, Lise Nilsen, reminds me of my mother-in-law, when she’s smiling & laughing.

Lise Nilsen recreates bead necklaces from the Viking Age.

10/07/2025

More branded glassware is about to hit the shelves…
…much more, in fact!🍻

08/07/2025

Back to the Bronze Age. Looking at what he’s wearing, I wonder if Denmark may have been a little warmer then, than it is now?🤔

Thanks for this, Rob Bowden😊

Warrior from the NORDIC BRONZE AGE. The clothes are based on two Danish burials, the Trindhøj man (1347 BC) and the Muldbjerg man (1376 BC), which consist of a woollen wrap-around garment, a woollen belt and woollen foot wraps. There is no evidence of dyes in the Nordic Bronze Age, so the clothes would be of the natural colours of the sheep. This doesn’t mean that dyed clothes couldn’t have existed, but they may have been so rare that none has survived. This warrior wears his hair in a mullet, based on the burial of the man from Lille Dragshøj, of which only the scalp with the mullet has survived. The shoes are based on a pair found in Ørboekgård (Jutland) dating to 920-807 BC (very late Bronze Age). The shield is based on several Danish and Scandinavian finds, but unlike the originals, which are made of bronze and are possibly ceremonial, this one is made of leather, a far more common material for shields in the Bronze Age. A leather shield with the same decorative motif as this one has been found In Ireland (the Clonbrin shield), and the same motif appears on a shield engraved on a stone stela from Spain’s Extremadura region (Estela de Solana de Cabañas). Bronze Age shields with the same motif were also used in Central Europe’s Urnfield Culture. The sword is based on a find from Stensgård (Denmark) and belongs to an eastern European type that became popular in Scandinavia. The references for the weapons and the shield are modern replicas by Ørjan Engedal (Bronze Age Warriors Series).

THE NORDIC BRONCE AGE lasted from 2000 BC to 500 BC. For comparison, it started when the last mammoths went extinct in Siberia and ended around the time of the Persian invasion of Greece. During the Bronze Age, Scandinavians exported Baltic amber to the rest of Europe, as far as Minoan Crete, Mycenaean Greece, pharaonic Egypt, and Mesopotamia. In return, Scandinavians imported blue glass beads from the eastern Mediterranean. The Nordic Bronze Age was followed by the Pre-Roman Iron Age, known in archaeology as the Jastorf culture, period at the end of which the Roman author Tacitus referred to the tribes of northern Europe as “Germani” and their land as “Germania”.

HQ + close-ups: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lG4GJe

07/07/2025

Recently, a treasure hoard of around 200 items was found by a volunteer metal detectorist, on the banks of the Schlei, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and not far from the Viking Age trading hub of Hedeby.
These finds keep adding to our knowledge.

The collection contains over 200 objects, with experts debating whether the key artifact is Thor's hammer or a Christian cross.

06/07/2025

Wattle & daub was a common building technique used throughout much of Europe for many centuries, but like so many other skills & techniques, its mastery was an art form.

06/07/2025

An overcast day, with an icy southerly, but no fog or rain, so that all added up to a great day, with the monthly Woodville Market on as well and lots of people swarming over the new road🥰👍

Here’s a glimpse at a pile of annuals that won’t be too faraway from entering stock😊