Archeologists discover Viking-era skeletons in central Denmark

Archeologists discovered around 50 skeletons in a Viking-era burial ground in central Denmark, usnews reported on Monday. 

According to archeologist Michael Borre Lundø, the excavation leader from Museum Odense, the skeletons were preserved thanks to the soil chemistry, mainly chalk and high water levels.

“This opens a whole new toolbox for scientific discovery,” said Lundø.“Hopefully we can make a DNA analysis on all the skeletons and see if they are related to each other and even where they come from.”

The Vikings dug up at Aasum, but they were most likely not warriors. Borre Lundø believes the site was probably a “standard settlement,” perhaps a farming community, located 5 kilometers from a ring fortress in what’s now central Odense, USnews reported.

The burial site, covering 2,000 square meters (around 21,500 square feet), contains remains of men, women, and children. In addition to the skeletons, a few cremated remains were also uncovered.

The dig began in April, and the burial site was uncovered back in 2023. 

In addition to the skeletons, archeologists also found jewelry, knives, and a shard of glass. The press release reported that boxes of the artifacts had been shipped to Museum Odense's labs for cleaning, analysis, and preservation.

“We’re really hoping to gain the larger picture. Who were the people that were living out there? Who did they interact with?” she said. “It’s a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle: all the various puzzle parts will be placed together," said conservator Jannie Amsgaard Ebsen.

Previous Danish discoveries

In Denmark, in 2023, the remains of what archeologists believed may have been a Viking Age hall were found near the village of Hune in the north of the country. 

The hall, which likely dates to the last half of the ninth century or the beginning of the 11th century, measured up to 40 meters long and between eight and 10 meters wide, according to the researchers, including excavation manager and archaeologist Thomas Rune Knudsen from North Jutland Museums.