Current Archaeology

Archaeological finds from Sylta, Västmanland

In 2021, the archaeologists at the National Historical Museums of Sweden investigated a Viking Age burial ground in Sylta, outside Köping. This was once the site of a Viking Age farm, with a nearby burial field. At the Swedish History Museum, several objects from the excavation are on display, including horse gear with decorated buckles, spurs, and bits.

The finds are unusual from a Swedish perspective and suggest that horses held a special significance in the area. The richly decorated equipment has been interpreted as a kind of local “horse costume”, something that has no clear parallels from the same period.

In a large number of graves, the deceased had been buried with horses—more than 500 iron objects connected to horse equipment were found in total. The horses had been cremated along with parts of their harnesses, where bits, spurs, fittings, and other objects were preserved in remarkably good condition after more than 1,000 years in the ground. The horse may have been seen as a helper for the deceased in reaching the realm of the dead.

See these fascinating objects in the temporary exhibition Current Archaeology at the Swedish History Museum. The newly discovered items are displayed in a case near the entrance.