The 10th-century grave, known as Bj. 581, was first discovered on the Swedish island of Bjorko in the late 19th century. Stunning artifacts found in the grave indicated that it belonged to a high-status Viking warrior, who, for over a century, was assumed to be male.

In 2017, however, experts published theresults of a DNA analysisthat revealed the skeleton was female. The amazing discovery garnered a great deal of attention and sparked plenty of debate.

DNA SHOWS VIKING REMAINS BELONG TO WOMAN

In a study published this week in the journalAntiquity, the researchers responded to critics of the original study, explaining that they analyzed the correct skeleton and that there was only one set of human remains in the grave. “The simple and secure conclusion is that we have the right individual, who was buried alone, and that this person has been proven to be biologically female,” they explained.

The array of weapons discovered in grave Bj.581.(photographs courtesy of Christer Åhlin, Swedish History Museum/Antiquity Publications Ltd.)

The experts also reiterated the woman’s warrior status. “In our opinion, Bj.581 was the grave of a woman who lived as a professional warrior and was buried in a martial environment as an individual of rank,” they wrote. “To those who do take issue, however, we suggest that it is not supportable to react only now, when the individual has been shown to be female, without explaining why neither the warrior interpretations nor any supposed source-critical factors were a problem when the person in Bj.581 was believed to be male.”

The warrior woman was buried in elaborate clothing and her grave contained a stunning array of weapons, including a sword, an ax, 25 armor-piercing arrows, a fighting knife, two lances and two spears. She was also buried with two horses, underlining her high status in Viking society.

VIKING LONGSHIP DISCOVERY THRILLS ARCHAEOLOGISTS

Intriguingly, a bag of gaming pieces was also placed in the warrior’s lap and a gaming board was propped up beside her skeleton.

Artist’s impression of the occupant of grave Bj.581 as a high-status female warrior.(Drawing by Tancredi Valeri/Antiquity Publications Ltd.)

Set against this backdrop, the team behind the study noted other Viking women likely bore arms.

“We would be very surprised if she was alone in the Viking world; other women may have taken up arms in the same seasonal or opportunistic context as many male Viking raiders,” they wrote. “A few may have risen to positions of command—indeed, the quality of the individual’s clothing, and the presence of the gaming set, implies that she may have been one of them.”

VIKING ‘THOR’S HAMMER’ DISCOVERED IN ICELAND

Gaming sets are typically associated with Viking military leaders, according to the researchers, who noted they are often found in larger boat graves.

Drawing of grave Bj. 581. (Drawing by Þórhallur Þráinsson/Antiquity Publications Ltd.)

Despite the incredible glimpse into Viking society that the grave offers, many aspects of the woman’s life will remain unknown. “Can we be sure that the person in Bj.581 was a woman, in a gendered sense? No, we cannot. She may have taken on a man’s social role, while retaining a feminine identity,” explained the study’s authors.

The grave is one of many fascinating archaeological finds from the time of the Vikings. Last year, for example, a Viking “Thor’s hammer” wasdiscoveredin Iceland and archaeologists in Norway used ground-penetrating radar technology torevealan extremely rare Viking longship.

GIRL, 8, DISCOVERS 1,500-YEAR-OLD VIKING SWORD IN SWEDISH LAKE

Also in 2018, an 8-year-old girl discovereda 1,500-year-old sword in a Swedish lake and an incredible trove of silver treasure linked to the era of a famous Viking king

Please view the video of a Dad teaching his own son to read at Bottom of this post.

wasdiscoveredon an island in the Baltic Sea. Hundreds of 1,000-year-old silver coins, rings, pearls, and bracelets were found on the German island of Ruegen.

Plan of grave Bj. 581 by Harald Olsson(Arbman [1943]/Antiquity Publications Ltd.)

Alpha-Phonics now on Mini Flash Drive, complete with sound!

In 2017, an incredibly well-preserved Viking sword wasfoundby a reindeer hunter on a remote mountain in Southern Norway. In 2016, archaeologists in Trondheim, Norway, unearthed the church where Viking King Olaf Haraldsson was first enshrined as a saint.

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Gaming pieces from the warrior’s grave.(Photograph by Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson/Antiquity Publications Ltd.)

Separately in 2016, a tiny Viking crucifix wasfoundin Denmark.

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter@jamesjrogers

We hope you find these news items regarding the travels & settlements of the mysterious Viking civilization as interesting as we do.

We also hope you will investigate our phonics reading instruction program:

                     ALPHA-PHONICS

Though Alpha-Phonics does not go as far back in history as do the Vikings, it has been used for close to 4 decades by parents to easily and successfully teach their children to be very good readers.  Watch this short video to see what one parent (a DAD!) has to say about it: