The Viking tombs reveal that the Norse transported unusual trinkets from their travels abroad to the afterlife. The Norse were global travelers throughout their lifetimes.
The Saga of the Ynglings claims that Odin gave instructions to mortal Vikings regarding how to bury the dead: "He decreed that the dead were all to be cremated along with their possessions and said that everyone should arrive in Valhalla with the riches from his funeral pyre, and with the treasures he had hidden in the earth."
Scandinavians in the Middle Ages used sails and ships to travel the world and collect treasures from other lands. These unusual Viking artifacts retain exploration and adventure stories.
1 Glassware Found in Viking Graves
Frankish glass goblet found in Swedish burial, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
The Vikings established Birka, a commercial and manufacturing village, on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren. Between the late ninth and the tenth centuries, Birka saw the burial of thousands of people. A variety of grave objects were present in the graves.
Inside the Birka burials, archaeologists discovered glassware from the Rhineland, France, and the British Isles. It was expensive and time-consuming to make glass vessels. The glass cups that the Vikings used to drink from were not made by them; instead, they had to import them from other parts of Europe and the Near East. Glass goblets were taken to the tomb alongside other riches of more visible worth by the Vikings since these artifacts were so valuable to them.
Glass goblet possibly imported from the British Isles, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
2 Tating Ware Jugs
Tating ware jug from Central Europe, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
Another burial from Birka lacked a coffin but contained interesting grave goods. Feathers and wool covered the grave where the Viking once rested. Archaeologists also recovered a jug of Tating ware design. The jug dated to the eighth or ninth century CE and had been decorated with applied tin foil. The top layer of foil appears to display geometric shapes, while crosses become apparent towards the base of the jug.
One theory suggests that the jug originally belonged to Christians in the west and somehow made its way into the hands of the Scandinavians. While Viking Age Scandinavians made ceramic bowls, the Tating ware décor of the jug in the grave is a style from Central Europe.
Additionally, the Rhineland produced soft, yellow pottery known as Badorf ware, which the Vikings imported. The Tating pottery jug was carried by a Viking toward Valhalla or possibly to an afterlife of a different faith because of something about it that drew his attention.
3 Beads
Amber, glass, mosaic, and rock crystal beads from treasure find, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
The Vikings were skilled bead makers. They imported a wide variety of beads from all over the world in addition to producing a sizable amount of glass beads. Many of these beads have been discovered by archaeologists in the graves of Viking men, women, and children. Frequently, carnelian and rock crystal were used to make imported beads. Vikings frequently traded slaves, fur, and other European products for rock crystal and carnelian beads from the Black Sea region and the Near Eastern trade routes. Numerous larger beads with mosaic designs have also been discovered by archaeologists.
For a while, researchers thought that only mosaic beads from the Mediterranean region had been transported. However, evidence from trading ports suggests that the Vikings independently acquired the skill of creating mosaic beads. Other necklaces from Viking Age graves include coins from the Near East as well as a range of beads from Scandinavia, Europe, and the East. Above and beyond the tomb, a necklace made of beads collected from near and far served as a meaningful memento.
4 Dirhams
Dirham excavated from Viking cremation, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
Archaeologists assessed their findings after unearthing 1100 burials on the island of Björkö. Over 120 graves were discovered to have coins in them. All over the Viking world, including Scandinavia, England, Western Europe, Byzantium, and Rome, these coins originated. However, the majority of the coins, like the dirham shown above, were from the Middle East. Around 803/804 CE, this dirham was produced in modern-day Afghanistan. The Sassanid, Umayyad, Abbasid, and Samanid dynasties were represented by the additional dirhams that the Vikings carried to Valhalla. These coins are used by archaeologists to aid in the creation of chronologies and learn more about the relationships of the Vikings to other cultures.
Unanswered is the question of why the Vikings took so many of these coins with them to their graves. Were they tidbits of extra cash, evidence of heroic deeds, or something else?
5 Buddhas
So-called Buddha Bucket, via the Museum of Cultural History, Oslo
Vikings brought the majestic ship, the Oseberg, ashore in Norway in about 834 CE. They constructed a burial room in the back and woven a tapestry around the interior. Two recently deceased women were taken inside the Oseberg. Their mourners started putting extravagant items like combs, animals, elaborate trunks, carts and sleighs, and a bucket in the vessel. The women were then left to rest concealed beneath the ground as dirt was piled up around the ship. Archaeologists discovered the magnificent ship centuries later, one of the most complex discoveries ever made in the Viking era.
Buddha statue from Viking Sweden, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
The container seems to have been produced in Ireland. It is made of dark brown wood with exquisite handles that show two guys seated with their legs crossed and three bands of gold. The Buddha Bucket is the name given to this container.
In another location in Sweden, archaeologists discovered a Buddha figure that was most likely created in the East in the late 4th and early 6th century CE. It is unclear how much the Vikings knew about their trading partners in the East, Buddha, or Buddhism, but these unusual discoveries show that Viking Scandinavians had an understanding of other worlds and religious figures. What is certain is that they believed these prized possessions from other worlds were significant enough to possess for all time.
