Textiles and other goods: archaeologists in Denmark have uncovered 1,000-year-old-Viking workshop
An excavation near Aarhus in Denmark may fundamentally alter how we see the Viking Age.82 pit houses identified as specialised textile workshops have been uncovered.
In Søften, a small village in the Mid Jutland region north of Aarhus, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an exceptionally large craft settlement. The complex dates from the 7th to 10th centuries and covers 100,000 square metres.
In total, the archaeologists excavated 82 pit houses.
The area seems to have served as a specialised craft zone, with numerous workplaces operating in parallel. The large number of identical workshops suggests that division of labour, and possibly centralised control, played a role.
The layout points to a well-planned settlement. Different areas served different jobs. One section focused on textile work, while others supported handwork. A single house stood apart from the workshops. Archaeologists think a manager lived there and oversaw workers, raw materials, and daily production.
Liv Stidsing Reher-Langberg, who leads the excavation, said the settlement stands out because textile production formed the main activity. Few Viking sites show such a clear focus on one type of work.
The excavations brought to light an enormous number of loom weights, spindle whorls and glass beads, indicating that textiles were produced there on a scale far exceeding the needs of the local population.
The finds document a complete production chain, from processing the fibres to the finished fabric.
Part of trade networks
The researchers also found Arabic coins from the Middle East, as well as mintings from what is now France and Germany. These artefacts show that the inhabitants of Søften were part of far-reaching trade networks that extended as far as Asia.
The site was strategically well placed near the then trading centre of Aros. Its made it easy to channel the goods produced into trade and export them. During the Viking Age, Aros grew into one of Denmark’s leading trade centers and linked local producers with markets across northern Europe.
In the researchers' view, the finds prove that the Vikings had a highly developed economy. Historian Kasper H. Andersen from the Moesgaard Museum stressed: 'It shows us that the Viking Age was not just an uncivilised, barbaric and backward era, as is often assumed.'
Historian Kasper H. Andersen said production on this scale served far more than nearby communities. The settlement formed part of a wider trade system tied to the growth of Aros.
The new findings match earlier work in the same area. About four kilometers away, archaeologists uncovered an elite estate at Lisbjerg with close links to Aros. In 2024, a Viking silver hoard turned up at nearby Elsted. Together, these sites show how villages around Aros supplied goods and raw materials to the growing town.
It is not yet clear when the artefacts from 1,000-year-old-Viking workshop will be available for public viewing. The analysis of the finds is still ongoing and could take several months to several years.
Source: Archeology News