Lost Viking Army

Archaeologists discovered a mass grave of what they thought to be ninth-century Vikings. But for some reason, the radiocarbon dates of their bones, found by measuring a radioactive carbon isotope, appeared much older.

This Viking’s skeleton, which was buried alongside weapons and horses, was found in 1889. Over a century later, archaeologists still assumed the skeleton was that of a high-status male warrior. But DNA analysis revealed the surprising truth.