SWEDISH ARCHAEOLOGISTS

Evening Star, Issue 21934, 22 January 1935, Page 11

SWEDISH ARCHAEOLOGISTS

A fortified 1,000-ycar-old stronghold for the town guard, where women were forbidden, and the remains of a fire beacon to guide seafarers bound for Birka, the ancient capital of Sweden, have this summer been discovered by Swedish archaeologists. Birka, situated on the island of Bjorko, in the Lake Malaren, not far from Stockholm, 1,000 years ago was a prosperous trading centre for the entire north. it was the headquarters and homo port of the Viking traders, whose conquests and commercial expeditions were extended as far away as the Mediterranean and the Black and Caspian Seas by way of the Russian rivers. This summer the archmologist. Dr Holger Arhman, has performed extensive excavations on the site of this old city. Amongst other finds he has dis-

covered that, the inhabitants of Birka used to guide tlicir ships at night by a powerful beacon consisting of a huge fire burning on a high promontory visible for many miles around. In the immediate vicinity of this fire Dr Arbman found a terrace that seems to have been the fortified headquarters of the town guard. Hero remains of armour coats, consisting of rectangular pieces of iron fixed by thongs on leather jackets, shield buckles, arrow-heads, and numerous knives, as well as animal hones left from the meals of the guardsmen, wore found. Women seem to have (teen taboo in this section, not one single find of women’s ornaments or apparel Slaving been found. Arabian silver coins hear witness of the far-flung Viking expeditions sent out from the city. Another archaeologist, Professor 0. danse, has found a 4,000-.vear-old .settlement on the shore of the picturesque Valdeinar Bay, further south on the East Coast of Sweden. This has evidently been a. habitation consisting of primitive huts ol Stone Ago hunters and fishermen, judging from quantities of fish and animal bones and pieces of oarthcrnwarc vessels. Professor danse expects to find oilier similar settlements in the district, which is one of (fie oldest centres ol culture in Sweden.