May 8, 2008

A cool archaeological find in Ireland

From the BBC:
Irish Viking trade centre unearthed
One of the Vikings' most important trading centres has been discovered in Ireland.

The settlement at Woodstown in County Waterford is estimated to be about 1,200 years old.

It was discovered during archaeological excavations for a road by-pass for Waterford city, which was founded by the Vikings.

The Irish government said the settlement was one of the most important early Viking age trading centres discovered in the country.

Its working group, which includes archaeologists from Ireland's museum and monuments service, said it was of international significance and showed the community was wealthy and sought to remain at Woodstown permanently.

Almost 6,000 artefacts and a Viking chieftain's grave have been discovered at the site, which was established by the year 860. The grave contains a sword, shield and silver mark.
Fascinating -- it's interesting to read about the extent of their travels in an era with little to no navigational tools. Latitude could be determined fairly easily but Longitude wasn't available until Harrison's Chronometer. Hat tip to Maggie's Farm for the link. Posted by DaveH at May 8, 2008 8:44 PM
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