The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-05-15
RUINS TELL OF
/ VIKING EMPIRE
Explorations in Present
Baltic States Reveal
Historic Facts.

search in the Baltic states continues
TO add supporting evidence to the
theory that a powerful viking en-
pire" was in process of forming in
these regions more than a thousand
years ago. 1t grows increasingly
apparent that the whole Baltic lit
toral was more closely knit to-
gether by trade and communica-
ton than indicated by history as
written in the past.
Important facts are also being
supplied regarding the period of
the great migrations and the south
ward wanderings Of the Goths in
the Fifth and Sixth centuries. In
all the excavations specialists are
stressing the need for cooperation.
This idea was emphasized at Riga,
at the Baltic archaeological congress,
near the close of the summer, the
first congress of the kind to as
semble since 1912. And the idea
will dominate in all accomplish
ment before the next congress,
which is to be held in Kiel in 1884.
Gil OF TcdSuIC.
5 In Sweden the two seemingly in
eXhaustible reserves of soil await
ing the spade and the measuring rod
are the islands of GOthland, nearly
midway in the Baltic sea, and
GLAND, just off the Swedish mainland
on the southeast coast. Not that
the horizontal area is so wide reach
ing. But on the island of Goth
land, for instance, the excavation
of the foundation of some ancient
house or fort or cathedral may re-
veal traces of an earlier founda-
ton beneath it, and one still earlier
beneath the second. Such is the
case, as disclosed by this summers
work on the southern tip Of the is
land, where DIR. John Nihlen, with
q corps of workers, eXcavated an
old Homestead" which legend at
tributed to Stavar the Great, he
roic figure dating approximately
from the Second century Of our
era.
Rumors of buried treasure are be-
ing substantiated on a small scale
as the foundations of the huge hall,
60 meters in length, are being in
vestigated. There are remains of
glassware from the Roman empire,
ceramics with classical ornamental
ton, and numerous silver coins
identified by their images of Ira
janus, Hadrianus, Marcus Aurelius,
Crispina, or other Roman rulers or
cOnsorts. Arabian coins bear q
later date and suggest that the
enormous house may have been des-
Olate and deserted during a part of
the age of migrations, 100000, to be
utilized again by the Vikings and
their associates. These finds, there
fore seem to substantiate certain
hypothesis about other interesting
sections of the island.
The Swedish island of GLAND,
with its 16 known sites of ancient
Notifications, has recently been
surveyed for archaeological purposes
from the air by DR.. Marten STEM
berger on this, his seventh year of
intensive study of the region, some
what barren but also picturesque
with its steppeslike vegetation.
Here again there are traces of
devastation and some forceful
evacuation of populations in the
same period-the centuries before
and after 500 A. D.
Views Taken From Air.
The largest fertilization, Grabor-
gen, was probably constructed at
this time. Another. Ismanstorp, en-
closed no less than eighty eight
houses. An interesting fact dis
closed by the recent aerial survey
was that the houses were built
around a rectangle or square,
type of building heretofore identi-
fed with the Middle ages.
This work is supplemented with
equally important work on the con-
tinent to the south and southeast.
Prof. Burger herman, Swedish
archeologist, has concentrated on
Grobin in Latvia. He has identi-
fed Grobin as the Seeburg of
legend, where King Olaf came in
the middle of the Ninth century,
plundering first Seeburg and later
Apulia, now identified with the Sec
ton called Apuole.
Hedeby, an old Viking center near
Schleswig, is about to be made the
subject Of special study and will
Herewith become the first Viking
town to be excavated on a compre-
hensive scale.
The connections between Hedeby
and Birka, a Viking town once
flourishing on the island of Bjorko
the picturesque and idyllic Swed-
ish 'island of birches"-are being
stressed, and various theories are
offered as to the relation between
the two. Either Hedeby was
transit port, established for the
trade Of Birka, or, according to one
speculation, Birka was a far north
ern outpost of Danish trade.