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The UK is full of fascinating, globally-renowned ancient archeological sites, from the prehistoric village of Skara Brae and Anglo-Saxon royal burial ground Sutton Hoo to the ancient Roman town of Verulanum. But while the Vikings were in Britain for 300 years, one of their monumental legendary ship burials has never been found in these lands. Until now.
For years, archeologists have been puzzling over the final resting place of the famous Viking Ivarr the Dragon. As his colourful name suggests, Ivarr was a feared war leader. He co-led the Great Heathen Army invasion of England in 865 and founded a Viking dynasty in Dublin, reshaping early medieval Britain before vanishing from historical records.
But now, an archeologist working in Cumbria believes he might have found the burial site of Ivarr. Naturally, if you’re a Viking fanatic (or general history geek), it could be a huge deal.
It’s possible that Ivarr’s remains lie beneath a windswept mound on the Cumbrian coast, along with his ship as well as an entire Viking cemetery, making it a monumental find. To put the discovery into context, there are only 16 other known major Viking ship burial sites in northwest Europe. If the find turns out to be a ship burial, it would be the only one of its kind ever found in the UK.
Ship burials were reserved for the most powerful and important figures in Viking society. Facing the Irish Sea, the mound rises around 60 metres high and has dimensions consistent with other elite Viking graves. Plus, smaller burials have been found nearby, which could belong to Ivarr’s family members and loyal guards.
Steve Dickinson, a member of the European Association of Archaeologists, identified the hill by comparing archaeological evidence with medieval textual sources. He found references to a place called ‘Coningeshou’, which means ‘The King’s Mound’.
Dickinson plans to carry out electromagnetic ground scans later this year but has kept the exact location of the burial site secret, perhaps in case any Englishmen lapse into their mediaeval looting ways. If the theory is true, an unexpected new chapter would be added to Britain’s ancient history.
Speaking about his potential discovery, Steve told Time Out: ‘This is really exciting. These kind of burials are on a par with finding any royal tomb anywhere. But we’ve still a lot to learn about the burial, so we’ll be using advanced techniques like ground penetrating radar to understand it.’
Check out this immersive Vikings experience that’s coming to London in March.
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