Secrets of the Dead S19E4: Viking Warrior Queen

Overview

In 1878, archaeologist Hjalmar Stolpe first uncovered a grave containing a large number of weapons and the skeletal remains of what seemed to be a great Viking warrior. For a century, people assumed the body was male until the 1970s when Berit Vilkans, a young researcher, observed the bones had female characteristics. In 2017, a team of Swedish geneticists proved through a DNA study that the great warrior wasn't a man but a woman. Join this team of archaeologists as they examine the DNA results and complete a field investigation of one of the most significant Viking graves ever found. They uncover the truth about the only archaeological discovery of a female Viking warrior and battle strategist known to date, rewriting our understanding of Viking society.