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    Swords were found in Viking burials that were upright to “block the dead from rising”

    Archaeologists have unearthed two Viking graves with swords buried upright standing right beside them.

    Experts believe the site from 1,200 years ago and they say the weapons were placed there on purpose.

    They discovered the two sword burials in Västmanland, central Sweden, and they feel the rare find is significant.

    The grave field was originally bordered by two farms, the researchers say.

    It’s a mystery why the swords were placed standing on their tips alongside the bodies of the Vikings – but other specialists suggest that sharp objects used to be stuck into graves as “a way to prevent the dead from rising”.

    Archaeologists have uncovered two Viking Age swords during excavations in Västmanland, Sweden
    They found the swords standing upright alongside the graves ( Image: National Historical Museums)

    Arkeologerna, an archaeology firm in Sweden that is part of the government agency National Historical Museums, said: “The placement of the swords reflects an action with a lot of symbolism.

    “It shows that the construction of the two stone inlays with swords was done deliberately, perhaps to create a link to a particular individual, ancestor or social group.

    “When you find swords in graves — which you don’t do very often — they often lie beside the buried individual, as a faithful companion on the voyage to the next world,” they told Live Science.

    However, they do not feel the weapons were left to protect the dead.

    Viking Age swords were expensive items, so burying these weapons in graves was a “huge investment”
    Viking Age swords were expensive items, so burying them in graves was a “huge investment” ( Image: National Historical Museums)

    “The swords were such precious objects – instead, knives or arrowheads could have been used, which would have been significantly cheaper,” they added.

    The team found a large grave field containing at least 100 cremated burials.

    The archaeologists now plan to piece together the fragments to determine the exact length and shape of the swords.

    It is the latest eye-opening discovery following the news a huge Mayan settlement hidden underneath a jungle in Mexico has been unearthed.

    National Historical Museums
    One of the swords, standing upright in the grave before its full excavation last year ( Image: National Historical Museums)

    Aerial mapping of more than 95 square kilometres (37 square miles) of the jungle’s canopy was conducted by the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) in Houston, in the US state of Texas.

    Also included in the imaging procedures were experts from the Aerotecnologia Digital SA de CV, from the city of Pachuca, in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico.

    Calakmul, which is a Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Campeche, is located deep in the jungles of the greater Peten Basin region. It was considered one of the largest and most powerful ancient cities ever uncovered in the Maya lowlands.

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