Birka Viking Settlement
Birka
Sweden · Stockholm County, Ekerö
In brief
Located on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren, Birka is one of the important trading centers of the Viking Age. Extensive excavations have been conducted at different times in the settlement, cemeteries and waterfront facilities.
What was found?
- 1Wooden boat slipway
A wooden boat slipway was found at the bottom of a stone-bordered depression on the Viking Age shoreline. According to researchers, this arrangement is the principal evidence for a boat maintenance and repair area.
- 2Used and unused rivets
Numerous boat rivets were recovered at the site. The presence of both new and used examples supports the interpretation that boats were maintained here.
- 3Slate whetstones
Slate whetstones were identified in the area containing the boat slipway. Together with woodworking tools, they provide evidence of the sharpening of tools used in maintenance work.
- 4Woodworking tools
Woodworking tools were found at the site. When considered together with the rivets and slipway, these indicate a workshop area where work was carried out on boats.
What does it point to?
Birka shows that trade also required ship maintenance and craftspeople working on the shore. According to researchers, the shipyard area outside the town wall reveals that maritime activities extended beyond the urban boundaries.
What did it teach us?
- It documented an area devoted to boat maintenance at Birka through a slipway, rivets, and tools.
- It showed that maritime activities also took place outside the town wall.
- It revealed that harbors, boat launching sites, and workshops must be examined together to understand the trading center.
Images
Latest news / selected archive
2022: University researchers announced a Viking Age shipyard identified at Kugghamn through a wooden slipway and shipbuilding finds during work in 2020–2021.
Record
- Culture
- Viking
- First modern dig
- 1680
- Team / historical
- Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University; Sven Isaksson and Sven Kalmring
- Coordinates
- 59.3361°, 17.5453°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Gamla Uppsala Archaeological Site 63 km
- Gjellestad Ship Burial 358 km
- Oseberg Ship Burial 403 km
- Uppåkra Settlement 485 km
- Trelleborg Viking Ring Fortress 577 km
- Jelling Royal Complex 627 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
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Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - Lead seal of a bishop named Stefan found in Croatia
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Heritage Daily ↗ - Roman-period sarcophagus of a child buried with toys found in Romania
A wheeled toy horse, a rooster-shaped rattle, jewelry and organic remains were recovered from a sealed child’s sarcophagus dating back approximately 1,800 years in the ancient city of Tomis. The preservation of wooden coffin fragments and the shroud also offers a rare opportunity to study child burials in Roman times.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı
A tile-covered grave dating to the 1st century AD and containing cremated human remains was uncovered in the theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Why the burial took place in the theater despite the city having a separate cemetery remains unknown; the find raises new questions about the use of public spaces.
Arkeofili ↗ - Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos
A marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions on reused stone blocks were found around the Temple of Roma and Augustus at Teos. The inscriptions shed light on the city’s political and legal relations, while researchers say the portrait and inscription fragments show that the temple was also connected to the cult of Antinoos.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles
A newly published study presented Yaylatepe Höyük, identified during surface surveys in 2024, and its pottery spanning the end of the Late Chalcolithic to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age for the first time. According to the researcher, the settlement, which has a visual connection with Asartepe on the opposite shore, contributes to understanding prehistoric coastal connections along the strait.
Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
All excavation sites (385)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük
