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For nearly 300 years,
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the Vikings were
one of the most brutal
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and feared armies
in the history of the world.
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Some say their military prowess
was a gift from the gods.
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Others say it came from
their unrivaled skills
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on the battlefield.
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But new controversial evidence
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00:00:19,540 --> 00:00:22,140
points to another source
altogether.
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This has been unprecedented.
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Was the fearsome Viking army
so powerful...
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It's crazy.
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...because women
were warriors, too?
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I'm going on a journey back
1,300 years to Viking times...
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It's like a really cool
"Game of Thrones" set.
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...through historical
Norse texts...
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It looks like Merlin.
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...actual Viking remains...
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This is the richest
Viking Age grave ever found.
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Wow.
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...and Scandinavian magic...
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...to uncover the truth...
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...of Viking women warriors.
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And this forces us
to rewrite everything
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that we thought we knew
about all ancient cultures.
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All across the world,
our ancient ancestors
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left behind towering mysteries
and enchanting myths.
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That looks like a magic wand.
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As an actress,
I've been lucky enough
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to peek behind the curtain
at some of these ancient sites.
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I've never been
in a crypt before.
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And it's ignited
an insatiable curiosity in me
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to know more about
these lost worlds...
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It's amazing
that under our feet,
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there's so much history.
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...some of which
are still buried
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deep in our distant past.
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That is amazing.
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00:02:02,970 --> 00:02:05,940
This looks really beautiful.
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00:02:05,940 --> 00:02:08,510
And then there's also all this
incredible archeology
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in, like, every direction.
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Just pick a spot, start digging,
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and you'll find
something amazing.
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I've traveled to the small town
of Borre, Norway,
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a land of misty fjords
and unspoiled beauty.
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But over 1,000 years ago,
this was a center of power
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and influence
for the Viking empire.
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There's much written about
Viking legend and lore,
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but in actuality,
we know very little about
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who they were
and how they lived.
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Megan. So nice to meet you.
Great to meet you.
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So I'm at
the Midgard vikingsenter
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to meet Marianne Moen,
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an archeologist who has
dedicated her professional life
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to deciphering the mysteries
of the Viking people.
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So, we're here at
the reproduction
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of what we think a chieftain's
hall would have looked like.
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So it's not your average house.
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This is where
the chieftains would have
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shown off their wealth
and their power.
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At this site,
archeologists have studied
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thousands of Viking artifacts
to try to reconstruct
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how this mysterious people
would have lived.
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Like a really cool
"Game of Thrones" set.
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It really is, actually.
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You're quite right.
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Everything that you see here
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is more or less reconstructed
or based on
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archeologically found artifacts.
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What was the Viking Age like?
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So, the Viking Age comes
at around about 750,
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and it finishes about 1050.
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In the Viking heartland,
it's a fairly peaceful society.
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But then you get the view
of the Vikings abroad,
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and it's a completely
different story.
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Well, if you're trying
to conquer a land,
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I mean, it's hard to do that
in a kind, gentle way. Yes!
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Yeah, it really is, isn't it?
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For 300 years,
from 750 to 1050 A.D.,
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the Vikings were arguably
the most feared
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and powerful army in the world.
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They began as
small Scandinavian tribes
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that banded together
to raid towns,
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but by 793,
their power had grown,
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conquering the island
of Lindisfarne
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off the coast
of modern-day England.
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Their success on the battlefield
centered around
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their ambush tactics
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and the use of thousands
of advanced longships.
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These boats could sail
deep oceans,
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as well as rivers
as shallow as three feet,
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allowing the Vikings to launch
surprise amphibious attacks
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on wealthy waterfront targets.
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At the height of their power,
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the Vikings controlled
settlements
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in over 50 of today's
modern countries,
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from Newfoundland
to Europe to Russia.
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In total, the Viking territory
stretched more than 5,500 miles.
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That's larger than
the Roman Empire.
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I think when most people think
of the Vikings... Mm-hmm.
101
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...myself included,
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we picture
a very patriarchal society.
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- Yeah.
- Do you agree with that?
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When you talk about
the Viking Age,
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a lot of people have this idea
that women ruled the inside
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and that men basically
ruled everything else.
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Just a few months ago,
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a Viking warrior grave
in Birka, Sweden,
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first discovered in 1889,
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underwent state-of-the-art
DNA analysis,
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and the results have set
the archeological world ablaze.
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This is the Birka grave?
Yeah.
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The Birka warrior is
fascinating in so many ways.
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What is the most
interesting thing
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is that it contains things
that indicates military rank
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that are pretty much
purely associated with
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a male typical burial.
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So, you have your sword,
and you have your ax.
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There are arrows in here.
There are shields.
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00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:08,920
So, this was talked about
and written about
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as a male grave
for well over a century.
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People spoke about it being
a typical example
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of a very high-status warrior
at this town,
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until last year when
the DNA study was published,
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and it turns out to have been
a woman all along.
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For an archeologist,
this has been unprecedented.
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For centuries, many have
believed that Viking women
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were merely
subservient housewives.
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But is it possible
that the ferocious Viking army
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had women warriors in its ranks?
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It is now a fact that
this person is a woman.
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What you do with that and where
you go with the interpretation...
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That's what
the open question is.
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It brought out such
strong feelings in people
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who so much wanted this
to be a female warrior,
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and then it brought out
such strong feelings
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in those who really didn't want
her to be a female warrior.
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These new findings have
sparked a massive debate
139
00:07:02,710 --> 00:07:04,340
among archeologists,
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00:07:04,340 --> 00:07:06,140
with some insisting
that just because
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this woman was buried
with weapons,
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it doesn't mean
that she actually used them
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on the battlefield.
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What is the likelihood of
these weapons were gifts
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from a husband or things
that she had inherited?
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Personally, I don't think so
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because there is
nothing else here,
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so that would be that
her entire identify
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is made up of her husband's.
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- Her husband.
- Yeah.
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So I think a very interesting
placement of that body
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in sort of communication
with the rest of the grave.
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Well, yeah, the sword is on either
side of her hands... Yeah. Yeah.
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...where she would put them up
if she was gonna use them.
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Exactly, exactly.
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Why do you think
it's so controversial?
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One of the main objections
is that, you know,
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she wouldn't have been able
to use her weaponry.
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We have women in the military
now that carry those guns...
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Oh, yes... that are
about 50 to 80 pounds.
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Exactly.
Just because you're small
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doesn't mean
you can't be strong.
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- Do you have a husband?
- Yeah.
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Have you ever been
mad enough at him
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that you could swing a sword?
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- Every day.
- Right?
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I know.
I'm a small person.
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Brian's a lucky man
we don't have those
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laying around the house.
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If there were female warriors,
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then centuries
of well-established history
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that says the Vikings
were an archaic culture
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with rudimentary gender roles
would be shattered.
