ladbible
Posted on 07/07/2020 8:40:24 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists have unearthed what could potentially be the oldest Viking settlement in Iceland.
It's an ancient longhouse that is reckoned to have been built in around 800 AD, which is decades earlier than the Vikings were thought to have colonised that part of the world.
Oh, and it was found beneath another slightly less old longhouse that was packed with treasure, according to archaeologist Bjarni Einarsson, who was in charge of the excavations at the site.
He told Live Science that the longhouse above was probably that of a chieftain, saying: "The younger hall is the richest in Iceland so far.
"It is hard not to conclude that it is a chieftain's house."
So, in case you're wondering, a longhouse would have been a large hall made out of wood that could stretch to about 75 metres long, and been six metres wide.
Long and thin, hence the name.
They were commonplace across what is now Scandinavia and beyond during the era in which the Vikings were prominent.
A lot of the time they would be divided up into several homes for a number of families, but also provided stabling for the animals and had large stone fire hearths in the centre that could have been for communal gathering.
These particular longhouses have been unearthed in the east of Iceland at a place called Stöd - easy for you to say - and the youngest one is thought to have been built in around 874AD.
Now, that's about when people reckon that the Vikings arrived in Iceland, as the story goes, to escape the clutches of Harald Fairhair, the Norwegian king.
(Excerpt) Read more at ladbible.com ...
Did it have a Century 10 Realtor sign in front?................
That’s Ubbe Lothbrok’s home. I saw it on TV.
Floki has been located?
;^)
Sadly, the entire structure is in runes now.
“75 metres long, and been six metres wide.”
Did it have end zones and goal posts?
So, it’s a real ‘Fixer Upper’?..................
Did they find any SPAM?
Great show...
Ding ding ding that was my question
Not the Minnesota-variety of Vikings... honest mistake.
I supposedly have a DNA connection with the first settlers of Iceland. Fascinating!
I’m binge watching it now. Just started season 4.
I see what you did there.
~Groan~
For those wanting to hear how Stöd is pronounced:
Yeah, that would have been my 40,000th guess. :^)
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