AARHUS, DENMARK—According to a statement released by Aarhus University, artifacts unearthed at the market town of Ribe in southwest Jutland have been precisely dated in order to trace the development of Viking trade networks with Norway, Western Europe, and the Middle East. The new technique employs solar particle events, which cause a spike in atmospheric radiocarbon, to create a calibration curve and reduce the uncertainty in radiocarbon dating. Such spikes are identified in tree rings and archaeological sequences, explained team leader Bente Philippsen. The researchers were able to identify a spike in atmospheric radiocarbon in a layer at Ribe and dated it to A.D. 775, which allowed them to anchor another 140 radiocarbon dates at the site. Thus, goods imported from Norway have been dated to A.D. 750, said researcher Søren Sindbæk, and the arrival of large numbers of beads from the Islamic empire in the Middle East has been dated to A.D. 790, with a margin of error of just ten years. The beads signal the expansion of trade networks and the beginning of the Viking Age, he explained. To read about another recent discovery from Ribe, go to "Viking Roles."
New Dates Offer Clues to the Dawn of the Viking Age
News December 22, 2021
Recommended Articles
Digs & Discoveries September/October 2021
Viking Fantasy Island
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2020
Viking Knights, Polish Days
Artifacts September/October 2014
Silver Viking Figurine
-
Features November/December 2021
Italian Master Builders
A 3,500-year-old ritual pool reflects a little-known culture’s agrarian prowess
(Ministero della Cultura) -
Features November/December 2021
Ghost Tracks of White Sands
Scientists are uncovering fossilized footprints in the New Mexico desert that show how humans and Ice Age animals shared the landscape
-
Features November/December 2021
Piecing Together Maya Creation Stories
Thousands of mural fragments from the city of San Bartolo illustrate how the Maya envisioned their place in the universe
(Digital image by Heather Hurst) -
Features November/December 2021
Gaul's University Town
New excavations have revealed the wealth and prestige of an ancient center of learning
(Digital image by Heather Hurst)