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.
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'The back of her head had been removed by a single blow from a sharp blade': Archaeological clues are revealing the horrific lives and deaths of the people enslaved by VikingsBook excerpt In this excerpt from "The Sea-King and the Sorceress," author Neil Price looks at the lesser known lives of the people enslaved by Vikings: the thralls.
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1,200-year-old burial in Latvia holds people who died of 'sharp force' injuries, possibly from a Viking raidA 1,200-year-old burial in Latvia holds the remains of a father, son and four others who may have been victims of a Viking raid.
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Archaeologists discover a child's skull built into the floor of a 2,500-year-old Scandinavian houseA study of nearly 200 individuals buried in domestic contexts in ancient and Viking Age Scandinavia has revealed unusually high levels of violence.
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Did the Vikings really shoot fiery arrows at funeral boats?Life's Little Mysteries The idea of Vikings using fire arrows to set funeral boats ablaze is seen frequently in popular culture. But did it really happen?
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Finland's largest Viking Age silver hoard discovered by metal detectorist — and it has thousands of coins and pieces of jewelryThe largest Viking Age silver hoard ever found in Finland was unearthed by a metal detectorist north of Helsinki.
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'Biggest surprise of my life': Homeowner discovers Denmark's largest Viking Age silver hoard in their backyardIn Denmark, a homeowner digging in their backyard unexpectedly found the country's largest silver hoard from the Viking Age.
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Dirty 'button' unearthed by metal detectorist turns out to be a rare 900-year-old coin from Norway's last Viking king, Magnus BarefootA rare coin from the reign of Magnus Barefoot — sometimes called Norway's last Viking king, was mistaken for a button before researchers realized it was the first of its kind found on Norwegian soil.
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'Melted in a pot somewhere': Vikings used Islamic silver coins to make their early pennies, study findsThe silver in a Viking Age hoard found in Denmark was from melted-down coins from the faraway Islamic world, a new study finds.
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'Extremely rare' English coins meant to ward off Vikings found in Denmark — because the Vikings wore them as jewelryTwo rare coins minted in England to ward against Viking raids have been discovered in Denmark, where Vikings made them into jewelry.
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