Viking Gold Arm-Ring Hoard | Franklin Expedition DNA Reveals Identities | Elite Burials in Roman York | Early Medieval Gold Sword Scabbard
The Man with the Midas Touch: Extraordinary Viking Gold Arm-Ring Hoard Found
One of the largest hoards of Viking-Age gold arm-rings ever found in Denmark has been discovered by a man walking in a forested area near Rold in Himmerland.
Having noticed two of the rings in the ground next to a road, the man alerted archaeologists from North Jutland Museums who investigated the site to find a further four of the bracelets.
All six arm-rings are of solid gold, with the hoard weighing over three quarters of a kilogram. At 762.5 g, it is the third largest discovery of Viking Age gold in Denmark.
Known as the Rold Treasure, three of the annular rings are twisted or braided and three are plain, with one of the latter group incorporating a gold finger ring.
The designs of the arm-rings are matched by similar types known in silver, but the rarity and cost of gold meant it was a rarely used precious metal in the Viking Age. On this, North Jutland Museums’ Torben Sarauw noted:
‘Gold in the Viking Age was concentrated among the absolute elite of society, and that is precisely why finds of this type are extremely rare. The fact that two gold bracelets are found in the upper layers of the soil and without the use of a metal detector, and that four others subsequently turn up during an archaeological survey of the area, makes the find quite extraordinary in a Danish context’.
The hoard has been dated to the 10th century, a period of great change in Viking Denmark that led to King Harald Bluetooth, famously a Christian convert, who claimed to have united the Danes into a single (Christian) kingdom around AD 965. The wealth represented in the Rold Treasure might link their wealthy elite owner(s) with the emerging Danish monarchy.
The reason behind the deposition of the arm-rings is unknown, with standard explanations for hoarding precious metals ranging from safety deposits to ritual offerings. That the rings were whole suggests they were seen as still-wearable status symbols and not bullion.
Still undergoing analysis, the hoard will ultimately be sent to the National Museum.
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Nordjyske Museer: Sjældent guldfund fra vikingetiden (web translation available)
Terror in the Arctic: Descendants’ DNA Identifies Dead from Doomed Franklin Expedition
DNA analysis has been used to identify sailors from the ill-fated 1845 Franklin expedition to find the Northwest Passage.
The expedition, led by Sir John Franklin, unravelled as the two ships, Erebus and Terror, became stuck in Arctic ice. In April of 1848, after almost two years of being trapped, 105 members of the crew left the ships in an effort to reach safety.
Despite the large number, every crewmember died in the attempt, with several of their makeshift graves found over subsequent years.
Using DNA donated by descendants of the crew, researchers from the University of Waterloo were able to determine matches with DNA samples taken from the graves, allowing the identification of four of the men.
The University of Waterloo’s Dr Douglas Stenton said:
‘Three of the sailors we have identified are from HMS Erebus, and they all died at Erebus Bay. The fourth, the only sailor from the HMS Terror to be definitively identified by DNA analysis, was found 130 kilometres away’.
The Terror crewmember has been named as Harry Peglar, with those from Erebus identified as William Orren, John Bridgens, and David Young.
BBC journalist Rich Preston was the descendant of John Bridgens used to provide a DNA sample. Preston said:
‘I was so intrigued when Dr. Stenton first contacted me telling me about his work and asking if I’d be willing to provide a DNA sample. It was such a huge surprise to hear from the team that my DNA was a match with one of the sailors on the doomed Franklin expedition. I used to work on a genealogy show for the BBC that traced people’s fascinating family stories, and so to discover that there’s such an interesting tale in my own family’s past feels very exciting.’
The researchers are now asking other descendants to come forward.
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Peer-Reviewed Papers: Stenton et al. DNA identifications of three 1845 Franklin expedition sailors from HMS Erebus (JAS:R 2026) | Stenton et al. “Some very hard ground to heave”: DNA identification of Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop, HMS Terror (PR 2026)
University of Waterloo: DNA matches identify four more sailors from Franklin expedition
Sharp Dressed Man: Norwegian Hiker Finds 1,500-Year-Old Gold Sword Fitting
A hiker walking in the Austrått district of Sandnes, Norway, has discovered a highly decorated gold fitting from the scabbard of a 1,500-year-old sword.
