Viking news, features and articles
The Vikings are best known for raiding Europe in their longships, but there is so much more to these mysterious seafarers.
With each new discovery of a Viking burial or hoard of buried treasure, archeologists are slowly piecing together the Viking Age. From how their warriors sailed the seas with their pets to why they might not have been as blond as we think, Live Science's expert writers and editors reveal the latest news, features and articles about Vikings.
Discover more about Vikings
—Who were the Vikings, the warriors who raided Europe and explored the New World?
—Lindisfarne: The 'Holy Island' where Vikings spilled the 'blood of saints'
Latest about Vikings
Were the Vikings really that violent?
By Margaret Osborne published
The Vikings' reputation for bloodlust compared to other medieval fighters may have been exaggerated over the years.
1,200-year-old Viking cemetery with 'stone ship' burials discovered in Sweden
By Kristina Killgrove published
Archaeologists in Sweden were expecting to find an ancient settlement, but they were surprised to discover a Viking Age cemetery with boat-shaped burial outlines.
Why didn't the Vikings colonize North America?
By Owen Jarus published
The Vikings landed in what is now Newfoundland, Canada around the year A.D. 1000. So why didn't they colonize the region like other Europeans did centuries later?
50 Viking Age burials discovered in Denmark, including a woman in a rare 'Viking wagon'
By Tom Metcalfe published
Finding a Viking Age burial ground of this size is rare, in part because Scandinavian soil doesn't preserve skeletons well.
Vikings in Norway were much more likely to die violent deaths than those in Denmark
By Owen Jarus published
Viking Age skeletons in Norway were much more likely to bear signs of lethal violence than those in Denmark, possibly because society in Norway was less stratified and centralized.
Viking Age stone figurine unearthed in Iceland — but no one can agree on which animal it is
By Margherita Bassi published
The small, four-legged figurine is carved out of stone, but it's unclear which animal it depicts.
'Spectacular silver treasure' from Viking Age unearthed by college student on farm in Denmark
By Jennifer Nalewicki published
A metal detectorist found more than a half dozen pieces of silver jewelry while exploring farmland in Denmark.
Viking Age ship burial may be hiding beneath Norwegian farm, iron rivets hint
By Jennifer Nalewicki published
A scattering of rivets found in a field in Norway could be evidence of a Viking Age ship burial.
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