High status early Viking Age grave found in Denmark

A grave of a potential Viking lord was found among the chamber graves found in Hørning near Skanderborg in Denmark’s, Jutland.

Site of excavations (after Museum of Skanderborg)

The initial discovery of the graves took place in 2012, but only a small area has been examined so far. One of the graves, dated to the early Viking Age contained a number of spectacular items that confirm the individual’s high standing. Among them are gilded fittings from a horse bridle. According to archaeologists, this type of bridle would only be available to the most powerful of people in the Viking Age, and may have even been a gift of alliance from the king. The fittings date to ca 950 AD, which means that the individual could have been the confidant of the king Gorm the Old, or alternatively a rival. The find has been dubbed the “Fregerslev Viking”.

One of the gilded fittings (after Museum of Skanderborg)

(after Museum of Skanderborg & Copenhagen Post)

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