foreign [Music] although considered by many to be a ruthless and violent horde the Vikings have also left behind a few Treasures Trinkets and artifacts which suggest that they were in possession of Technologies far beyond what was previously believed in the 1990s on the island of gotland Sweden the excavation of Viking Graves turned up several pieces of quartz crystal that appeared to have been manufactured into precise shapes it was first assumed that these were ornaments until closer examination found that they'd been crafted into elliptical lenses and that as lenses they performed nearly as well as modern
equivalents amongst the weapons jewelry and looted treasures recovered from prominent Vikings Graves the visby lenses are arguably the most astonishing some of the lenses have been treated as jewelry set in decorative and intricately carved silver mounts however it's believed that the lenses may be much older than their housings the lenses have been cited as evidence that sophisticated Artisan manufacturing techniques were being used more than one thousand years ago when the laws of refraction were not yet understood the Precision with which they were made suggests that A Primitive turning lathe must have been used some have
suggested that the process involved in making the lenses may have been a secret shared by just a few Master Artisans or perhaps that all the visby lenses may have been the work of one single pair of hands potential uses for the lenses have been discussed by historians with various explanations being put forth some have suggested that they were used for reading one researcher stated quote they could have been used to start fires or to burn wounds and cuts so they did not get infected the most intriguing possible use however is as part of a telescope
if it ordered the case that the visibil lenses are indeed elements of what was once a telescope that would predate the 16th century Dutch telescope invention by some 500 years main penny in 1957 amateur archaeologist guy melgren made a startling Discovery at the garage archaeological site in Maine a single silver coin that could challenge our understanding of History referred to as an ancient Indian rubbish Heap this site from around 1180 to 1235 A.D was the remains of a Native American settlement s find however proved to be anything but rubbish the coin was described as a
dark gray fragmentary piece featuring quote an animal-like figure in a rather barbarous design a hole punched through it suggested it had been worn as a pendant for some time flaking and corroded the coin had to be ancient at first Melvin believed it was a 12th century English coin based on analysis by a coin collecting friend but further study ultimately found that this was not the case in 1978 the coin now housed in a local Museum was the focus of a captivating newspaper article titled where the English the first to discover America the article's audacious claim
paired with an evocative photo caught the attention of an expert coin dealer in London without hesitation you recognize the coin as an Olaf here a silver piece of Norse origin a millennium ago Norway a landmarked by Tower and Peaks profound fjords and a tapestry of Legends was under the reign of a Viking monarch king Olaf the peaceful it's from this intriguing backdrop that the so-called main penny is believed to have emerged subsequent research from the University of Oslo corroborated his identity as an Olaf here at Silver Coin minted between 1065 and 1080 A.D these coins
were still in wide circulation in the 12th and 13th centuries this timeline is consistent with the Native American settlements at The Goddard site and the era during which Vikings built settlements in Greenland and ventured into Newfoundland the discovery of the coin in Maine has broader implications for theories regarding pre-columbian contact with Native Americans This penny is cited as evidence suggesting that Viking explorers might have reached North America well before Columbus supporting this notion ancient Icelandic texts mentioned voyages Westward to a green land abundant with grass and fruits however it's uncertain whether this described land was
indeed America the authenticity of the so-called main penny has been debated archaeologists have grappled with understanding how this old coin traveled across the Atlantic some theorize it might be a hoax suggesting nalgren planted the coin himself while historians archaeologists and anthropologists remain divided on the coin's Discovery there are no doubts that the coin itself is genuine however the mystery of whether it was deliberately placed and by extension The Narrative of America's Discovery remains unsolved yomsburg many cultures have told Tales of ancient cities cultures and lands that have mysteriously disappeared and the Vikings were no exception
the fabled city of yomsborg has been compared to the fictional Atlantis but new archaeological evidence suggests that it may have actually existed featured in ancient Norse Tales was considered for the longest time to have been entirely mythical existing between 960 and 1043 A.D on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea near modern day Germany yamasborg was inhabited by the yomus Vikings a faction of specially selected Viking mercenaries and conquerors who were loyal to the Norse gods but whose loyalty was very much for sale to join Liam's Vikings one had to be a man whose Valor