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And that would force us
to rewrite everything
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we thought we knew
about the Viking culture
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and possibly about
all ancient cultures.
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But solving this 1,300-year-old
puzzle won't be easy.
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It's about finding
the bread crumbs
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and connecting them.
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So I'm heading to a small island
50 miles off the coast of Sweden
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where an active archeological
dig is currently unfolding.
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Dan?
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Hi. Megan.
How are you?
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Dan Carlsson is
the site's lead archeologist.
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His recent discovery of
Viking graves on the island
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could be the key
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to putting these
centuries-old pieces together.
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How many graves
do you think are here?
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Mm-hmm.
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Of the dozens of graves
in the area,
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Dan is excavating nine of them,
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and he's determined that all of
them hold the remains of women.
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Yeah, yeah, please.
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Hundreds of artifacts
were discovered
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in these female graves,
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which provide
an unprecedented look
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into the lives of Viking women.
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Okay.
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Okay.
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Okay.
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Yeah.
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Wow.
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Yeah.
204
00:10:02,590 --> 00:10:04,620
This is?
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00:10:04,620 --> 00:10:06,690
Wow.
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00:10:06,690 --> 00:10:09,290
It's cool to get to hold it.
207
00:10:22,340 --> 00:10:24,710
What is this?
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00:10:24,710 --> 00:10:26,870
It looks like magic.
209
00:10:29,850 --> 00:10:32,150
Yeah.
That's amazing.
210
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So, this comes from where?
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Mm. So that's evidence of
trade, obviously. Yeah.
212
00:10:42,190 --> 00:10:45,190
The Vikings were not only
brilliant on the battlefield,
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00:10:45,190 --> 00:10:47,460
they were also
shrewd businessmen,
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00:10:47,460 --> 00:10:49,300
setting of sophisticated
trade routes
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00:10:49,300 --> 00:10:53,370
stretching through Europe, Asia,
and the Middle East...
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00:10:53,370 --> 00:10:56,340
Trade route riches and resources
to build the ships and weapons
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00:10:56,340 --> 00:11:00,140
necessary to keep
their war machine running,
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00:11:00,140 --> 00:11:01,910
Dan and his team
have also uncovered
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00:11:01,910 --> 00:11:05,380
hundreds of thousands
of silver coins on this island
220
00:11:05,380 --> 00:11:07,880
from as far away
as the Middle East,
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00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,750
suggesting that Gotland would
have been an extremely wealthy
222
00:11:10,750 --> 00:11:12,620
Viking trading center,
223
00:11:12,620 --> 00:11:16,120
connecting goods from the east
and Viking money from the west.
224
00:11:24,430 --> 00:11:26,100
Yeah.
225
00:11:26,100 --> 00:11:27,370
No.
226
00:11:27,370 --> 00:11:30,200
It feels like a bullet, almost.
227
00:11:30,210 --> 00:11:32,710
Oh, it's a weight?
228
00:11:32,710 --> 00:11:34,210
For a scale.
229
00:11:44,950 --> 00:11:47,250
Yeah.
230
00:11:47,260 --> 00:11:49,660
Yeah. So she was
maybe a merchant.
231
00:11:51,430 --> 00:11:52,660
Yeah.
232
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Viking women were
supposed to be at home
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00:11:57,530 --> 00:11:59,400
tending to their families.
234
00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:01,470
But now, here's evidence
that they could have been
235
00:12:01,470 --> 00:12:04,440
traveling the world
as financial power players,
236
00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:06,040
keeping the Viking coffers
filled
237
00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:08,640
for more pillaging and conquest.
238
00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:10,950
Was being a merchant
and a trader...
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00:12:10,950 --> 00:12:12,180
Was that typically thought of
240
00:12:12,180 --> 00:12:16,350
as a male occupation
or thing to do?
241
00:12:16,350 --> 00:12:18,150
You have to sort of
guess or assume
242
00:12:18,150 --> 00:12:20,990
to a certain point to connect
the dots in archeology,
243
00:12:20,990 --> 00:12:23,360
so why do you think the theory
that there could have been
244
00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:25,790
a Viking female warrior
is so outrageous?
245
00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,130
Because it doesn't require
any more guesswork
246
00:12:28,130 --> 00:12:30,300
than any of
this other stuff does.
247
00:12:35,910 --> 00:12:37,070
Yeah.
248
00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:39,940
Right.
249
00:12:45,580 --> 00:12:46,980
Yeah.
250
00:12:46,980 --> 00:12:49,850
If Viking women were
traveling the world as traders,
251
00:12:49,850 --> 00:12:51,590
they weren't just homemakers.
252
00:12:51,590 --> 00:12:53,620
They served a central
and critical role
253
00:12:53,620 --> 00:12:56,560
in financing one of
the most revered fighting forces
254
00:12:56,560 --> 00:12:58,390
in Europe.
255
00:12:58,390 --> 00:13:01,960
So, Viking women worked
to support the war efforts.
256
00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,800
But could they actually
have fought in those wars?
257
00:13:08,770 --> 00:13:11,810
We're actually getting
special access today. Wow.
258
00:13:11,810 --> 00:13:15,910
This is the richest
Viking Age grave ever found.
259
00:13:15,910 --> 00:13:18,950
Wow.
That is amazing.
260
00:13:29,690 --> 00:13:30,990
The recent discovery
261
00:13:30,990 --> 00:13:32,790
that a Viking warrior grave
in Birka, Sweden,
262
00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:34,960
actually contains a woman
263
00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,570
has generated
an archeological firestorm.
264
00:13:38,570 --> 00:13:40,900
For centuries, Viking women
were believed to be
265
00:13:40,900 --> 00:13:44,770
not much more
than subservient housewives.
266
00:13:44,770 --> 00:13:47,710
But is possible that
1,300 years ago,
267
00:13:47,710 --> 00:13:51,810
the ferocious Viking army had
female warriors in its ranks?
268
00:13:56,550 --> 00:13:57,720
Hi.
Hi.
269
00:13:57,720 --> 00:13:59,153
- How are you?
- I'm good. How are you?
270
00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:00,590
Good.
271
00:14:00,590 --> 00:14:02,360
I'm meeting Leszek Gardela,
272
00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:04,690
a leading expert
on Viking burials.
273
00:14:04,690 --> 00:14:09,230
Today we'll get to see a lot
of exciting Viking stuff.
274
00:14:09,230 --> 00:14:12,100
We're actually getting
special access today.
275
00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:15,570
I was wondering why we were
coming in through the back way.
276
00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:19,370
Look to your right.
277
00:14:19,380 --> 00:14:21,310
- To my right?
- Yep.
278
00:14:21,310 --> 00:14:23,310
Wow.
279
00:14:23,310 --> 00:14:26,750
- So...
- That is amazing.
