Scientists in Denmark have for the first time subjected several Viking Age swords to neutron scanning. Research has shown that what was considered a formidable weapon of northern warriors was ill-suited for battle.
During the Viking Age, which ancient texts and archaeological finds allow presumably to be dated to 750-1050 years, navigators from Scandinavia used various types of weapons depending on their social status, ranging from spears and pikes to expensive swords, which, as a rule, could only afford representatives of the elite.
More than 2000 swords of the Viking Age have survived to this day. Previously, they were studied mainly either visually or using invasive methods that require the destruction of samples.
Scientists have now conducted a neutron scan of ancient weapons for the first time, which allows them to look deeply into Viking swords in a non-invasive way. “This is the first study that has allowed us to see Viking swords virtually in section. We learned what materials were combined together to make weapons,”said lead author Anna Fedrigo, a scientist at the Technical University of Denmark, reports Live Science.
Researchers analyzed three Viking era swords from the National Museum of Denmark. All three date back to the 9th-10th centuries, they were found in Central Jutland (now the territory of Denmark).
All three blades were pattern welded. This is a method in which thin strips of various types of iron and steel are joined in such a way that a decorative pattern is obtained. The method is still used and appreciated by fans of edged weapons, the researchers note.
Scientists discovered that these swords were not well suited for combat. “Since steel is harder than iron, one would expect hard steel edges and an iron core. But the swords in question did not show such a distribution,”notes Fedrigo.
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In addition, as the scans showed, with the manufacturing method in which the swords were produced, oxides could form on their surfaces, which made the swords less durable and could lead to rust.
Researchers believe that these swords were designed not so much for use in combat, but as to emphasize the status of the owner.