Archaeologist believes he found legendary Viking ruler’s lost grave in remote spot: ‘This is rare’

An independent researcher believes a mound in Cumbria may mark the burial site of Viking leader Ivar the Boneless, depicted on the right, who died around 873 A.D.(Steve Dickinson;British Library)

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He and his team pinpointed the mound’s location from medieval documents and identified 39 smaller mounds around it.

Excavators have found“significant” artifacts, Dickinson said, including ship rivets and roves — evidence of a ship — as well as lead weights used in trade. 

All appear to be consistent with a Viking ship burial.

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While such ship burials have been found in Scandinavia, none in Britain have been definitively linked to a named Viking ruler, Dickinson said.

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Sutton Hoo, the most famous monumental ship burial in England, dates to the pre-Viking Anglo-Saxon period, he noted.

The site in northwest England may represent the first Viking ship burial in Britain linked to a named ruler, according to experts.(Steve Dickinson)

“This is rare, and, should my theory prove to be correct, it is the first such Viking ship burial to be found in Britain,” the researcher observed.

Dickinson has also found fleet bases and post-holes from the Viking Age, remains he believes were part of a 210-foot-by-43-footroyal palace.

“It is thought, from later historical records, that the epithet ‘boneless’ refers to some kind of genetic disorder.”

All pieces of evidence “give the strongest connections with him and his grave,” he said.

genetic disorder,” he noted.

Shown above, a depiction of Viking raiders invading England during the 10th century.The period was marked by Norse expansion, coastal attacks and the rise of powerful warrior leaders.(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

“Ivar also has some other nicknames, though: ‘The Legless’ and ‘The Dragon.’”

Known for establishing a major settlement inmodern-day Dublin, Ivar was part of the kingdom of Laithlind, a realm whose true location has long been contested.

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“Though some scholars have suggested thekingdom of Laithlindlies in northern and western Scotland or southwest Norway, its name means ‘marsh/lake-land,’” Dickinson continued. 

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“This description fits the part of Cumbria where I located the King’s Mound.”

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“This is rare, and, should my theory prove to be correct, it is the first such Viking ship burial to be found in Britain,” said a British archaeologist.(Steve Dickinson)

Future fieldwork is planned for this summer, with opportunities for volunteers to take part.

“We aim to conduct scans ofthe King’s Moundusing ground-penetrating radar and geophysics later this year to let us ‘see’ inside it,” he said.

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“We do not, at present, plan to excavate it.The sheer logistics and financing of this, and reasons of conservation and privacy, all lead to this.”

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