280
00:14:32,420 --> 00:14:35,460
Although first excavated
in 1904,
281
00:14:35,460 --> 00:14:38,360
this Viking burial discovered
65 miles away
282
00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:40,060
in Oseberg, Norway,
283
00:14:40,060 --> 00:14:42,700
is still helping archeologists
answer questions
284
00:14:42,700 --> 00:14:44,400
about the Vikings.
285
00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:48,770
This is the richest Viking
Age grave ever found. Wow.
286
00:14:48,770 --> 00:14:50,070
This was in a grave?
287
00:14:50,070 --> 00:14:51,240
This is a grave.
288
00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:53,210
The entire ship
was under the ground?
289
00:14:53,210 --> 00:14:55,480
The entire ship was underground,
290
00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:57,810
buried under a burial mound,
291
00:14:57,810 --> 00:15:01,650
and containing numerous,
numerous objects.
292
00:15:01,650 --> 00:15:03,950
Amazing.
293
00:15:03,950 --> 00:15:05,490
Viking burials like this,
294
00:15:05,490 --> 00:15:08,160
where the dead were sent to the
afterlife inside their ships,
295
00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,330
were reserved for the most
important members of society,
296
00:15:11,330 --> 00:15:16,360
like kings, nobles,
and highly decorated warriors.
297
00:15:16,370 --> 00:15:18,130
Commoners were either cremated
298
00:15:18,130 --> 00:15:21,270
or buried with their belongings
under a mound of earth.
299
00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:27,610
The ship is definitely a symbol
of power and prominence.
300
00:15:27,610 --> 00:15:31,150
It is something
that commands respect.
301
00:15:31,150 --> 00:15:33,750
Someone who was given
a burial like this
302
00:15:33,750 --> 00:15:36,080
must have been someone
really, very, very important.
303
00:15:36,090 --> 00:15:37,820
- Mm-hmm.
- But guess what?
304
00:15:37,820 --> 00:15:38,990
What?
305
00:15:38,990 --> 00:15:42,590
This is also a female grave.
306
00:15:42,590 --> 00:15:45,230
A female was buried
with this massive ship?
307
00:15:45,230 --> 00:15:49,060
Actually, two women
were found on board.
308
00:15:49,070 --> 00:15:53,030
The two women buried
in this ship died in 834 A.D.,
309
00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:56,900
one at 80 years old
and the other at about 50.
310
00:15:56,910 --> 00:15:58,740
These are from the grave?
From the grave.
311
00:15:58,740 --> 00:16:01,380
- She wore those shoes?
- Yep.
312
00:16:01,380 --> 00:16:04,180
That's amazing.
I don't know why that...
313
00:16:04,180 --> 00:16:06,580
I guess 'cause it's
so human all of a sudden.
314
00:16:06,580 --> 00:16:08,920
You see someone had their
feet in those shoes. Yeah.
315
00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:10,420
It's really amazing.
316
00:16:10,420 --> 00:16:12,920
What is the theory of why
there were two women inside?
317
00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:14,190
Various theories.
318
00:16:14,190 --> 00:16:16,690
The original theory
was that one of them
319
00:16:16,690 --> 00:16:18,260
was someone really powerful
320
00:16:18,260 --> 00:16:23,300
and that the younger woman
was perhaps her servant.
321
00:16:23,300 --> 00:16:25,870
And today a lot of people
are thinking that perhaps
322
00:16:25,870 --> 00:16:29,870
both women were of equal status,
of equal importance.
323
00:16:29,870 --> 00:16:33,440
But we don't know exactly
how and why they died.
324
00:16:36,650 --> 00:16:38,980
The key to understanding
who these women were
325
00:16:38,980 --> 00:16:40,810
and why they were so important
326
00:16:40,820 --> 00:16:43,120
lies not only
in how they were buried,
327
00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:44,990
but what they were buried with.
328
00:16:47,620 --> 00:16:49,420
- Please, after you.
- Thank you.
329
00:16:49,430 --> 00:16:52,090
Leszek takes me to
the rare-artifacts section,
330
00:16:52,090 --> 00:16:55,700
where belongings from the burial
are kept under lock and key.
331
00:16:55,700 --> 00:16:57,100
Do you know
what we're about to see?
332
00:16:57,100 --> 00:16:58,330
- I do.
- Oh, okay.
333
00:16:58,330 --> 00:16:59,600
- Do you?
- No, I have no idea.
334
00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,540
- You'll find out in a second.
- Is it a snake?
335
00:17:11,850 --> 00:17:14,620
Wow.
Yes.
336
00:17:14,620 --> 00:17:17,120
That looks like a magic wand.
337
00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:19,690
It's like Professor Snape's
wand from "Harry Potter."
338
00:17:19,690 --> 00:17:22,260
Mm, of course. Or like
Gandalf's staff if you...
339
00:17:22,260 --> 00:17:24,590
Or like Gandalf's staff, yeah.
340
00:17:24,590 --> 00:17:25,790
How old is this?
341
00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:29,260
This is 1,000 years old.
342
00:17:29,270 --> 00:17:31,270
- It's made out of iron?
- Yes.
343
00:17:31,270 --> 00:17:32,900
You can see there are
different details
344
00:17:32,900 --> 00:17:34,740
that are still preserved.
345
00:17:34,740 --> 00:17:38,540
Magical staffs are
all over pop culture today.
346
00:17:38,540 --> 00:17:42,410
But there are references that
go back as far as 2,000 B.C.,
347
00:17:42,410 --> 00:17:44,410
with the tales of priests
in ancient Persia
348
00:17:44,410 --> 00:17:48,420
using bunches of sticks to
connect to the spiritual realm.
349
00:17:48,420 --> 00:17:50,380
2,500 years later,
350
00:17:50,390 --> 00:17:54,050
the Vikings were also
no strangers to conjuring magic.
351
00:17:54,060 --> 00:17:57,360
They were rumored to use
pieces of wood called runes
352
00:17:57,360 --> 00:18:01,360
to predict the future
and to heal the sick.
353
00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:04,330
Don't you wonder who
the first person was to decide
354
00:18:04,330 --> 00:18:08,270
that there was something magical
about a staff and why? Hmm.
355
00:18:08,270 --> 00:18:11,970
And maybe there was something
magical about that first staff,
356
00:18:11,970 --> 00:18:15,580
because they believed it for
centuries and centuries. Yeah.
357
00:18:15,580 --> 00:18:18,480
Even in the story of Moses,
he cast down his staff,
358
00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:21,120
it turns into a snake, and it
eats the other snake. Absolutely.
359
00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:22,880
Of course, it is
definitely something
360
00:18:22,890 --> 00:18:27,220
that was an emblem
of great power.
361
00:18:27,220 --> 00:18:29,860
This magical staff was
clearly very important
362
00:18:29,860 --> 00:18:32,290
to the Viking women
buried with it.
363
00:18:32,290 --> 00:18:35,130
But exactly what kind of
powerful rituals
364
00:18:35,130 --> 00:18:37,160
could they carry out with it?
