"Very Rare": 10th Century Viking Burial Site Discovered In Denmark
In an accidental find, a 10th-century burial site believed to have belonged to a Viking noble family has been discovered in northern Denmark, packed with a "spectacular" trove of ancient objects, a museum announced Tuesday.
The discovery came when pearls, coins, ceramics and a box containing a gold thread were unearthed during construction work near Lisbjerg, a village located seven kilometres (four miles) north of Aarhus, Denmark's second-largest city.
Archaeologists found the site contained around 30 graves dating from the second half of the 10th century, when the famous King Harald Bluetooth reigned, said the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus.
According to the museum's archaeologist Mads Ravn, the graves are most likely linked to a noble family from the Viking Age -- which lasted between the eighth and 11th centuries -- whose farm was discovered less than a kilometre from the burial site in the late 1980s.
"This could have been one of Harald Bluetooth's earls or stewards," Ravn told AFP.
Ravn noted that the king, who introduced Christianity to what is today Denmark, tasked nobles with managing certain regions.
Researchers also discovered some human remains, such as teeth and bones, at the site.
"People basically took what was important to them into the grave because they wanted to transfer it to the other world," the archaeologist said.
One of the graves, which scientists believe belonged to an important woman, contained a box filled with decorative objects and a pair of scissors.
The "magnificent" box is a remarkable find, according to Ravn, with only a few having been discovered before, including one in southeastern Germany.
"It's very rare, there's only three of them we know of," he said.
The excavations at Lisbjerg are due to be completed this week, after which experts will begin a thorough analysis of the objects recovered.
Wooden objects in particular should help them accurately date the burial site.
As a royal and commercial centre, Aarhus was one of Denmark's most important cities during the Viking Age.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
17 hours ago
- New Indian Express
More microplastics in glass bottles than in plastic bottles: Study
PARIS: Drinks including water, soda, beer and wine sold in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, according to a surprising study released by France's food safety agency Friday. Researchers have detected the tiny, mostly invisible pieces of plastic throughout the world, from in the air we breathe to the food we eat, as well as riddled throughout human bodies. There is still no direct evidence that this preponderance of plastic is harmful to human health, but a burgeoning field of research is aiming to measure its spread. Guillaume Duflos, research director at French food safety agency ANSES, told AFP the team sought to "investigate the quantity of microplastics in different types of drinks sold in France and examine the impact different containers can have". The researchers found an average of around 100 microplastic particles per litre in glass bottles of soft drinks, lemonade, iced tea and beer. That was five to 50 times higher than the rate detected in plastic bottles or metal cans. "We expected the opposite result," PhD student Iseline Chaib, who conducted the research, told AFP. "We then noticed that in the glass, the particles emerging from the samples were the same shape, colour and polymer composition -- so therefore the same plastic -- as the paint on the outside of the caps that seal the glass bottles," she said. The paint on the caps also had "tiny scratches, invisible to the naked eye, probably due to friction between the caps when there were stored," the agency said in a statement. This could then "release particles onto the surface of the caps", it added.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Climate change could double summer rainfall in the Alps: Study
Climate change could double summer rainfall in the Alps (Picture credit: AFP) GENEVA: Short, intense summer rainfall in Alpine regions is likely to become more frequent and severe in the future because of global warming , according to a study released Thursday by the University of Lausanne (UNIL). Researchers said that in a scenario where temperatures rise by two degrees Celsius (about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the Alps and nearby regions could experience episodes of intense summer rainfall twice as often as currently. "With such warming, an intense storm currently expected once every 50 years could occur once every 25 years in the future," said the Swiss university, which conducted the study in collaboration with the University of Padua in Italy. "Hot air holds more moisture (around seven per cent more per degree), intensifying storm activity", the researchers said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo "As the Alpine environment warms faster than the global average, it is particularly affected," they added. The study used summer rainfall data collected from nearly 300 meteorological stations across the European Alps in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. They focused on record-breaking rainfall events, lasting from 10 minutes to an hour, that occurred between 1991 and 2020, as well as the temperatures associated with these episodes. "The sudden and massive arrival of large volumes of water can exceed the soil's absorption capacity," which can "trigger flash floods and debris flows, causing damage to infrastructure", said Nadav Peleg, a researcher at UNIL and the study's lead author. Researchers recommend "preparing urban water management systems and other infrastructures" that are ill-suited to handle significant rainfall volumes. "Promptly updating engineering and urban planning standards" would help mitigate potential risks associated with these events, they added, while also emphasising the need to "limit global warming to 1.5°C or less above current levels". According to scientists from the United Nations' IPCC panel on climate change , there is a 50 per cent chance of global temperatures rising by an average of 1.5°C by 2030-2035. "We are already observing a trend towards intensified summer storms and this trend is expected to worsen in the coming years," said Francesco Marra, a researcher at the University of Padova and a co-author of the study.
