Archaeologists unearth remnants of forgotten city ‘marked by conflict’buried below bustling hub

Archaeologists in Sweden uncovered remnants of the 16th-century town of Nya Lödöse beneath modern-day Gothenburg.(Arkeologerna, Statens Historiska Museer)

“There were similarities in thephysical structureof most of the plots,” he said.“All houses except the church were wooden and mostly uniform in size and architectural style.”

Obrink added, “They resembled rural dwellings and the architecture didn’t show different social and economic status.What we uncovered were not complete houses — but rather the remains of walls and the boundaries of the individual plots.”

ELITE ROMAN FAMILY’S ANCIENT TREASURE UNEARTHED IN RUINS OF FIRE-SCORCHED DWELLING

Obrink worked as a project manager during the excavations.He noted that subtle class differences emerged through the artifacts.

“We found a huge amount of artifacts reflecting everyday life and surplus — like, for instance, a leather glove and a wooden barrel,” he said. 

“We found a huge amount of artifacts reflecting everyday life and surplus, like, for instance, a leather glove and a wooden barrel,” said Obrink.(Arkeologerna, Statens Historiska Museer)

Read More → Timberwolves hold moment of silence for Minnesota woman killed in ICE shooting

“We also found many imported ceramic objects.One of the most surprising artifacts was pieces of a pocket watch from the mid-16th century.”

Photos from the excavation include the remains of a house, a 16th-century leather glove and a cobbled street, along with a 17th-century wooden barrel that was repurposed as a cesspit.

“The founding of Nya Lödöse represents the beginning of an independent Swedish trade policy.”

Read More → Walking across America showed me why faith and free thought can still win

Obrink noted that Nya Lödöse was established to succeed the older medieval settlement of Lödöse, during a time “marked by conflict betweenDenmark and Sweden.“

“Although the two kingdoms had been united in a political union since the 14th century, Sweden repeatedly attempted to break free,” he said. 

Obrink said subtle social differences appeared through artifacts such as clothing, imported goods and tools.(Arkeologerna, Statens Historiska Museer)

Since 2013, archaeologists have uncovered streets, at least 39 plots, the port, the pier and the main square — and more recently, the city’s 16th-century fortifications, which included a moat, rampart and traces ofseveral gardens inside the walls.

Read More → Tigers, Tarik Skubal fail to reach deal, face record $13M salary gap as trade rumors swirl

All in all, Obrink said that the new findings give researchers “extraordinary opportunities to examine fine-grained details of the built environment and to tell the stories of life in Nya Lödöse.”

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

“[It’s] something that has rarely been possible elsewhere,” he said. 

Read More → Warren-led inquiry draws new details on Trump ballroom donations from major corporations

“These stories unfold against the wider backdrop of the transformative 16th century, when medieval Europe transitioned into the early modern era.”

Today, bustling Gothenburg covers the ground where Nya Lödöse once thrived as Sweden’s western gateway.(Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images)

“It was a time marked by the discovery of the Americas, the Reformation and the emergence of powerful princely states,” Obrink concluded.

The Gothenburg excavation is one of many fascinating archaeological digs that took place in Sweden in 2025. 

onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.

In the southwest region of the country, a history buffwith a metal detectorled archaeologists to the site of a medieval monastery this spring.

Earlier this fall, an angler digging for fishing worms found amassive medieval treasure hoardoutside of Stockholm.