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Photos: A man, a horse and a dog found in Viking boat burial
A Viking skeleton
Archeologists recently excavated two Viking boat burials in a plot of land outside of Uppsala, Sweden. One of the boats revealed the remains of a man, a horse and a dog, along with other objects such as a sword, a spear, a shield and a comb. Such Viking boat burials have previously been discovered in various Scandinavian countries, but they are quite rare and were likely only used to bury the elite. [Read more about the newly uncovered viking boat burials]
A Viking skeleton
Archeologists don't know much about the Viking man unearthed in the burial site, but he was likely an elite member of society. Skeletal analysis will likely reveal how old he was when he died, how tall he was and whether he had any illnesses or injuries.
Burial site
Archaeologists survey the site of the Viking burials.
The intact boat
Archaeologists found two burial boats, one of them (shown here before excavation) was intact but the other was quite damaged. The archeologists think it was damaged when a medieval well was constructed on top of it.
Excavations of the boat
Osteologist Ola Magnell and archaeologist Anton Seiler work to dig out the boat burial.
Excavations of the boat
The Viking boat burials were found buried beneath a medieval cellar and a well. They were found during an investigation of a plot of land outside of Uppsala, Sweden prior to construction of a new building.
Shield and ornate comb
The Viking man was buried alongside grave goods including a shield (partly shown here) and an intricate comb.
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Horse remains
Osteologist Ola Magnell excavates the bones of a horse. It was common practice to include animals in boat burials. Archeologists think this practice might be to help the dead when they reach the "other side," or it could just be a status symbol.
Horse skeleton
The bones of the horse were discovered in the bow of the intact boat.
Lab analysis
Scientists analyze material found in the burial site back in the lab.
Yasemin is a staff writer at Live Science, covering health, neuroscience and biology. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Science and the San Jose Mercury News. She has a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Connecticut and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.