Overview
- Archaeologists in Trøndelag, Norway, uncovered a 9th‑century grave of a woman with two scallop shells placed over her mouth, a placement not previously documented in pre‑Christian Norwegian burials.
- The excavation by NTNU’s University Museum followed hobby detectorist Roy Søreng’s find of an oval brooch and revealed a well‑preserved skeleton with jewelry, clothing items, artifacts, and bird bones.
- Norwegian heritage officials emphasized the rare preservation, and the team plans further work including conservation, dating, and genetic tests to probe the shell ritual and possible links to an earlier 8th‑century burial in the same field.
- At the Roman fort of La Loma in northern Spain, researchers reported a roughly 2,000‑year‑old skull attributed to the Cantabrian Wars, interpreted in a peer‑reviewed study as a head taken for intimidation by Roman forces.
- Excavations recovered hundreds of Roman arrowheads and damaged arms that indicate intense fighting, with the skull likely displayed on the fort wall before breaking during demolition, though the exact mode of display remains unclear.