Archaeologists have uncovered a vast textile production site from the Viking Age in Denmark. This site, dating back over a thousand years, highlights the advanced nature of Viking society. Specialists from the Moesgaard Museum revealed that the expansive 100,000-square-meter site includes a flax processing area and over 80 pit houses. These semisubmerged structures served as both workshops and homes during Viking times.
Located in Søften, about 10 kilometers north of Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, this site dates from the late Iron Age and early Viking Age, between A.D. 600 and 950. Archaeologist Liv Stidsing Reher-Langberg, who led a 10-month excavation, stated, “We have a clear focus on textile production, which makes this settlement different from other kinds of settlements of this period.”
The archaeologists found various artifacts, including spindle whorls, weight looms, silver coins, glass beads, and pottery. The site had specific areas for production and crafts, along with a singular residential house. This layout implies the presence of a powerful figure who supervised resources and production. Reher-Langberg mentioned that over the past 30 years, several silver coins were discovered by metal detectors in the region.
Prior to construction of a new road and industrial area, a test excavation 1½ years ago sparked further archaeological interest. “We could see in the trenches that it just keeps on going, with these houses and pit houses and textile production features,” Reher-Langberg remarked.
Kasper Andersen, a historian at the Moesgaard Museum, emphasized that the Søften discovery is “another piece in the puzzle” to understanding the local economic, cultural, and political life of the time. During the Viking era, Aarhus, previously called Aros, was a center for royalty and international trade. Last year, another Viking site was found in Lisbjerg, about 4 kilometers away, likely housing noble members.
Andersen explained that goods and resources were transported from areas like Søften to become part of a larger trade network. “When you have a production site of this scale, it cannot be only because of the local area,” he said. “It needs to be understood as part of a greater network, a much bigger international perspective.”
Reher-Langberg hopes that upcoming carbon dating and pollen analysis could answer questions about the types of textiles produced at the site. During the Viking Age, spanning A.D. 793 to 1066, Vikings engaged in extensive raids, colonization, and trade across Europe and into North America. Andersen noted that the Søften discovery illustrates the Vikings as “not just simple, uncivilized, barbaric hordes, rambling about Europe.”
He added, “To have a place like Søften, you need a very well-organized society with a production line, and you also need a market to have the production. The textiles from Søften go into a market that’s much bigger than just the local area.”