Emily Chan
In 2016, archaeologists in Denmark uncovered one of the largest Viking axes ever found in the region. It was buried in the tomb of a couple from the 10th century.
The excavations took place at a site near the town of Haarup and were led by Kirsten Nellemann Nielsen, an archaeologist with the Silkeborg Museum.
According to Nielsen, such Danish axes were the most feared weapons of the Viking Age. The axe found in the tomb was large and devoid of any inscriptions or decorative features, suggesting that it was not just for show and was used in actual combat. The axe likely belonged to the man in the tomb.
“It’s a bit extraordinary—it’s much bigger and heavier than the other axes. It would have had a very long handle, and it took both hands to use it,” Nielsen told Live Science. “He didn’t have anything else buried with him, so I think you can say he identified himself as a warrior above anything else.”
Excavations at the site began in 2012, which was when the human remains of a man and woman were originally discovered.
The couple was found in a Viking tomb known as a “death house.” The wooden tomb measured roughly 13 feet wide and 42 feet long. It was constructed around A.D. 950 and contained three separate graves.
Based on remnants of their clothing and their belongings, the man and the woman were thought to be of high status. The woman was lying in a wooden wagon, a burial practice that was common for women of noble birth.
Gold and silver threads woven into the woman’s clothing and a pair of keys in her tomb indicated that she had a major influence on her community.
Keys were a symbol of status and authority for women in the Viking Age in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe. One of the keys was for a small wooden casket secured with iron brackets buried next to her.
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