Investigating the ground under the roots of a fallen tree, the man ‘saw something that glittered’, with archaeologists from the University of Stavanger’s Archaeological Museum identifying it as belonging to the scabbard of a high-status 6th-century sword.
The museum’s Håkon Reiersen said:
‘You are completely taken aback when such discoveries come in. The odds of finding something like this are minimal.’
Dating to the AD 500s, the fitting would have been attached to the sword’s protective sheath, or scabbard. It is the first such find in the Rogaland region and one of only 17 found in northern Europe to date.
Reiersen added that the owner of the sword was likely a local leader who would have led a retinue of warriors. The exquisite decoration of a gold fitting such as this emphasised the social and military ‘position and power’ of the owner.
The find was discovered within the crevice of a rock, leading to speculation that it was deposited by a local elite figure as part of a ritual offering during a period known for violent social disruption and climatic crises that affected food supplies.
The piece will be displayed at the Archaeological Museum in Stavanger as soon as possible.
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University of Stavanger - NTB: Turgåer fant gullskatt
Born in the Purple: ‘Imperial’ Cloth used in Roman York Infant Burials
Two young children were buried in Roman York wearing hugely expensive and exclusive purple textiles of the sort normally reserved for elite adult contexts.
Researchers from the University of York discovered the elite fabric via chemical analysis of fragments from two York burials dating to the late 3rd or early 4th century AD. Both were ‘gypsum burials’, which refers to the Roman practice of pouring liquid gypsum plaster into stone, wood, and lead coffins.
While the meaning of this funerary ritual is unclear, the effect was to create a plaster cast of the burial and the garments surrounding their bodies, which has preserved textile fragments - and the dyes used on them - as well as the impression of clothing and burial shrouds.
The research project behind the discoveries, Seeing the Dead: New Insights into Roman Gypsum Burials in Yorkshire, says that the finds of babies buried with luxury clothing challenge the idea that Romans did not grieve for infant deaths, at least in the private context of the act of burial.
The purple cloth used in the infant burials - one also with added gold thread - was made with ‘Tyrian’ dye, which was made by the extraordinarily expensive process of crushing murex marine molluscs. Prior to the York finds, the only other example of this elite coloured fabric being used in a funerary context was of the London burial of the ‘Spitalfields Woman’.
Project Director Prof. Maureen Carroll said:
‘For the first time we now have confirmation of the use of this costly dye in Roman York, indicating that the city’s wealthy inhabitants had access to expensive and exotic commodities from the other end of the empire.
‘This remarkable discovery tells us a lot about the importance of children in Roman York and the willingness of the family to give their baby the best possible send-off in tragic circumstances’.
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University of York: Rare imperial purple cloth found in Roman infant burials in York
Seeing the Dead: Discovery of Tyrian Purple Textiles in Roman Gypsum Burials in York
HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS
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History Hit YouTube
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Book
Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Greece, by LJ Trafford (30/05/26)
Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Greece plunges headfirst into a society that holds very different values to our own, an alien world whose top God committed adultery whilst in the guise of a swan, where Spartan brides were dressed up as boys to consummate their marriage, doctors believed women were inside out men with wandering wombs that attacked their internal organs and Olympic athletes fought literally to the death for the chance to win a crown made of leaves.
Exhibition
L’Etoffe d’un Gaulois. Costume et parure en Gaule
Cut from Gallic cloth. Costume and jewellery in Gaul
Gergovia Museum, 4th April 2026 to 7th March 2027
Figuring out Gallic people’s clothing has inspired countless fantasies since the 19th century – whether artistic or historical. What do archaeological discoveries reveal today about their dress habits ? The “Cut from Gallic cloth. Costume and jewellery in Gaul” exhibition bridges scientific research and experimental archaeology to offer an immersive experience that is both engaging and rigorously documented, plunging visitors into the cutthroat world of Gallic fashion.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
QUADROCEPHALUS, an early medieval carved stone dating c. AD 300-600 decorated with four human heads, found at Glenfoot, Abernethy. The base boasts prehistoric cup marks.
A representation of beliefs the local (Pictish) people had before the spread of Christianity? - Perth Museum and Art Gallery.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Wow