Archaeologists Unearth Viking Hall in Denmark
The structure may have been used for political meetings or other community gatherings
Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent
January 6, 2023
Archaeologists in Denmark have discovered the remains of a large structure that likely dates to the late Viking Age. They say it may have once functioned as a community hall, hosting political gatherings and other events between the late 9th and early 11th centuries.
“This is the largest Viking Age find of this nature in more than ten years, and we have not seen anything like it before here in North Jutland,” says Thomas Rune Knudsen, the excavation leader and an archaeologist with North Jutland Museums, in a statement, per Google Translate.
The remains are located near Hune, a village in northern Denmark. When it was fully intact, the building measured up to 131 feet long and 26 to 32 feet wide; a series of 10 to 12 rectangular oak posts held up the roof. Researchers suspect the structure was larger than average houses at the time because it was a “prestigious building,” per the statement.
A view of the Viking hall remains in northern Denmark Nordjyske Museer
The hall’s design is similar to that of structures archaeologists have found at Harald I’s ring fortresses, including Fyrkat near the town of Hobro and Aggersborg near the village of Aggersund. Harald I—also known as Harald Blåtand or Harald Bluetooth, after whom today’s Bluetooth technology is named—ruled Denmark as king from around 958 to 985 C.E.
The seafaring Vikings inhabited many places from the 9th to the 11th centuries, including mainland Europe, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Greenland, North America, the Faroe Islands and beyond. Archaeologists continue to find traces of their history, including swords, jewelry, longhouses and coins.
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-large-viking-hall-in-denmark-180981397/
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