365
00:18:37,170 --> 00:18:38,870
There seems to be this idea
366
00:18:38,870 --> 00:18:41,340
that these ritual practitioners
367
00:18:41,340 --> 00:18:44,640
were involved in warfare
in one way or another,
368
00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,810
either perhaps providing some
form of supernatural protection.
369
00:18:48,810 --> 00:18:53,010
That's cool. Of course, know about
the barsark, or the berserkers.
370
00:18:53,020 --> 00:18:54,380
What were the berserkers?
371
00:18:54,380 --> 00:18:57,380
The berserkers...
They are described as warriors,
372
00:18:57,390 --> 00:19:00,920
fearless warriors,
who could not be hurt.
373
00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:03,190
Berserkers were champion
Viking warriors
374
00:19:03,190 --> 00:19:05,690
who fought in a trace-like fury.
375
00:19:05,690 --> 00:19:08,700
This is where the English
word "berserk" comes from.
376
00:19:08,700 --> 00:19:11,430
To enter this war-frenzy state,
377
00:19:11,430 --> 00:19:15,240
they would take these
special substances.
378
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,870
So there definitely are
very strong aspects of magic
379
00:19:18,870 --> 00:19:21,040
used for warfare.
380
00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:24,610
So it's possible that these
two women were buried like kings
381
00:19:24,610 --> 00:19:27,050
because they had mastered
a type of magic
382
00:19:27,050 --> 00:19:29,550
that gave them unrivaled power
on the battlefield.
383
00:19:29,550 --> 00:19:32,250
And, of course, archeology is
extremely dynamic... Yeah.
384
00:19:32,250 --> 00:19:35,990
...so people keep finding new
things all the time. Right.
385
00:19:35,990 --> 00:19:37,720
So, were these two Viking women,
386
00:19:37,730 --> 00:19:41,460
in fact, champion warriors?
387
00:19:41,460 --> 00:19:43,030
And is there a bigger story
388
00:19:43,030 --> 00:19:45,630
that their bones and scepters
are telling us?
389
00:20:00,380 --> 00:20:02,620
Did the ferocious
and powerful Viking army
390
00:20:02,620 --> 00:20:04,590
have female warriors
in its ranks?
391
00:20:09,730 --> 00:20:12,560
Or were women rarely more than
subservient housewives,
392
00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:15,030
like the history books tell us?
393
00:20:15,030 --> 00:20:17,130
I'm turning to
Norse oral traditions
394
00:20:17,130 --> 00:20:21,700
to try and let Viking women
speak for themselves.
395
00:20:21,700 --> 00:20:23,340
The mythology of people...
396
00:20:23,340 --> 00:20:26,770
They reflect on their attitudes,
their ideals,
397
00:20:26,780 --> 00:20:30,340
and to some extent also
the world in which they lived.
398
00:20:30,350 --> 00:20:35,180
Did the myths actually
reflect reality? Yeah.
399
00:20:35,180 --> 00:20:38,290
Maria Kvilhaug is one of
Norway's leading experts
400
00:20:38,290 --> 00:20:39,720
on Norse mythology.
401
00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:43,320
She has a near-supernatural
grasp on the "Poetic Eddas,"
402
00:20:43,330 --> 00:20:44,660
a collection of Viking myths
403
00:20:44,660 --> 00:20:47,560
orally passed down
from generation to generation
404
00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,630
and finally written down
in the 13th century.
405
00:20:50,630 --> 00:20:53,200
What god was actually
the most important varied,
406
00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,770
so each tribe had
slightly different gods
407
00:20:56,770 --> 00:21:01,170
that they paid more attention
to than the others.
408
00:21:01,180 --> 00:21:03,610
Viking myths,
like the story of Thor,
409
00:21:03,610 --> 00:21:06,080
the god of thunder
who slayed giants,
410
00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:09,080
or Odin, the god of war who
sacrificed his right right eye
411
00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:10,950
to drink from
the Well of Knowledge,
412
00:21:10,950 --> 00:21:13,450
are still powerful legends
today.
413
00:21:13,460 --> 00:21:15,820
But in the hundreds of pages
of the "Eddas"
414
00:21:15,820 --> 00:21:19,560
that mention dozens of gods,
kings, and legendary warriors,
415
00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:24,200
there is one striking trend that
sets Viking mythology apart.
416
00:21:25,570 --> 00:21:29,400
Most of the myths that
we know from the Viking Age,
417
00:21:29,410 --> 00:21:34,570
female are just as powerful in
Norse myths as the male. Mm-hmm.
418
00:21:34,580 --> 00:21:36,940
Women... they could take
leading roles,
419
00:21:36,950 --> 00:21:39,250
and we see that
in the mythology.
420
00:21:39,250 --> 00:21:40,910
These warrior women...
Those women who
421
00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:43,250
do pick up arms
and they do fight...
422
00:21:43,250 --> 00:21:45,950
They're sometimes called
shield-maidens.
423
00:21:45,950 --> 00:21:48,160
The shield-maidens
of Norse mythology
424
00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:52,360
are as ferocious and powerful
as their male counterparts,
425
00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:54,590
from Hervor, who avenged
her father's death
426
00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,700
by leading Viking raids
on a haunted island,
427
00:21:57,700 --> 00:21:59,130
to Lagertha,
428
00:21:59,130 --> 00:22:04,470
who fought alongside Viking
kings in Sweden and Norway.
429
00:22:04,470 --> 00:22:07,710
And the legends
of powerful Viking women
430
00:22:07,710 --> 00:22:10,040
go all the way to the top.
431
00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:21,090
Ahh.
432
00:22:25,430 --> 00:22:27,560
The Volva is one of
the most important figures
433
00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:29,460
in Norse mythology.
434
00:22:29,470 --> 00:22:32,130
She used powerful magic
to see the future,
435
00:22:32,130 --> 00:22:34,970
and even Odin turned to her
for critical advice.
436
00:22:37,010 --> 00:22:40,740
Not only is the Volva on the
Mount Rushmore of Viking gods,
437
00:22:40,740 --> 00:22:43,740
but she also spawned a real-life
class of Viking women.
438
00:22:47,980 --> 00:22:50,050
I'll follow you.
You lead the way.
439
00:22:54,890 --> 00:22:57,020
I'm visiting a group
of Viking historians
440
00:22:57,030 --> 00:22:59,360
who live like this class
of ancient women
441
00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:02,000
as a way to try
to understand them.
442
00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:10,300
That was awesome.
443
00:23:10,310 --> 00:23:11,870
Thank you.
444
00:23:30,490 --> 00:23:33,160
This class of women,
also known as seeresses,
445
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:36,030
were rumored to channel
the power of their ancestors
446
00:23:36,030 --> 00:23:40,270
to predict the future
and to conjure magic.
