Archaeologists unearth 150-foot-long Viking feasting hall in Sweden

Archaeologists unearth 150-foot-long Viking feasting hall in Sweden
(Image credit: Martin Rundkvist / Umeå University)

Talk about the perfect place to drink out of a skull.

Archaeologists have unearthed a large drinking and feasting hall in Sweden that they believe was once the home of Viking royalty. Initially believed to be a burial mound, the hall was discovered when professors from Stockholm University and Umea University used "ground-penetrating" radar to outline the foundation.

The building was over 150 feet long and 40 feet wide. It had four separate entrances, and contained a large fire pit in the center, which one presumes was perfect for roasting all manner of wild boar. The archaeologists called it a "real-world correlate" to the royal mead-hall in the epic poem Beowolf.

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Nico Lauricella

Nico Lauricella was editor-in-chief at TheWeek.com. He was formerly the site's deputy editor and an editor at The Huffington Post.