Archaeology

How an ancient solar flare illuminated the start of the Viking Age

Improved radiocarbon dating helped archaeologists determine when Norse seafarers went global

illustration showing a line of Viking ships on the ocean horizon

The early Vikings set sail from the Scandinavian Peninsula to participate in regional trading, research suggests.

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By Martin J. Kernan

- More than 2 years ago

Calamity after calamity befell Europe at the beginning of the so-called Dark Ages. The Roman Empire collapsed in the late fifth century.