A team of researchers discovered the supposed burial place of the viking king harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson, who ruled Denmark from 958 to 986.
Polish researchers led by Marek Kryda used satellite remote sensing tools to study Wolin Islandespecially near the town of Groß-Weckow (today Wiejkowo), located in the northwest of present-day Poland. There they discovered a large mound, which may contain the tomb of the Danish King Harald I Gormsson.
The researchers used the lidar technology, which measures distance by firing a laser at a target and analyzing the reflected light. Thanks to this, they located the grave and were able to “see” through the layers of earth to identify soil weathering.
“Spatial reconnaissance allowed us to examine large swathes of landscape and find archaeological disturbances deep inside the earth, some as small as 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) long,” Kryda explained, bestselling book author. viking polandat the gate The first news.
Using satellite remote sensing tools, researchers say they have solved “one of history’s most enduring mysteries”.
The possible discovery of the king’s tumulus is located under the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wiejkowo.
Confirmation of old finds
The discovery of the burial mound coincides with earlier research, which also assumed that the Viking king had gone into hiding in his last years in Poland. In 2014, the Swedish archaeologist Sven Rossborndiscovered a golden disc, known as the Curmsun Disc, in the same area as the burial mound. Rosborn proclaimed the artifact a grave gift because it was originally found with skeletal remains under a church that now sits on the find’s grounds.
The artifact and skeletal remains were first discovered in 1841 and left in the crypt, until a Polish army major stole them during World War II in 1945. until 2014 that the Major’s great-granddaughter found the disc. with a collection of vintage buttons.
Latin disc inscription mentioning the Viking king as the “ruler of the Danes, of Scania and of the Viking fortress of Jomsborg” (now Wolin), found just 5.6 km west of the Wiejkowo burial mound. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Now, satellite images have discovered a circular formation beneath the layers of earth that researchers are sure is the site of final rest of the viking king.
Marek Kryda said: “Satellite research has fully confirmed the existence of a large mound of Wiejkowo and of course at the same time confirmed that Wiejkowo is the burial place of Bluetooth. And that would mean that only the tumulus is his actual grave, the original church was just a later addition.”
“Bluetooth”, the Viking King
King Harald earned the nickname of Blatan (Bluetooth) because he had a dead tooth that was dark blue.
During his reign, Bluetooth united the outlying tribes of Denmark. He defended his people against numerous Norwegian and German raids while overseeing the completion of extensive construction projects that strengthened his country’s defenses. Bluetooth is also known for rejecting Norse pagan traditions and becoming a devout Christian who strove to convert the Danish people during his reign.
Bluetooth died in 986 during a rebellion led by his son Svend i or Svend “Tveskjaeg” Haraldsson, who wanted to take over his father’s throne, and he did so successfully. Svend also believed in Norse gods and was known to persecute Christians.
You might also be interested in: They find a Viking burial ship that carried monarchs a thousand years ago.
In recent years, the bluetooth wireless technology used to connect devices was named after Harald, based on an analogy that technology would unite devices in the same way Harald united the tribes of Denmark and Norway into one kingdom.
Inspiration for “Bluetooth” technology
The historical imprint left by Harald Bluetooth has also succeeded in establishing itself technologically.
In 1996, technology leaders Intel, Ericsson and Nokia wanted to work together to standardize a system that would allow wireless communication between digital devices. Jim Kardach, Intel’s representative engineer on the operation, was reading a book about the Vikings, and it seemed like a good idea to name the system after the Danish king, choosing “Bluetooth” as the code name for its innovation. The Bluetooth logo consists of a Younger Futhark binding rune for the initials of Harald, H (ᚼ) and B (ᛒ).
The “H” and “B” in the runes make up the Bluetooth logo.
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