447
00:23:40,270 --> 00:23:43,070
They were in such high demand
that they would be lavished
448
00:23:43,070 --> 00:23:46,070
with gifts
in exchange for their powers.
449
00:23:46,070 --> 00:23:49,340
So much for women just being
subservient housewives.
450
00:23:49,340 --> 00:23:52,950
Our ancestors in the past
were in a lot of ways
451
00:23:52,950 --> 00:23:55,950
more progressive
than we are right now.
452
00:24:01,790 --> 00:24:04,360
Deep in the forest
of Tomter, Norway,
453
00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:06,130
the Volva women
have arranged for me
454
00:24:06,130 --> 00:24:09,200
to take part in
one of their ancient rituals.
455
00:24:10,770 --> 00:24:13,230
There's no, like,
dark spirits or anything
456
00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:15,040
we're calling in?
457
00:24:19,340 --> 00:24:22,510
Maria Jacobsen is
a modern-day seeress
458
00:24:22,510 --> 00:24:25,810
that practices the traditions
of Viking magic.
459
00:24:50,540 --> 00:24:53,710
Maria will guide me
in a ritual called utiseta,
460
00:24:53,710 --> 00:24:55,510
which means "sitting out."
461
00:24:55,510 --> 00:24:59,510
It's the Viking version
of a vision quest.
462
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:01,620
The seeresses would sit out
in the forest
463
00:25:01,620 --> 00:25:03,750
overnight in solitude,
464
00:25:03,750 --> 00:25:05,690
and by entering
a trace-like state,
465
00:25:05,690 --> 00:25:07,690
they could channel
the spirits of nature
466
00:25:07,690 --> 00:25:09,490
and their ancestral magic.
467
00:25:12,900 --> 00:25:17,130
Some say magic is just science
that we don't understand yet.
468
00:25:17,130 --> 00:25:19,870
For me, like,
I believe in magic.
469
00:25:19,870 --> 00:25:22,000
I have a need
to believe in magic.
470
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,900
It gets into my bones.
471
00:25:28,740 --> 00:25:29,910
Okay.
472
00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:35,120
One of them is my grandmother,
473
00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:36,750
so I know she's here right now.
474
00:25:41,790 --> 00:25:45,030
I'll wait for the sun to go down
475
00:25:45,030 --> 00:25:47,930
and then find
a spot in the forest,
476
00:25:47,930 --> 00:25:49,530
and in that quiet,
try to connect
477
00:25:49,530 --> 00:25:51,630
to the power of my ancestors
478
00:25:51,630 --> 00:25:53,830
and the nature spirits
around me.
479
00:26:02,180 --> 00:26:03,780
It's gonna alter
my consciousness
480
00:26:03,780 --> 00:26:07,380
because, like, I sleep with a light
on in my hotel room... Yeah.
481
00:26:07,380 --> 00:26:08,720
...'cause I'm scared...
Yeah.
482
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:10,280
...'cause
I'm really sensitive
483
00:26:10,290 --> 00:26:13,390
to energies and spirits
and things like that.
484
00:26:13,390 --> 00:26:16,390
And so I would never go out
into the forest alone.
485
00:26:16,390 --> 00:26:17,920
No.
486
00:26:19,490 --> 00:26:21,090
It's getting dark.
487
00:26:23,070 --> 00:26:25,300
I'm scared of the dark.
I'm scared of forests.
488
00:26:25,300 --> 00:26:27,630
I'm scared of being alone.
489
00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:29,500
I'm scared of a lot of things.
490
00:26:29,500 --> 00:26:34,240
I mean, on a scale of 1 to 10
of on a terror scale,
491
00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,640
I'm at about a 7,
creeping towards an 8.
492
00:26:43,220 --> 00:26:44,520
Okay.
493
00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:46,190
And as soon as you guys
start to trickle away,
494
00:26:46,190 --> 00:26:48,720
it's gonna go up to a hard 10,
495
00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:50,690
and then I don't know.
496
00:26:50,690 --> 00:26:53,160
Nanny, are you with me?
497
00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,430
All of my spirit guides,
stay close to me, be with me.
498
00:26:57,830 --> 00:26:59,630
Oh, man.
499
00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,520
All of my spirit guides,
stay close to me, be with me.
500
00:27:17,120 --> 00:27:19,220
I'm on a Viking vision quest
501
00:27:19,220 --> 00:27:21,990
deep in the Norwegian forest.
502
00:27:21,990 --> 00:27:25,760
It's an ancient practice carried
out by powerful female sorcerers
503
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:28,530
who were rumored to channel
the power of their ancestors
504
00:27:28,530 --> 00:27:31,260
to predict the future
and to conjure magic.
505
00:27:56,830 --> 00:28:00,530
After hours of complete
isolation in pure darkness,
506
00:28:00,530 --> 00:28:02,300
my quest is complete.
507
00:28:06,500 --> 00:28:09,370
- So, you did it.
- I did do it.
508
00:28:12,170 --> 00:28:15,040
I wasn't as scared as
I thought I was gonna be.
509
00:28:16,650 --> 00:28:19,350
It made me very present
to my own emotions
510
00:28:19,350 --> 00:28:21,480
and I think put me
in touch with people
511
00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:23,920
that had been there
maybe thousands of years ago,
512
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:27,190
but I felt like I was feeling
and receiving
513
00:28:27,190 --> 00:28:28,460
a lot of different energy.
514
00:28:28,460 --> 00:28:31,560
It wasn't necessarily
all my own.
515
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:34,430
I don't know about being able
to see the future,
516
00:28:34,430 --> 00:28:38,000
but I definitely felt
some power in these woods.
517
00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:39,970
But when it comes to determining
whether women
518
00:28:39,970 --> 00:28:42,570
could actually have been
full-on warriors,
519
00:28:42,570 --> 00:28:46,110
the Vikings didn't make
finding the truth easy.
520
00:28:46,110 --> 00:28:49,480
They left behind literally
no written records.
521
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,080
But other cultures may have.
522
00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,850
So I'm heading to the National
Library of Norway in Oslo.
523
00:28:55,850 --> 00:28:59,520
It houses some of
the rarest books in the world.
524
00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:00,620
Hi.
525
00:29:00,620 --> 00:29:01,860
- How are you, Megan?
- How are you?
526
00:29:01,860 --> 00:29:03,360
- Hi. I'm Kim.
- Nice to meet you.
527
00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:06,130
Awesome.
528
00:29:06,130 --> 00:29:07,860
Kim Hjardar is
one of the world's
529
00:29:07,860 --> 00:29:12,030
most prolific historians
on Viking warfare.
530
00:29:12,030 --> 00:29:15,340
He's gotten me unprecedented
access to a selection of texts
531
00:29:15,340 --> 00:29:17,700
that could help
piece together the past.
