Archaeologists have discovered Viking treasure under a highway in Sweden

Archaeologists from Arkeologerna (Sweden's national history museum community) have made a major discovery in Västmanland, Sweden.

Excavations along the E18 highway between Köping and Västerås have uncovered two upright swords, glittering glass beads and ornate saddles that give insight into Viking life and ritual.

Cremation and memorial rites

One of the most impressive finds was the cremation site at Rallst, near Hallstahammar. On a small hill, archaeologists discovered two large funeral pyres, piled on top of the hill visible from afar. In the ashes, they found the charred remains of people and animals, as well as delicate objects: glass beads, gilded jewelry and fragments of gold plates that once decorated garnet products.

First, experts conducted ground surveys and ground-penetrating radar scans to identify potential burial sites. What followed was careful excavation, layer by layer, recording artifacts, ashes and animal tracks. Each find was carefully recorded and photographed, and the materials were sent for laboratory analysis, including the study of gold, glass and bone microbeads, allowing us to reconstruct the jewelry-making technology and rituals.

“It was a ceremonial center where the dead were honored in a dramatic way, with a display of power and remembrance visible to all who passed by,” explains project leader Fredrik Larsson.

The swords were stuck in the ground

Particularly noteworthy was the finding of two swords standing upright in an old cart from the Vendel era. The blades are broken, indicating that considerable force was used to install them.

“There are only a few such sites in Sweden and the standing swords could represent high-ranking warriors or the tombs of an influential dynasty,” Larsson said.

A man and a woman with some sort of close social relationship are buried nearby. Archaeologists are considering options: cooperation in life, equality in death or participation in ritual sacrifice.

Horses as a status symbol

At Sylt, near Köping, archaeologists examined an 11th-century burial site that was in use from the 8th to the early 13th century. In nearly 30 graves, horses were cremated with their owners, decorated with zloty harnesses, bells and splendid bronze details.

“Horse equipment is like a suit – shiny, ringing and eye-catching. Horses not only serve as a means of transportation but also as a symbol of wealth, status and a spiritual path to the afterlife,” Larsson explains.

Ordinary life and its relationship to ritual

In addition to burials, excavations also uncovered traces of farm houses, bread ovens and ironworks. A site located next to Västmanland's largest rock art at Hellest, connecting family life with ceremonial traditions. These data show the continuity and changes of society: from pagan fires to Christian tombs, from military dynasties to agricultural communities, from ancestral rituals to everyday life.