The aDNA studies of the Avars, a Mongolian people who settled in the Carpathians in the 6th century, continue to yield new and fascinating insights into the formation of close-knit ethnic groups.
Category: 8th century
Icebergs in the Black Sea in AD 763
In AD 763 volcanic eruptions in Iceland caused Icebergs in the Black Sea and a nearly frozen Bosphorus causing widespread fear
The Avars were a Mongolian People
The Avar Khaganate ruled the Carpathian Basin all the way to Caucasus between 557-793. New genetic studies identify them as a people which migrated from Mongoli
Vikings Before Viking
When the two Viking ships holding the remains of 41 dead warriors were dated to ca. AD 750, the sensation rippled through academic circles. Now, the finds are exhibited at Salme in Estonia.
Making and Unmaking the Carolingians
What is power? How do you wield its symbols? And how did the Carolingians master the noble art of ruling over vast tracts of Europe? New book by Stuart Airlie tells the story
Gardens in Early Medieval Iberia ca. 750–1000
In 1974 the historian Andrew Watson published an influential article in which he coined the phrase: The Arab Agricultural Revolution. How has this thesis fared? What do we know today about gardening in Early Medieval Iberia?
The Great Viking Hall in Lejre was Fenced-in by a Palisade with an Impressive Gate
The great halls at Lejre – by myth linked to the royal dynasty of the Scyldingas , Skjöldungar – continues to amaze. Holding the largest hall ever excavated, the complex was fenced-in by an impressive palisade. Recently the gate was discovered.
The Great Halls at Lejre – Seat of the Scyldingas
For the last thirty years archaeologists have excavated at Gl. Lejre, discovering an impressive series of seven great halls, succeeding each other for 500 years.
Viking and Medieval Halls
From Late Antiquity to the High Middle Ages, halls were the central focus of elite residences in Northern Europe
Tissø – A Cultural, Commercial, and Elite Centre from the Viking Age
Right on the west bank of Lake Tissø in Western Zealand in Denmark, archaeologists has excavated a significant part of what turned out to be a major Viking manor.
Uppåkra – A Central Place in Sweden from the first Millenium
Uppåkra in South-Western Sweden presents a remarkable continuity. For more than a thousand years, the place functioned as a cultic, commercial and elite centre.
Legendary Viking Hall Reconstructed at Lejre
In 2009 the remains of the largest Viking Hall in Denmark was excavated at Lejre. Dated to the 8th century, it is currently being reconstructed at Land of Legends
Sigfred and Godfred (804 – 810) – Ferocious Vikings from the North
In the Frankish Annals, we read about Saxon and Slavic rebellions to the north involving several Danish kings. Who were they? Also, how should we characterise their way of life?
Merovingian and Carolingian Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg is mentioned for the first time in 923, when Henry I confirms a donation to the Bishop of Würzburg. However, the story reaches back into the Early Middle Ages.
Early Medieval London c. 770 – 950
Londinium, Lundenwic, Lundenburh, London. Different names for the same place. At least, such was the belief until the late 20the century, when archaeologists could report that the history of the settlement was more complex.
News about Ribe, an Early Medieval Emporium from the 8th Century
Ribe was the earliest emporium in Early Medieval Denmark. At the cusp of the Viking Age, the town played a significant role. But when was it founded? By whom? And for what reason? Renewed excavations this summer brought us closer to an answer.