Archaeological excavation at Birka Birka
 listen , also Birca and Bierkø (today named Björkö, literally "Birch Island"), was an important trading center in the Baltic Sea region from the 8th century, which handled goods from Eastern Europe and the Orient, possibly as far as China, thus covering most of the Viking Age. Björkö is located in the Lake Mälaren, not far from Stockholm. Birka and Hovgården is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. To play the audio file do not click on the -image. ...
The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of east and central Europe, and the Danish islands. ...
(7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ...
Eastern Europe is, by convention, that part of Europe from the Ural and Caucasus mountains in the East to an arbitrarily chosen boundary in the West. ...
The Great Wall of China, stretching over 6,700 km, was erected beginning in the 3rd century BC to guard the north from raids by men on horses. ...
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Mälaren is the third largest lake in Sweden, after lakes Vänern and Vättern. ...
Stockholm [, ] is the capital and the largest City of Sweden. ...
UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1946. ...
Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...
1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ...
Ownership of Björkö, is today mainly in private hands, and used for farming. The settlement site, however is an archaeological site, and a museum has been built nearby for exhibition of finds, models and reconstructions. It is a popular site to visit during the summer times. Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ...
A museum is a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment. ...
Brief description The Birca archaeological site, located on Birch Island in Lake Mälaren and occupied in the 9th and 10th centuries, and Hovgården, on the neighbouring island of Adelsö, make up an archaeological complex which illustrates the elaborate trading networks of Viking Age Europe and their influence on the subsequent history of Scandinavia. Birca was also important as the site of the first Christian congregation in Sweden, founded in 831 by Saint Ansgar. Mälaren is the third largest lake in Sweden, after lakes Vänern and Vättern. ...
( 8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Reign of Charlemagne, and concurrent (and controversially labeled) Carolingian Renaissance in western Europe Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The...
( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ...
Adelsö is an island in the middle of the lake Mälaren in Sweden near southern and northern Björkfjärden. ...
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World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...
Scandinavia is the cultural and historic region of the Scandinavian Peninsula. ...
Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ...
A congregation is a group of people gathered together. ...
Events The Saracens capture Palermo. ...
Ansgar, etching by Hugo Hamilton (1830) Ansgar, Anskar or Oscar, (September 8?, 801 - February 3, 865) was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. ...
History Sources are mainly archeological remains. No texts survive from this area, though the written text ?Vita Ansgarii, "The life of Ansgar"? by Rimbert (c. 865) describes the missionary work of Ansgar around 830 at Birca, and another written source by Adam of Bremen describes the archbishop Unni, who died at Birca in 936. Note that the text by Rimbert tells about a palisade area in the water near the entrance of Birch Island, although no archeology findings has confirmed this yet. S:t Ansgars work was the first attempt to convert the inhabitants from heathen living into Christian, and it was unsuccessful. Rimbert (or Rembert), archbishop in Hamburg-Bremen between 865 - 888 AD. Revered as a saint particularly in Friesland. ...
Ansgar, etching by Hugo Hamilton (1830) Ansgar, Anskar or Oscar, (September 8?, 801 - February 3, 865) was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. ...
Adam of Bremen (also: Adam Bremensis) was one of the most important German medieval chroniclers. ...
In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. ...
A palisade is a Medieval wooden fence. ...
Ansgar, etching by Hugo Hamilton (1830) Ansgar, Anskar or Oscar, (September 8?, 801 - February 3, 865) was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. ...
Norse mythology, Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology refer to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people. ...
The archeological remains are located in the north part of Birch Island and span an area of about 7 hectares (17 acres). The remains are both graveyards and buildings, and in the south part of this area, there is also a castle-like building called "Borgen" ("The Castle"). The construction technique of the buildings is still unknown, but the main material was wood. An adjacent island holds the remains of Hovgården, an estate which housed the King's retinue during visits. A hectare (symbol ha) is a metric unit of surface area, equal to 100 ares (the name is a contraction of the SI prefix hecto + are). ...
An acre is a measure of land area in Imperial units or U.S. customary units. ...
The Alcázar of Segovia, Spain A castle (from the Latin castellum, diminutive of castra, a military camp, in turn the plural of castrum or watchpost), is a fort, a camp and the logical development of a fortified enclosure. ...
This article describes the wood that comprises trees and boards. ...
Approximately 700 peoples lived at Birca when it was as largest, and about 3,000 graves has been found. Its administrative center was supposedly located outside of the settlement itself, on the nearby island of Adelsö. According to written sources, the settlement itself was fortified by a wooden palisade and its harbour guarded by pilings driven into the bottom of the lake, limiting the number of ships able to pass into it. However, no archeology evidence can prove this yet. Adelsö is an island in the middle of the lake Mälaren in Sweden near southern and northern Björkfjärden. ...
A palisade is a Medieval wooden fence. ...
A harbor (or harbour) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ...
The function or significance as a trading center of the Baltic sea was moved to Sigtuna in the 10th century. Due to the land raising , Birch Island is no longer directly connected to the Baltic Sea as it was before. The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of east and central Europe, and the Danish islands. ...
This article treats the town and municipality of Sigtuna. ...
( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ...
The island has been a focus of investigation since the 17th century, with the greatest intensity between 1871-95. A large excavation was performed between 1990-95 in a certain region, the "Black Land", believed to be the site of the main settlement. Birch Island is today mainly agricultural, and shipping lines carry tourists to the island, where a museum showcases a view of life during the Viking era. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...
See also Hedeby (referred to also as Haithabu and Latin Heidiba) was a settlement and trading center on the southern Baltic Sea coast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of a narrow, navigable inlet, the Schlei in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. ...
Roslagen is the name of the coastal areas of Uplandia in Sweden, which also constitutes the northern part of the Stockholm Archipelago. ...
The Varangians or Variags were Vikings who travelled eastwards from Sweden and Norway. ...
External links - Birka and Hovgården (http://www.raa.se/varveng/birkae.asp) at the Swedish National Heritage Board
- Birka (http://www.raa.se/birka_eng/index.asp) at the Swedish National Heritage Board
- Birka and Hovgården (http://whc.unesco.org/sites/555.htm) - at UNESCO
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