She lived in the 9th or 10th century AD and was found with typical copper-alloy Scandinavian oval brooches, one of which was in direct contact with her face, resulting in significant soft tissue and textile preservation. ''The partial skeleton of a young woman was discovered in 1938 at Ketilsstaðir, in eastern Iceland. As Natalia Klimczak from Ancient Origins wrote in April 19, 2016: While it is not as common to find graves of such high status women, some female burials with rich grave goods have been found. The most unique fact about the finding is that both the man and woman are buried in the same elaborate tomb, which suggests that they held equal positions in society. The researchers suggest that the man and woman may have been local rulers, while the third man may have been a successor. Two silver coins found at the site came from as far away as Afghanistan (Museum Sikeborg) Other grave goods included a smaller battle axe in the second man’s grave, ceramics, and two silver coins that came from as far away as Afghanistan. Moreover, she was buried in a wagon, which was typically used by women of noble birth. One of them was a symbol of her status and power as a noble woman, while the second one fits a small square shrine that was also buried with her. People across Europe feared this type of axe, which at the time was known as the Dane Axe-something like the ‘machine gun’ of the Viking Age,” says Nielsen.Īrchaeologists found a large axe buried in one of the men's graves (Photo: Museum Silkeborg) "It’s a very large axe and would have been a formidable weapon. Science Nordic reports that the man in the main part of the tomb was buried with an impressive battle axe. On the right, is an additional grave for a man that was added later. On the left, is a room with two graves belonging to a man and a woman. The third grave in the tomb had been added later. According to excavation leader Kirsten Nelleman Nielsen, who described the finding in an article called 'Dead and buried in the Viking Age' published by Saxo Institute at the University of Copenhagen, it seems that one man and a woman were buried together in the main part of the tomb, while another man was buried in the back. However, an analysis of the burial finds allowed the researchers to confirm that it is a grave of two men and a woman. Unfortunately, the soil conditions at the site affected the preservation of the human remains. The tomb measures 4m by 13m and contained three burials dating back to 950 AD. Since the beginning, it has been obvious that the tomb belonged to a highly distinguished person or people. The burial was identified as a rare Viking tomb known as a ‘d'ødehus’', meaning ''death house''. The initial discovery of the grave took place in south west Denmark in 2012, during construction work to create a new highway. A team of researchers have examined a rare Viking tomb known as a ‘death house’, revealing an elite burial containing the remains of two noblemen and a woman, along with impressive artifacts including a large battle axe.
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