Archaeologists excavate an eighth-century town in northern Germany.
Photograph courtesy Andres S. Dobat, Aarhus Universitet
A battle-scarred, eighth-century town unearthed in northern Germany may be the earliest Viking settlement in the historical record, archaeologists announced recently.
Ongoing excavations at Füsing (map), near the Danish
border, link the site to the "lost" Viking town of Sliasthorp—first
recorded in A.D. 804 by royal scribes of the powerful Frankish ruler
Charlemagne.
Used as a military base by the earliest Scandinavian kings, Sliasthorp's location was unknown until now, said dig leader Andres Dobat, of Aarhus University in Denmark.
Whether
it proves to be the historic town or not, the site offers valuable
insights into military organization and town planning in the early
Viking era, according to the study team.
