Centuries-old time capsule opened at Stockholm Cathedral

Sven Isaksson, professor of archeology at Stockholm University, said in a press release: “Although this is the first time, the find convincingly points to it being a shipyard.”

also called birka Viking Staden (Viking City) is Swedish and is often considered the first city in Sweden, one of the most important trading centers of the Viking Age. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is an example of the city-like trading posts that emerged in the Nordic countries during the Viking Age.

“It shows not only the first urban environment, but also the intensive exchange of trade goods and ideas between people,” says Viking Age port and urbanization expert at the Center for Baltic and Scandinavian Archeology in Schleswig. added Sven Kalmring, , led the investigation with Isakson. The group’s findings were Published by Stockholm University As a research report.

Previous excavations in the area have uncovered shipwrecks, but the latest finds are the first to confirm the existence of Viking shipyards on Birka.

“Through systematic inventory, mapping and drone surveys, we can show that, in addition to the urban environment, Birka has a very rich maritime cultural landscape with ruins of everything from piers to boat launches to shipyards. We can,” said Isaksson.

Archaeologists have found stone-lined depressions in Viking-era areas of the coastline with wooden boat slips at the bottom. it was done.

“Artifacts found in this area are very clear indications of where people were on ships,” Isaksson said.

The city walls around Birka acted not only as defenses, but also as legal, economic and social boundaries. Previous investigations of Birka’s harbor facilities have mostly taken place within the city walls, under the so-called garrison, in an area known as the Black Earth Harbor Area. The newly discovered shipyard at Kughamn is located along the northern coast of Bjorko, outside the town walls of Birka, along with many other maritime sites.

“By investigating the different marine elements associated with the possible Kughamn house, we are trying to get a complete picture of a very exciting and previously completely archaeologically unexplored environment,” said Kalmring. Told.

Archaeologists are still investigating other sites in Birka, including the remains of a boat landing outside the town walls. They are also trying to answer the question of whether there were rules about who was allowed to dock in different parts of the city.

“Can someone land anywhere, or does it matter whether they are inside or outside the city walls?” said Isaksson.

“There is a lot to think about here. It gives us more information than we could otherwise.”