AASUM, Denmark — In a village in central Denmark, archeologists made a landmark discovery that could hold important clues to the Viking era: a burial ground, containing some 50 “exceptionally well-preserved” skeletons. “This is such an exciting find because we found these skeletons that are so very, very well preserved,” said archeologist Michael Borre Lundø, who led the six-month dig. The site was discovered last year during a routine survey, ahead of power line renovation work on the outskirts of the village of Aasum, 3 miles northeast of Odense, Denmark’s third-largest city. Experts hope to conduct DNA analyses and possibly reconstruct detailed life histories, as well as look into social patterns in the Viking Age, such as kinship, migration patterns and more. “This opens a whole new toolbox for scientific discovery,” said Borre Lundø as he stood on the muddy, wind-swept excavation site.

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Persons: ”, Michael Borre Lundø, Borre Lundø Organizations: Museum Odense, ”, Vikings Locations: AASUM, Denmark, Aasum, Odense, Denmark’s, Europe, North America