Swedish archaeologists Dr Andreas Viberg of Stockholm University and Dr Martin Rundkvist of the University of Umeå have found the remains of a major Viking feasting hall at the hamlet of Aska near Vadstena, Östergötland County, Sweden.
Ground-penetrating radar results collected at the Aska hamlet, Vadstena, Sweden. Image credit: © Andreas Viberg / Martin Rundkvist.
The hamlet of Aska is famous among Viking scholars for a rich 10th century burial with a silver female figurine.
The main visible archaeological feature of the site is an enormous barrow, but its contents have not been excavated yet.
As the barrow is oval and has an extensive flat top, it has been hypothesized previously that rather than a grave superstructure, this might be an uncommonly large raised foundation for a long house.
Now, Dr Viberg and Dr Rundkvist have revealed that it is a foundation platform for a large building, most likely dating from the Viking Period.
The building was about 50 meters long, 14 meters wide, and was equipped with double walls and four entrances.
It was probably the home of a royal family whose rich graves have previously been excavated nearby.
A Viking hall on the Lofoton Island, northern Norway.
The scientists used a remote sensing device called ground-penetrating radar to locate and map the hall foundation.
The measurements also indicate a large fireplace at the center of the floor.
“Parallels are known from several of the era’s elite sites, such as Fornsigtuna near Stockholm and Lejre near Roskilde,” said Dr Rundkvist, who is a co-author of the paper detailing the discovery in the journal Archaeological Prospection.
“The closest similarities are however seen in a recently excavated feasting hall at Old Uppsala near Stockholm. Such close correspondences suggest intensive communication between the two sites.”
Dr Viberg added: “our investigation demonstrates that non-invasive geophysical measurements can be powerful tools for studying similar building foundations elsewhere. They even allow scholars to estimate the date of a building without any expensive excavations.”