in battle was proven Rites of Passage included bloody duels and Feats of Strength ancient Icelandic sagas allude to youngsburg and suggested it was built by the Danish Viking Rule The Herald Bluetooth allegedly part Fortress and part harbor the stronghold was protected by Stone Towers mounted with catapults a formidable Iron Gate prevented enemy ships from entering no precise location of yomsburg is mentioned in Legends however in early 2023 investigations gained momentum after excavations began at a location known as Hangman's Hill unvoline Island near Poland penguin's Hill was believed to have been used for ancient human sacrifices
and it even features a rune Stone dedicated to Herald Bluetooth it soon became apparent that Hangman's Hill was much more than simply a burial ground it had once been a stronghold of some sort it has been suggested that this breakthrough Discovery May mean that youngsburg did exist in this legendary City may have been strategically positioned on violin Island while tests and excavations are ongoing one researcher stated that he believes with 80 certainty that the site found in Hangman's Hill is indeed that very same 10th Century settlement Rook Stone the rockstone is a mysterious runestone that
stands over eight feet tall weighs more than 5 tons and was discovered embedded into the wall of a 19th century Swedish Church it has since been suggested that its runes have prophesied catastrophic natural events not only do the Stone's markings seem to allude to forthcoming disasters but the engraving is the longest inscription of its kind anywhere in the world it's the first piece of written in Swedish history in existence thus constituting the dawn of Swedish literature The Rook Stone has since been moved outside of the church and positioned under a protective shelter where it's been
studied by many and celebrated for its contributions to Norse mythology references to ancient political history and the masterful carving skills of its creator the inscription uses Cipher rooms an early cryptic form of writing as well as multiple languages and alphabets demonstrating that the stone was intended to be difficult to read perhaps to protect valuable secrets so cryptic are some of the runes that historians have so far been unable to decipher them some have hypothesized that they may refer to the making of the stone itself or relate to a magical ritual even those parts of the
inscription which have been successfully translated are the subject of debate traditionally many researchers believe that the text primarily served as a memorial to a deceased son containing various references to Norse mythology and legends such as Thor and the valkyrie gunier this reading emphasized the personal grief of a father possibly named Varina who commemorated his lost son vamos a more recent interpretation is that the runes tell of a parent whose trial died due to extremely cold weather and their fear that this weather May return the inscription is believed to be a reference to the low temperatures
of the 6th and 7th centuries during which a series of massive volcanic eruptions obscured the atmosphere and more than half of Scandinavians froze to death this period is now referred to as the late antique little ice age perhaps historians will one day fully decrypt the meaning behind the ancient Brookstone or perhaps its secrets are lost to history either way the Stone's ominous references to climate catastrophes may be as relevant as ever beautiful Warrior when people think of Vikings they tend to think of large Fierce rugged men however one set of remains discovered in birka Sweden
in 1878 would force historians to reconsider their perspective on what truly makes a Viking Warrior when excavated in the late 19th century the chamber grave was found to be that of a revered Viking Warrior from the 10th century out of the 1100 tombs discovered in the birka settlement only two contained complete sets of weaponry this was one of them the burial was clearly of a high-class Viking an individual of status and wealth who was highly respected as a warrior this was demonstrated by The prominent location of the grave and the fact that in addition to
find Silver Thread silk garments and valuable jewelry the individual had been buried with quote a sword an ax a spear armor-piercing arrows a battle knife two Shields and two horses one mayor and one stallion scale of this burial was almost unprecedented and the individual was assumed to be a battle-hardened man most likely a leader of great importance over the following 130 years more than 50 papers were published about the birka warrior with researchers particularly fascinated by the Grandeur of the burial yet a groundbreaking 2017 analysis of the Warriors remains unveiled a startling Truth The birka
Warrior was in fact a woman this Revelation has forced historians to reconsider their ideas of Viking Warrior culture which was previously thought to be almost entirely male especially in the higher ranks while female warriors are rare in Viking culture they are not without precedent some ancient Viking sages allude to a number of Shield maidens women who were fearless and ferocious enough to fight alongside the men some other references to Viking Warrior women or Shield maidens have been found in Norse mythology literature and ancient carvings however these are frequently combined with Supernatural elements so they were
until recently assumed to be fictional the discovery and re-analysis of what is now known as the birka female Viking Warrior suggested Vikings were far more Progressive than many other cultures of the time and that they both recognized and rewarded women on the battlefield are you ready to unlock the secrets of the past subscribe now to dark5's brand new ancient Mysteries Channel and embark on a journey to uncover the most enigmatic and awe-inspiring mysteries of ancient times leave a comment if there are any ancient Mysteries you want us to
