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50 “exceptionally well-preserved” Viking skeletons unearthed in Denmark
Archaeologists said they’ve unearthed more than 50 well-preserved Viking skeletons over the past six months, providing rare insights into how the sea-faring society lived and traveled.
“This discovery offers extraordinary opportunities to perform a wide range of scientific analyses, which can reveal more about the general health, diet, and origins of those buried,” said Michael Borre Lundø, archaeologist and curator at Museum Odense, in a statement.
He added that it was “truly unusual” to find so many well-preserved skeletons at once.
The 2,000-square-meter Viking burial ground was used during the 9th and 10th centuries. It was discovered on the southern outskirts of the village of Åsum.
The skeletons are so well-preserved archaeologists believe they will be able to pull DNA samples for scientific analysis. Subsequent analysis might reveal whether some of the buried Vikings were related — something that had never been examined in similar grave findings, said Borre Lundø.
“It will be incredibly exciting to learn where these people came from and whether the same families were buried here across multiple generations,” said Sarah Croix, associate professor at Aarhus University in Denmark.
Several skeletons had high standing in society, the archaeologists said, as evidenced by one of the women being buried in a wagon hull — likely the wagon she traveled in. She was buried along with a beautiful glass bead necklace, an iron key, a knife with a silver-threaded handle, and a small shard of glass that may have served as an amulet.
There was a finely decorated wooden chest at the foot of the wagon. Archaeologists do not know what was inside of the chest, but imagine the woman was buried with all of her finest things.
Other skeletons were found buried with jewelry, including one female with a metal ring around her neck, another with a single red glass bead hanging on a cord, and another with a special buckle on.
Recent Viking discoveries include nearly 300 silver coins believed to be more than 1,000 years old, which were discovered in 2023 near a Viking fortress site in northwestern Denmark. And a large Viking burial site was discovered in 2020 by Norwegian archaeologists.
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Helene remnants bring catastrophic flooding to southeastern U.S.
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Southwest is redesigning its cabin interiors. Here’s what the planes will look like.
Southwest Airlines is gearing up for some major changes over the next two years, an overhaul the carrier is betting will win big with passengers.
Along with more red-eye flights and a shift to assigned seating after 50 years of open seating, Southwest is redesigning the interior cabins of its 800 existing aircraft.
“This is a very significant change. It may be one of the most significant changes we’ve ever gone through,” Ryan Green, Southwest’s executive vice president commercial transformation, told CBS News’ Kris Van Cleave, who recently got a sneak peek at the future cabins.
Southwest passengers will notice the difference, said Van Cleave of the redesign. Changes include new seat trays and device trays for all passengers throughout the cabin, as well as charging ports in all of the seats.
For an additional fee, premium seating with 3-4 inches of additional legroom will also be offered on refurbished planes.
“Customers want premium of all kinds, and if you’re flying longer, that extra legroom is worth a lot,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan told CBS News.
Southwest says it will begin booking flights with assigned seats in the second half of 2025 for travel in the first half of 2026. That’s also when the airline expects the newly designed cabins to be available, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Jordan and other Southwest executives outlined the airline’s remodeling plans this week at an investor meeting in Dallas. The changes come as the company, long known for its loyal customers, looks to meet passengers’ evolving needs and boost its bottom line.
Said Jordan, “Consumer preferences have changed and, the way we fly has changed.”
contributed to this report.