Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

elleng

(136,569 posts)
Sun Oct 15, 2017, 11:42 AM Oct 2017

Allah Is Found on Viking Funeral Clothes.

ENKOPING, Sweden — The discovery of Arabic characters that spell “Allah” and “Ali” on Viking funeral costumes in boat graves in Sweden has raised questions about the influence of Islam in Scandinavia.

The grave where the costumes were found belonged to a woman dressed in silk burial clothes and was excavated from a field in Gamla Uppsala, north of Stockholm, in the 1970s, but its contents were not cataloged until a few years ago, Annika Larsson, a textile archaeologist at Uppsala University, said on Friday.

Among the contents unearthed: a necklace with a figurine; two coins from Baghdad; and the bones of a rooster and a large dog.

Dr. Larsson discovered the Arabic characters in February, as she was preparing some of the items for an exhibition on Viking couture in Enkoping, Sweden. She had been trying to recreate textile patterns for the exhibits — by comparing motifs on the burial dress with a silk band found around the head of a skeleton in a Viking grave at Birka, Sweden — when she discovered Kufic characters of Arabic.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/world/europe/vikings-allah-sweden.html?

1 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Allah Is Found on Viking Funeral Clothes. (Original Post) elleng Oct 2017 OP
It could be that the Vikings yellerpup Oct 2017 #1

yellerpup

(12,263 posts)
1. It could be that the Vikings
Sun Oct 15, 2017, 01:08 PM
Oct 2017

either traded or plundered someone else's goods without knowing the meaning of the writings. Muslims are not usually buried with grave items and animals...are they?

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»World History»Allah Is Found on Viking ...