Danish Iron Age House Destroyed By Fire Almost 2,000 Years Ago – Archaeologists Investigate

Almost 2,000 years ago, a devastating fire destroyed this Iron Age home near Viborg in West Denmark.

Now, a team of archaeologists led by Mikkel Kieldsen, an archaeologist with Viborg Museum, Denmark, will try to shed some light on the history of this house and people who lived there.

Archaeologists do not know whether the house fire was an accident or if it was started deliberately. However, scorched layers of earth have protected the site for almost two millennia and will probably help to answers many questions.

The traces of the burnt Viborg house were discovered accidentally.

The house – 18 meters long by 5.5 meters wide – was larger than the typical Iron Age home. Between seven and ten family members lived in the western part of the house and animals (goats or pigs) had smaller animal stalls, about 90 cm wide, in the eastern end of the house.

The house probably burnt down during the summer, and the animals were the only thing that they managed to save.

You may also like...