532
00:29:31,290 --> 00:29:34,050
By 1090, the Vikings had
expanded their empire
533
00:29:34,060 --> 00:29:36,220
into parts of modern-day Italy,
534
00:29:36,220 --> 00:29:39,460
leading to clashes
with the Eastern Roman Empire,
535
00:29:39,460 --> 00:29:41,330
known as the Byzantines.
536
00:29:41,330 --> 00:29:43,730
This is a chronicle
of a Viking loss.
537
00:30:06,420 --> 00:30:08,320
Mm-hmm.
538
00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:09,890
Of course.
Of course.
539
00:30:11,730 --> 00:30:12,860
Yeah.
540
00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:20,570
All those scholars
are still debating
541
00:30:20,570 --> 00:30:22,370
the meaning of this account.
542
00:30:22,370 --> 00:30:25,410
There is another rare text
written about 100 years later
543
00:30:25,410 --> 00:30:28,910
that may be the key to unlocking
the secrets of Viking women.
544
00:30:31,850 --> 00:30:34,450
But this book is very old.
545
00:30:34,450 --> 00:30:36,750
It's very fragile.
546
00:30:38,450 --> 00:30:40,020
It's not every day
you see a book
547
00:30:40,020 --> 00:30:42,420
with the same security
as the Hope Diamond...
548
00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:47,460
...but this book is priceless.
549
00:30:49,630 --> 00:30:52,400
This book,
written around 1,200 A.D.,
550
00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:54,830
is a detailed chronicle
of the history of the Danes
551
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:56,570
called "Gesta Danorum"
552
00:30:56,570 --> 00:31:01,270
by the first-ever Danish
historian, Saxo Grammaticus.
553
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:04,880
300 years later, this work would
inspire William Shakespeare
554
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:07,480
to write "Hamlet."
555
00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:08,780
Wow.
556
00:31:08,780 --> 00:31:11,850
This is one of
the rarest books in the world.
557
00:31:11,850 --> 00:31:14,390
It's crazy because it looks like
558
00:31:14,390 --> 00:31:16,320
when you think of, like, Merlin,
559
00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:18,590
and it's right there,
and I can't touch it,
560
00:31:18,590 --> 00:31:20,060
but I'm very close
to touching it.
561
00:31:20,060 --> 00:31:22,430
I just have to take a picture.
It's crazy.
562
00:31:22,430 --> 00:31:24,360
That is really cool.
563
00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:30,500
"There were once
women in Denmark"
564
00:31:30,510 --> 00:31:32,110
who dressed themselves
to look like men
565
00:31:32,110 --> 00:31:35,640
and spent almost every minute
cultivating soldier skills.
566
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:37,880
They courted military expertise
so earnestly
567
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:39,080
that anyone would have guessed
568
00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:41,680
"that they had un-sexed
themselves." Yeah.
569
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,480
"Those especially who had
forceful personalities"...
570
00:31:44,490 --> 00:31:46,450
Moi...
"or were tall and elegant,
571
00:31:46,450 --> 00:31:48,990
"tended to embark on this
way of life." Right.
572
00:31:48,990 --> 00:31:51,020
"They put toughness
before allure,"
573
00:31:51,030 --> 00:31:53,330
aimed at conflicts
instead of kisses,
574
00:31:53,330 --> 00:31:57,300
and desired not the couch
but the kill,
575
00:31:57,300 --> 00:32:00,630
and those they could have
appeased with looks
576
00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:03,000
"they attacked with lances."
577
00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,610
- Yeah.
- That lights a fire in me.
578
00:32:07,540 --> 00:32:09,140
No, she's not...
That's just a woman.
579
00:32:09,140 --> 00:32:10,180
You think so?
Yeah. Okay.
580
00:32:10,180 --> 00:32:11,642
This is a man
that's afraid of a woman.
581
00:32:13,650 --> 00:32:15,180
They all died
582
00:32:15,180 --> 00:32:16,350
because they didn't
sit on the couch
583
00:32:16,350 --> 00:32:17,620
waiting for those kisses.
584
00:32:17,620 --> 00:32:19,190
Right.
585
00:32:19,190 --> 00:32:21,290
It's frustrating for me because,
586
00:32:21,290 --> 00:32:23,990
well, where is the truth, then?
587
00:32:23,990 --> 00:32:26,230
What do we know
about history for sure?
588
00:32:29,260 --> 00:32:30,860
Well, what if we have
the source and now
589
00:32:30,870 --> 00:32:33,900
we're recovering bodies in tombs
590
00:32:33,900 --> 00:32:35,640
that seem to be the tombs
of warriors,
591
00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:37,000
and they're female bodies?
592
00:32:43,780 --> 00:32:45,040
Mm-hmm.
593
00:32:45,050 --> 00:32:48,110
Viking graves, Norse mythology,
594
00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:50,620
and now these texts
are challenging everything
595
00:32:50,620 --> 00:32:53,590
we thought we knew
about Viking women.
596
00:32:53,590 --> 00:32:56,190
But what's buried deep
in the British countryside
597
00:32:56,190 --> 00:32:59,560
could be the final piece
of the puzzle.
598
00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:03,230
Some of skeletons from
that mass grave... Okay.
599
00:33:03,230 --> 00:33:04,630
...were actually women.
600
00:33:04,630 --> 00:33:05,870
Then there's a very good chance
601
00:33:05,870 --> 00:33:08,870
that they were actually
actively involved in battle.
602
00:33:19,750 --> 00:33:21,350
I've discovered Viking society
603
00:33:21,350 --> 00:33:23,680
was not the male-dominated
patriarchy
604
00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:26,650
our history books
had led us to believe.
605
00:33:26,650 --> 00:33:28,960
But did women fight
alongside men
606
00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:33,090
as warriors in the most feared
military force of its time?
607
00:33:33,090 --> 00:33:34,490
The answers could be at
608
00:33:34,500 --> 00:33:37,530
an active archeological
dig site in Repton, England.
609
00:33:41,140 --> 00:33:43,170
I love walking through
a graveyard.
610
00:33:43,170 --> 00:33:45,240
That's one of my favorite things to do.
It is... yeah.
611
00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:46,873
I used to always do this
when I was a child, as well.
612
00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:48,710
I'm being so sarcastic.
It's not...
613
00:33:48,710 --> 00:33:51,310
I'm so scared of energy
and spirts and all of that.
614
00:33:51,310 --> 00:33:53,910
Okay.
Fantastic.
615
00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:57,380
Archeologist Cat Jarman is
using state-of-the-art science
616
00:33:57,390 --> 00:33:59,920
to examine the largest
Viking mass grave
617
00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:02,160
ever discovered in England,
618
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:04,660
located in the shadow
of this church.
619
00:34:04,660 --> 00:34:07,660
All these excavations
took place in the 1980s,
620
00:34:07,660 --> 00:34:09,430
and it's also where
I've been working
621
00:34:09,430 --> 00:34:11,730
for the last three years.