Mint
2 days ago
- Mint
Gilead's bi-annual HIV prevention jab gets FDA approval: How much does it cost and how it works? All you need to know…
American biopharmaceutical major Gilead Sciences, has recieved approval from the United States' Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), for its bi-annual HIV prevention injection, to be marketed as 'Yeztugo'. Gilead shares briefly jumped 3.5 per cent — its biggest gain nearly a month, and rose 17 per cent year-on-year (YoY), till market close on June 18, Bloomberg reported. The stock outperforming a 2 per cent increase in the S&P 500 index. Lenacapavir, marketed under the brand name Yeztugo, has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent in adults and adolescents — making it functionally akin to a powerful vaccine, according to an AFP report. Hailed by activists as the world's 'best tool' to fight the HIV virus, especially since no vaccine is yet available, the medicine has to be administered only twice a year and are compatible for a wide range of people, as per the report. 'This is a milestone moment in the decades-long fight against HIV. We now have a way to end the HIV epidemic,' Gilead CEO Daniel O'Day said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg. The injection demonstrated 'powerful ability' to ward off HIV infection in two major international studies last year, the BB report added. AFP reported that results from both trials were published in The New England Journal of Medicine, and the journal Science named lenacapavir its 2024 'Breakthrough of the Year'. As many as 1.3 million people are infected with the HIV virus each year, with the highest rate in Africa. Daily pills do work, but can be forgotten by patients or also lead to stigma as the bottle can reveal people's health status. One international study published in November 2024 showed that the drug prevented all but two HIV cases among 2,180 men and transgender people — a rate 96 per cent lower than the background incidence level in that population. And in June 2025, Gilead said a trial of the shot in 2,000 women and adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa prevented an 'unprecedented' 100 per cent of HIV cases. It also outperformed the company's old HIV prevention daily oral pill Truvada in both studies. Yes, there are some side effects. Around 1.2 per cent of the people in the study had reactions at the injection site and stopped taking the medicine, the Bloomberg report said. Other reported side effects include headache, and nausea, according to the AFP report. Gilead said it will price Yeztugo at $28,218 per year (around ₹ 24.50 lakh), compared to the $26,400 list price of its daily HIV prevention pill, Descovy. There was no specific price given for India or other global markets. Lenacapavir's current list price for its previously approved use as a treatment for HIV is $39,000 annually, the AFP report noted. 'We are working to make Yeztugo accessible for anyone who needs or wants it and expect to see broad insurance coverage,' Gilead spokeswoman Blair Baumwell told AFP via email. The jab will compete with GSK-arm ViiV Healthcare's Apretude prevention shot, which is administered alternate months. This jab costs ₹ 15,200 for a 600mg/3ml vial, according to data on IndiaMart. Notably, Gilead already sells the same drug, lenacapavir, as a treatment for people with multidrug-resistant HIV under the brand Sunlenca — priced at ₹ 23000/box for 300 mg tablets in India, according to IndiaMart. The California-based company is looking at making the drug a 'best-seller' in rich countries, but will also be pushed toward faster roll-out in poorer and middle-income countries that face HIV crisis. And analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect Yeztugo sales to surpass $4 billion per year by 2031. The report added that Gilead has already filed for approval in a number of countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, South Africa, and the EU Medicines For All program, which helps speed the review of drugs that will be used in developing countries. In October, Gilead signed agreements with six pharma companies to produce and distribute generic versions of the drug in around 120 low-income and middle-income countries, pending regulatory approval, AFP reported. In a separate deal in December, Gilead announced partnership with the United Nations' Global Fund, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and others, to purchase doses for two million people. However, Donald Trump's cuts to the PEPFAR program could now impact this development. (With inputs from Bloomberg, AFP)
