TORONTO -- Human remains of a Viking elite that were initially uncovered in a burial mound in Denmark have been rediscovered after more than 100 years in a misplaced box in the National Museum of Denmark.
A new paper in the Antiquity journal details how the bones were rediscovered a century later while researchers were working on another project about Viking Age textiles.
The Viking Age burial mound, known as Bjerringhoj, located in the village of Mammen, Denmark, was initially uncovered by a landowner in 1868. After it's discovery, local farmers shared the grave goods between them – which were eventually recovered by scholars and sent to the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.
Bjerringhoj contained a wooden chamber sealed with blue clay, and within the wooden coffin the remains were laid on a layer of down feathers. The deceased was wearing wool garments with gold and silver silk decorations. Two iron axes, including one with silver inlay were placed near the deceased's feet and long beeswax candles were found on top of the coffin. The burial mound also had two wooden buckets and a bonze kettle inside.
Several fragments of bone were inside the coffin, with textile remains of intricate wool trouser on and attached to them. The goods suggest the deceased was someone of importance, perhaps linked to the royal Jelling dynasty that ruled over Denmark, England and Norway, the paper says.
A re-excavation of the site took place in 1986, where the find was dated to approximately AD970-971 – but the bones originally uncovered in 1868 could not be located in the Museum's collection. A second search in 2009 also failed to discover where they had ended up.
Researchers working on a textile project in 2018 were examining the boxed contents of another burial, known as Slotsbjergy located on Zealand, and found a second collection of bones that did not seem to fit.
"We opened the box and were puzzled, but soon realized that we had solved a mystery. We couldn't believe our luck" said lead author Charlotte Rimstad from the National Museum of Denmark in a release.
Researchers studied the 11 identifiable bone elements and matched them to initial descriptions of the burial mounds excavation in 1868, which were detailed in an 1872 anatomy report, the paper states.
The paper examines how the unique textile evidence of the rediscovered box of bones supports their claim that the remains are from Bjerringhoj, known for its "cape bands" silk and embroidered wool fragments.
"We are absolutely sure that we have found and re-identified the human bones from Bjerringhoj," Rimstad said.
Researchers estimate that the individual buried in Bjerringhoj was an adult, and most likely male. The remains have "pronounced muscle insertion sites" indicating that the deceased frequently participated in intense physical activity such as horseback riding.
"The sex determination of the bones is still uncertain as we may have two individuals in the burial, but refined DNA analysis methods may be able to tell us more in the future," said research professor Ulla Mannering from the National Museum of Denmark in the release.
The discovery of the bones is helping to shed light on Viking textile practices and researchers hope to examine further clues about the attire of Viking elites.