6 French Suit Buckles
Suit buckles from France were found in Swedish burial, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
The Vikings left their fields in the ninth century and went to England, where they started a legacy of bloodshed and robbery. Charlemagne ruled over most of what is now France, Holland, Belgium, and western Germany at the time. During the reigns of Charlemagne and his son, Louis the Pious, the Vikings circled the area for years but avoided France. Then, in the year 841 CE, "Danish pirates" crossed the English Channel and set fire to Rouen. Over the ensuing years, they persisted in plundering churches as they prepared for the ultimate target: Paris. A Viking fleet headed upon Paris in 845 CE with the intention of capturing the city. However, Charles the Bald, the new monarch, was prepared. He confronted the Vikings with silver and gold. Paris temporarily escaped unhurt after the Vikings accepted the offer.
Scandinavians buried valuables from France along with them in tombs all around the Viking globe. Archaeologists in Birka discovered the grave of a woman who appeared to be of high status. She was interred with both Scandinavian and foreign artifacts. For instance, investigators discovered an amulet that was worn around her neck and was produced in Scandinavia: Thor's hammer. However, they also discovered French enameled suit buckles. How did this woman acquire these belt buckles? Did she gain them through coercive bribes or friendly trade?
7 Silk
Silk fragment from a burial in Birka, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
A Norwegian monarch once sent his warriors on a hasty mission to Byzantium, according to folklore. Their goal was to bring back eastern silk. In a different legend, Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson recounts Norwegian King Sigurd's journey to Constantinople in the twelfth century. There, the Emperor threw open the city gates and welcomed the foreign delegation to a chamber decorated with "precious cloths."
Numerous woven silk fragments have been found in the graves of both men and women throughout Viking Age excavations in Scandinavia. Many of these silks, according to archaeologists, were imported from the Eastern Mediterranean, Byzantium, and Central Asia. When the Viking weavers returned home, they cut the silk into strips and used foreign textiles to embellish the edges of clothes. Despite the abundance of silk fragments discovered in Viking burials, there are still very few silk objects that have been retrieved. It's possible that further silk has degraded. A few select Vikings may have had access to silk as a high-status import instead. The prestige of exotic silk persisted after the end of the Viking Age, according to stories from the Icelandic Sagas.
8 An Irish Ring Pin
Ring pin found in Swedish burial, likely imported from Ireland or the British Isles, via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
As word of the Viking invasion on Rathlin Island off Ireland's northeast coast spread, the Irish listened with concern. The Vikings began raiding Ireland in 795 CE, and they continued to do so for the following few decades. The Vikings started building transient ship docks in Ireland in the 830s. These ports enabled them to raid more frequently and spend the winter in Ireland. Dublin developed into one of the major Viking centers, but the Irish became weary of the invaders and drove the Scandinavians out in 902 CE.
The Vikings persisted, and fifteen years later they came back to retake Dublin. Scandinavian graves provide evidence of contacts between Scandinavia and medieval Ireland. Ring pins were a popular British Isles import. Vikings used ring pins, which came in a variety of elaborate designs, to keep their cloaks fixed. It would appear that Vikings needed to look their best while traveling to Valhalla.
9 Inscribed Finger Rings
Ring inscribed with “Allah,” via the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm
In Birka, Sweden, a grave was discovered by archaeologists at some point in the late 19th century. When they opened the coffin they discovered it was empty. Only the burial goods remained after the grave's skeleton remains had vanished. Clothing, brooches, scissors, a needle box, glass, rock crystal, and carnelian beads, as well as a ring, were all found in the disappeared Viking's grave. Archaeologists think a woman was buried in the burial based on the characteristics of the grave items. Her ring shows that she had a life that went beyond Birka's borders.
The ring has a band of silver and is composed of violet amethyst glass. Her ring was examined, and an Arabic inscription was found. On the ring is written, "Allah." The ring is so distinctive that no other rings like it have been discovered in Scandinavia yet. The ring is identified as an exotic and probably valuable object in Viking Age Scandinavia by both the glass and the foreign inscription. There was trade between Scandinavia and the Middle East, according to historical sources. Archaeologists have also theorized that the woman buried there may have also been from the Middle East because the owner of the ring's body is still missing. Others speculate if Vikings had conversion campaigns to Islam similar to early Christian missions.
10 Peacocks in a Viking Burial for a Chief
Roman or Byzantine peacock mosaic, 3rd-4th century CE, via the Metropolitan Museum, New York
He passed away approximately 900 CE. His name is unknown, but he must have been a powerful Viking. He was approximately 5'9" tall. He died violently sometime in his forties, most likely during combat. In Norway, his folks interred him in the back of the Gokstad. He was given a horn game board, horn game pieces, fishhooks, kitchen utensils, six beds, and a sled before being dispatched to the hereafter. They might have also interred him with other precious stones or valuable objects. Looters, however, arrived at the Gokstad before archaeologists and took numerous significant artifacts. Then the Vikings dug about five meters of soil and buried the Gokstad and their dead chieftain.
The Gokstad was dug up by antiquarians in the 1880s. The damage caused by the looters was unfortunate, but they also missed a lot. 64 shields, dragon heads, and three smaller boats were found during the excavations. The slain warrior seems to have been constantly on the go. But he wasn't by himself. 12 horses, 6 dogs, 2 goshawks, and 2 peacocks belonged to him. Peacocks originated in South Asia. The Caliphate, Byzantium, Rome, and the Carolingian kingdoms had all welcomed peacocks by the time the Vikings buried the Gokstad. Since the Vikings interacted with many of these nations, they might have learnt about or acquired peacocks from any of them. Nevertheless, the peacock would have been a rare and exotic pet for the majority in medieval Norway.
