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Beneath Grønhaug
In 1902, investigations of the Grønhaug burial mound on Karmøy, western Norway, revealed the poorly preserved remains of a Viking Age ship dating to the mid-9th century. Now archaeologists have returned to the site. They have determined that little remains of the Viking vessel itself, but two rivets have been recovered, as well as pieces of pine that may represent part of the ship’s superstructure, and birch bark that could have been part of the mound’s construction. However, the most exciting discovery came when the team reached the Viking Age ground level, revealing a man-made stone cairn covered by several layers of soil and turf, with stones arranged around its base. More research is needed, but it appears likely that this is evidence of a much older Bronze Age mound, which was used as a kind of platform for the later Viking ship burial.
The spread of silk
Archaeologists have discovered three well-preserved cocoons belonging to silkworm moths of the species Bombyx mori at the Bronze Age site of Sapalli Tepe in Uzbekistan. They date to c.4,000 years ago, making them the oldest silkworm cocoons with reliable direct radiocarbon dates known anywhere in the world, including China where the species was first domesticated. The arid conditions at Sapalli Tepe also enabled researchers to identify charcoal from mulberry trees, which was used to feed the caterpillars. These discoveries could dramatically change our understanding of the spread of sericulture. Until now, it was generally accepted that silk products and the knowledge surrounding their production came to Central Asia from China along Silk Road routes in the Han dynasty, c.2,000 years ago, but the new findings published in Science Advances (https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aec8738) reveal that East Asian Bombyx-mulberry silk traditions had reached the region several millennia earlier.
Pot of gold
Excavations at the site of Dhariyah, in the Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia, have uncovered a clay pot filled with a collection of gold pieces, oxidised copper fragments, and jewellery encrusted with semi-precious gemstones and decorated with floral patterns and geometric motifs. This hoard, nicknamed ‘the Dhariyah Treasure’, dates to c.1,200 years ago, and may have been buried by a medieval pilgrim during the early years of the Abbasid Caliphate (AD 750-1258). In this period, Dhariyah was an important stopping point on the Hajj pilgrimage route between the port city of Basra in southern Iraq and the holy city of Mecca on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. It is currently unknown why this valuable collection of objects was buried here, and by whom, but its presence highlights the importance of the area on key pilgrimage and trade routes. Archaeological work at the site continues.
Text: Amy Brunskill / Image: Saudi Heritage Commission