622
00:34:11,730 --> 00:34:13,630
Although the mass grave
was first discovered
623
00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:15,800
more than 35 years ago,
624
00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:17,570
no one has been able to say
for sure
625
00:34:17,570 --> 00:34:20,940
who these Vikings were
or why they died.
626
00:34:20,940 --> 00:34:24,210
But Cat might be the one
to finally change that.
627
00:34:24,210 --> 00:34:26,050
We have some new methods
and new techniques,
628
00:34:26,050 --> 00:34:29,750
and now with those new methods
we can find out stuff
629
00:34:29,750 --> 00:34:32,150
we couldn't find out 30 years ago.
Yeah.
630
00:34:32,150 --> 00:34:34,190
So, if you look at
the plan here,
631
00:34:34,190 --> 00:34:35,390
here's the mass grave.
632
00:34:35,390 --> 00:34:37,460
The mound is found over here.
633
00:34:37,460 --> 00:34:39,830
So this is a photograph
from the excavations.
634
00:34:39,830 --> 00:34:42,360
So these are all femurs
or thigh bones.
635
00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:43,600
How many bodies?
636
00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:47,200
The minimum number of
individuals was 264...
637
00:34:47,200 --> 00:34:49,900
At least 264 people
all in the same space.
638
00:34:49,900 --> 00:34:51,200
All right here.
639
00:34:51,210 --> 00:34:52,410
Yeah, right where
we're standing now.
640
00:34:52,410 --> 00:34:54,240
And no possessions,
no swords or...
641
00:34:54,240 --> 00:34:55,580
There were artifacts there.
642
00:34:55,580 --> 00:34:57,110
Yeah, so there were
some artifacts,
643
00:34:57,110 --> 00:34:59,850
including an ax...
A Viking ax...
644
00:34:59,850 --> 00:35:03,320
And several other weapons
that were clearly Viking...
645
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:04,650
Various knives and things.
646
00:35:04,650 --> 00:35:07,750
Oh, I love that.
That's exciting.
647
00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:10,660
Viking axes were a common
weapon of choice
648
00:35:10,660 --> 00:35:13,590
because they could be both
thrown from far distances
649
00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:16,930
or be swung during
hand-to-hand combat.
650
00:35:16,930 --> 00:35:20,130
Are you confident that
the burial site
651
00:35:20,140 --> 00:35:23,640
was related to a battle?
652
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,370
So, we've been looking at things
like how these people died.
653
00:35:26,370 --> 00:35:28,440
Many of them do have injuries.
654
00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:29,940
They have evidence of trauma.
655
00:35:29,940 --> 00:35:32,250
These were war dead.
These were battle dead.
656
00:35:32,250 --> 00:35:33,610
If they're buried with weapons,
657
00:35:33,620 --> 00:35:34,980
if they have all these injuries,
658
00:35:34,980 --> 00:35:36,180
then there's a very good chance
659
00:35:36,180 --> 00:35:38,990
that they were actually
actively involved in battle.
660
00:35:38,990 --> 00:35:43,120
Does seem really likely that
it is Viking Great Army. Yeah.
661
00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:46,430
These warriors likely died
here around 873 A.D.
662
00:35:46,430 --> 00:35:47,830
in an attempt by the Vikings
663
00:35:47,830 --> 00:35:50,200
to take land
from the Mercian dynasty,
664
00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:55,130
which controlled modern-day
England from 600 to 900 A.D.
665
00:35:55,140 --> 00:35:59,040
And with nearly 300
Viking bodies found so far,
666
00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:03,080
this must have been
one serious battle.
667
00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:05,750
But that's not even
the coolest part.
668
00:36:05,750 --> 00:36:08,250
Some of the skeletons
and some of the skulls
669
00:36:08,250 --> 00:36:10,980
from that mass grave
were actually women.
670
00:36:12,390 --> 00:36:14,620
Wow.
That's amazing.
671
00:36:14,620 --> 00:36:17,690
We can look at sex
from the skulls.
672
00:36:17,690 --> 00:36:20,360
So we look at things
like the brow,
673
00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:22,960
which is if they're
really defined.
674
00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:25,700
Archeologists often use
the size of a skull's brow
675
00:36:25,700 --> 00:36:27,300
to determine sex.
676
00:36:27,300 --> 00:36:30,400
Women have a smaller
and less pronounced brow line.
677
00:36:30,410 --> 00:36:32,070
The brow ridge to me...
678
00:36:32,070 --> 00:36:33,810
Much smaller than the other.
Smaller, yeah.
679
00:36:33,810 --> 00:36:35,110
- Yeah.
- Okay.
680
00:36:35,110 --> 00:36:37,810
So, this is a female skull.
681
00:36:37,810 --> 00:36:39,550
Cool.
682
00:36:41,850 --> 00:36:44,250
That's a female skull.
It has to be.
683
00:36:44,250 --> 00:36:46,450
Yeah, this isn't very pronounced.
It's just more delicate.
684
00:36:46,450 --> 00:36:48,720
You can see a pretty big
difference in the skulls. Yeah.
685
00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:50,090
- Yeah.
- Exactly.
686
00:36:50,090 --> 00:36:53,360
Where we could determine
what sex an individual was,
687
00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:56,130
20% were actually women.
688
00:36:56,130 --> 00:36:57,530
Yeah.
689
00:36:57,530 --> 00:37:00,400
If this is a burial site
from a battle
690
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,270
and they were all injured
or killed in war,
691
00:37:03,270 --> 00:37:05,500
and 20% of them are female,
692
00:37:05,510 --> 00:37:09,040
the implications would be
the warriors were female.
693
00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:11,280
- Yeah.
- That's very exciting.
694
00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:15,010
And that's blowing a
story wide open. Yeah.
695
00:37:15,020 --> 00:37:16,880
This is incredible.
696
00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:19,350
We aren't talking about
a single instance
697
00:37:19,350 --> 00:37:23,590
of a powerful woman or a lone
female warrior's grave.
698
00:37:23,590 --> 00:37:25,630
Now we have hundreds
of Viking warriors,
699
00:37:25,630 --> 00:37:28,330
and many among them are women.
700
00:37:28,330 --> 00:37:30,030
This changes everything.
701
00:37:46,310 --> 00:37:49,580
If this a burial site
from a battle,
702
00:37:49,580 --> 00:37:51,580
and 20% of them are female,
703
00:37:51,590 --> 00:37:53,120
the warriors were female.
704
00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:54,690
Yeah, then there's
a very good chance
705
00:37:54,690 --> 00:37:58,660
that they were actually
actively involved in battle.
706
00:37:58,660 --> 00:38:00,460
That's very exciting.
707
00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:05,260
Human remains in a Viking
mass grave in Repton, England,
708
00:38:05,270 --> 00:38:07,900
have provided archeologist
Cat Jarman
709
00:38:07,900 --> 00:38:10,000
with shocking evidence.
