In September 2024, archaeologists in Denmark announced a remarkable find. They had uncovered more than 50 Viking Age skeletons at Åsum, just east of Odense. The graves came to light during work on the national power grid by the utility Energinet. English reports usually spell the site Asum, so they call the find the Asum Viking graves. The grave goods show how far these people’s connections reached. The site also confirms Åsum as an important settlement near Odense. But the real prize is the bones themselves, which survived in extraordinary condition.
“The graves in Åsum are so well-preserved that it may be possible, for the first time, to conduct special aDNA analyses on most of the skeletons, meaning DNA analyses on ancient material,” says Sarah Croix, associate professor in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at Aarhus University, in a press release.
Archaeologist and museum curator Michael Borre Lundø from the Museum Odense says the chalk in the soil helped to preserve the bones. So did the time the area spent under water. The “extremely well-preserved” remains could allow archaeologists to discover family ties among the dead. The skeletal remains could also reveal nutrition and the types of diseases the Vikings may have had. They might even show where the people came from before they ended up in Åsum.
Upper-Class Asum Viking Graves
Lundø says the graves likely belonged to the upper class. One held a woman who lay in a wagon. Likewise, the two women of Norway’s Oseberg ship burial had a wagon of their own.
“She was given a beautiful glass bead necklace, an iron key, a knife with a silver-threaded handle, and, most notably, a small shard of glass that may have served as an amulet,” says Lundø in the same release. “At the foot of the wagon, there was a finely decorated wooden chest, the contents of which we still do not know.”
Trade Goods in the Asum Viking Graves
In a separate grave, archaeologists found a fine bronze trefoil (three-lobed) brooch and an iron knife. They also found a small piece of rock crystal. The deceased wore a red glass bead on a cord around the neck.
“Rock crystal does not occur naturally in Denmark and was likely imported from Norway,” says Lundø. Other finds also pointed the same way. These people were part of a trading world that stretched far beyond Funen. It was the world of market towns like Hedeby and Birka.
The burial ground covers about 21,500 square feet (2,000 square meters) and dates to the 800s and 900s. It also includes five cremation graves alongside the burials. Still, it is a vivid reminder that the Viking Age isn’t done revealing itself. The next discovery might turn up under a power line.
The Asum Viking graves are one of several recent finds we have covered on this site. In addition, see Moesgaard Museum: Surprise Viking Graves May Link to Bluetooth, Viking-Era Grave Confounds Archaeologists and Viking Grave Site Holds Boat, Woman and Dog.
Finally, to hear about new finds as we cover them, sign up for Axe and Anchor, Asgard Alaska’s Newsletter.