710
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:11,370
1,100 years ago,
711
00:38:11,370 --> 00:38:14,870
a squadron of Viking soldiers
fought and died here,
712
00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:18,780
and many of them were women.
713
00:38:18,780 --> 00:38:22,080
That's blowing a story wide open.
Yeah.
714
00:38:22,080 --> 00:38:24,620
But what was
this squad's mission?
715
00:38:24,620 --> 00:38:27,920
Were women an integral part
of the Viking war machine?
716
00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:29,860
Or would they have been sent
to the slaughter
717
00:38:29,860 --> 00:38:33,960
because they weren't actually
respected warriors at all?
718
00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:37,300
The answer could lie in the
bowels of St. Wystan's Church,
719
00:38:37,300 --> 00:38:40,400
located just feet
from the Viking mass grave.
720
00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:42,740
So, this church
is quite special.
721
00:38:42,740 --> 00:38:44,203
So, there is actually
a part of this church
722
00:38:44,210 --> 00:38:46,740
that dates right back
when the Vikings were here.
723
00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:56,620
Although this church was
rebuilt 400 years
724
00:38:56,620 --> 00:38:59,620
after the Vikings
would have fought here,
725
00:38:59,620 --> 00:39:01,120
two stories below are remnants
726
00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:04,290
of what these Viking warriors
might have been after.
727
00:39:06,860 --> 00:39:09,260
This is really the only
original part,
728
00:39:09,260 --> 00:39:10,660
which was what
would have been there
729
00:39:10,670 --> 00:39:12,300
when the Vikings were here.
Okay.
730
00:39:12,300 --> 00:39:16,140
And this dates back to
about 700 or 800 A.D.
731
00:39:16,140 --> 00:39:19,570
So it's quite dark down there,
so a torch for you.
732
00:39:19,570 --> 00:39:20,973
You take that one.
Should I be nervous?
733
00:39:20,980 --> 00:39:23,680
- No, no, absolutely not.
- Okay.
734
00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:26,810
Quite steep steps, so just
take care, and we'll go down.
735
00:39:30,750 --> 00:39:33,290
So this is the crypt.
736
00:39:37,260 --> 00:39:38,860
Okay.
737
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:43,830
This is a really
important place.
738
00:39:43,830 --> 00:39:46,370
This was where a lot of
the kings were buried.
739
00:39:46,370 --> 00:39:48,030
It was very wealthy.
740
00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:50,370
Ancient crypts guarded
the remains and possessions
741
00:39:50,370 --> 00:39:52,940
of the most important people
of their day.
742
00:39:52,940 --> 00:39:54,710
This crypt contained
the grave goods
743
00:39:54,710 --> 00:39:57,280
of powerful Mercian kings
who controlled
744
00:39:57,280 --> 00:39:58,910
what is now modern-day England
745
00:39:58,910 --> 00:40:01,850
when the Vikings attacked
this church.
746
00:40:01,850 --> 00:40:05,680
These pillars date back
about 1,300 years.
747
00:40:05,690 --> 00:40:07,490
A lot of this is
exactly the way it was
748
00:40:07,490 --> 00:40:09,460
when the Vikings attacked.
749
00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:17,800
I've never been
in a crypt before.
750
00:40:19,900 --> 00:40:21,130
Do you like it?
751
00:40:21,140 --> 00:40:23,700
I don't hate it.
752
00:40:23,700 --> 00:40:26,270
But I wouldn't want to stay here
for very long, though,
753
00:40:26,270 --> 00:40:28,870
and I wouldn't want
this torch to die out.
754
00:40:32,350 --> 00:40:34,850
This crypt would have
likely housed priceless riches
755
00:40:34,850 --> 00:40:37,180
with a value
that we can only guess.
756
00:40:37,190 --> 00:40:39,850
They assumed that there would be
757
00:40:39,850 --> 00:40:43,520
treasure of sorts here, as well...
Yeah, definitely.
758
00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:44,490
...gold and so forth?
759
00:40:44,490 --> 00:40:45,830
Yeah, all sorts of treasure.
760
00:40:45,830 --> 00:40:48,460
And we know that because
the archeological excavations
761
00:40:48,460 --> 00:40:50,200
have found some items
of treasure...
762
00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:51,700
Really precious bits of jewelry,
763
00:40:51,700 --> 00:40:53,000
really nice glass.
764
00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:54,270
We know this was really wealthy,
765
00:40:54,270 --> 00:40:56,100
so that's exactly
the sort of thing
766
00:40:56,100 --> 00:40:57,900
that the Vikings
were looking for.
767
00:41:00,140 --> 00:41:03,140
So taking over this is
a really powerful thing.
768
00:41:04,910 --> 00:41:07,210
We've all seen
"Braveheart."
769
00:41:07,220 --> 00:41:10,780
What I picture in my mind
is just, like, a ruthless,
770
00:41:10,790 --> 00:41:15,520
bloody pillaging of everything
and everyone that was here,
771
00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:17,090
and then we're standing
right here
772
00:41:17,090 --> 00:41:18,690
where that took place.
773
00:41:18,690 --> 00:41:20,930
And the idea that
they were female
774
00:41:20,930 --> 00:41:23,000
and they were female warriors...
775
00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:26,570
That opens up
a lot of new things.
776
00:41:26,570 --> 00:41:28,270
This crypt likely
would have been
777
00:41:28,270 --> 00:41:31,140
an extremely high-value target
for the Vikings,
778
00:41:31,140 --> 00:41:33,010
and capturing it
would have required
779
00:41:33,010 --> 00:41:35,370
exceptionally skilled soldiers,
780
00:41:35,380 --> 00:41:38,310
like a Viking SEAL Team 6.
781
00:41:38,310 --> 00:41:41,210
And some of these
highly skilled warriors
782
00:41:41,220 --> 00:41:42,880
appear to have been women.
783
00:41:46,290 --> 00:41:47,650
They were here,
784
00:41:47,660 --> 00:41:51,720
standing in the footsteps
of a lot of history.
785
00:41:51,730 --> 00:41:53,590
History books have said
that Viking women
786
00:41:53,590 --> 00:41:57,230
only adhered to conventional
gender stereotypes.
787
00:41:57,230 --> 00:41:59,930
But that is dead wrong.
788
00:42:03,100 --> 00:42:06,210
Human history
is not written in stone.
789
00:42:06,210 --> 00:42:08,510
Just like our understanding
of the Vikings,
790
00:42:08,510 --> 00:42:11,240
it's always evolving.
791
00:42:11,250 --> 00:42:14,080
With just one
profound discovery,
792
00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:17,020
mankind's entire story
could change.
793
00:42:19,520 --> 00:42:23,020
So, if we're ever going to
unlock the secrets of the past,
794
00:42:23,020 --> 00:42:25,490
we need to be open
to change with it.
794
00:42:26,305 --> 00:42:32,900
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