Tag: history

DNA-researcher: It’s not 'woke' to portray prehistoric Europeans with dark skin. It’s evolution.

Ancient DNA analyses suggest that prehistoric Europeans looked different from modern Europeans today, but some people find that hard to accept.

Epidemics in the cradle of civilization

Social distancing and isolation were present as means to combat epidemics then as now.

When epidemics change the world: Can we learn anything from the third plague pandemic?

Around the year 1900, the third plague pandemic raged. This paved the way for several major changes in society and interacted with developments that were already underway. Perhaps this will also be the case with the present crisis, a history researcher writes.

Suicide and ship hijacking: Join the Asian Company on a dramatic journey to India in the 1700s

Dive into the Asian Company's extensive archive packed with exciting and detailed descriptions of life aboard the huge ships.

Why we need a modern origin story today

Big history is the story about how the world came to be as it is. Now, as we need to manage the entire planet, we need to know an origin story more than ever.

The Anglo-Saxons were worse than the Vikings

Linguistically, the Anglo-Saxons practically eradicated the native Britons. The question is: was it ethnic cleansing?

Warfare spurred on the welfare state in the 20th century

...but it probably won’t in future.

How the Nazis abused the history of runes

A brooch inscribed with runes was found in a field in Denmark during the Second World War and tells a story of the use and abuse of runic writing during some of the darkest moments in our history.

Historic building activity in Europe mirrors plague outbreaks and food prices

A new study shows that the dramatic upheaval and population decline known as the Late Medieval Crisis began much earlier than previously thought. Thanks to the use of felling dates from old construction timber a new picture emerges of past demographic changes in Europe.

How we discovered three poisonous books in our university library

While analysing a collection of old texts, scientists discovered a coat of green paint containing arsenic. The books have since been removed for safe storage.

Are these Danish cities older than previously thought?

Odense could have been settled as early as the late eighth century, and many other towns could be older than you think, according to new study.

How to decorate like a Viking

To begin with you will need a handy Viking paint chart. Luckily, archaeologists in Denmark have just made one.

Archaeologists uncover remains of a horrifying Iron Age battle in Denmark

Thirteen-year-olds fought side by side with adult men and the dead were left where they fell, ripped to pieces by hungry animals.

Medicine in Antiquity: From ancient temples to Roman logistics

A showdown with religious dogmas, an early scientific approach, and diligent use of plants were some of the ingredients of ancient medicine. Welcome aboard a historic journey to Greek temples, body fluids, and Roman hygiene.

How young people today view the Second World War

Danes, German, and Finnish youth all see the Second World War as an important historical event. But that is where the similarity ends.

Dead man’s genome reconstructed using DNA from living relatives

Extensive detective work pays off.

Clay tablets from the cradle of civilisation provide new insight to the history of medicine

Ancient “doctors” mixed magic and medicine to heal patients.

Red, white, and hot telephones: on hotlines and international diplomacy

The US and the Soviet Union had one. North and South Korea have just reopened theirs. Here’s a look at how hotlines have been used in modern diplomacy.

From monstrosity to laptop: the story of the personal computer

What began as a “bizarre” fantasy has now become reality.

What made the Vikings so superior in warfare?

We travel back in time to study the tactics of the Norse warriors.

How the US built a mysterious military camp under the Greenland ice sheet

New book tackles the Cold War debacle over US military activities in Greenland.

The Reformation transformed the aristocracy from warriors to bureaucrats

As the king consolidated power, the ruling class adapted to maintain its influence.

Denmark’s first Viking king printed in 3D

Full reconstruction of Gorm the Old reveals a strange growth on his neck.

Soon computers can decipher your great grandmother’s scribbles

A program that can recognise old handwriting will soon be introduced in Denmark. Historians describe it as revolutionary and fantastic.

Ancient grain reveals the development of the earliest cities

How were the first cities established and how did they develop? The analysis of 8,000 years old grain from ancient Mesopotamia has some answers.

Did Vikings really fight behind a shield wall?

It could all be a big misunderstanding, says archaeologist.

Sexual offences increased in Denmark during the Second World War

The number of sexual offences against women and children in Denmark increased by almost 50 per cent during the Nazi occupation between 1940 and 1945, shows new research.

Citizen Science: Help a Historian

If you want to help dig into the past, then check out these citizen science projects

A cholera sample from 1853 could cast new light on epidemics

Scientists are hoping to open a bottle with, perhaps the oldest ever, cholera-containing stool sample taken from a patient during the 1853 cholera epidemic in Copenhagen.

800-year-old well casts new light on medieval murder

How did a young woman come to be buried on unconsecrated ground almost 1,000 years ago? A new archaeological discovery could cast light over the story.

The female scientist who discovered the core of the Earth

The "Grande Dame” of seismology, Inge Lehmann, began her career at a time when few women held senior positions in science. But that did not stop her from being the first to provide evidence of the Earth’s inner core in 1936.

Researchers discover letters written to the Sun King’s wife

Letters written to Louis XIV’s wife give a unique insight into seventeenth century religion, shows a new PhD thesis.

See inside three Egyptian mummies

Scientists have scanned three mummies from the National Museum of Denmark for the first time. ScienceNordic was there to see the first results come in.

How big has Denmark been in the past?

From a world power to a small-state nation. Follow the history of Denmark’s conquests, trading outposts, and territories from the Vikings to the twentieth century, in our two interactive maps.

Medieval shipwreck hints at psychological warfare

Details of a sunken Danish royal ship reveals colourful details about psychological warfare in the middle ages.

High flames gave status to ancient funeral pyres

Funeral pyres were an important ritual for thousands of years in Denmark. The dead were paraded and the cremation was a spectacular show.

Meet the Greenlandic spirits that gained power by sucking genitals

The bizarre mythical tupilaq creature is a key part of Greenlandic history. Legend says it drained its victim’s through their sexual organs.

Archaeologists are hunting for Greece’s underwater past

There is so much to uncover that we most likely won’t be done during my lifetime, says the archaeologist leading the excavation.

Denmark’s Cold War struggle for scientific control of Greenland

A three year basic research project has revealed the extent of the top secret political struggles and scientific tangles between the US and Denmark during the Cold War.

Climate change research was born in the Cold War

The basic environmental research that underpins our understanding of the Earth’s climate today has a long history, in part shaped through war and a race to control the North.

Archaeologist discovers a new style of Viking combat

Experimental archaeologists donned their armour and took to the battlefield to test out shield fighting techniques.

A 300-year-old murder could be solved

A skeleton found in a German palace this summer could clear up a missing person case. Royal love letters could have been the motive for an order to kill a count. Could a murder mystery be solved now with DNA evidence?

How Hitler decided to launch the largest bike theft in Denmark’s history

Hitler personally approved the decision to confiscate bikes in occupied Denmark during the war, revealing the internal power struggles among the Nazi occupiers.

American adventurer captured 1930's Greenland on film

The American artist and adventurer Rockwell Kent documented daily life in thirties Greenland in both photos and drawings, which are now at the centre of a large international research project.

Jutland: Why World War I's only sea battle was so crucial to Britain's victory

OPINION: Modern understanding of World War I is dominated by the immense human cost of the war on land with its trenches, artillery, and machine guns--but the war was won by sea power.

Unique jewellery from the British Isles found in Danish Viking grave

A Danish Viking burial site contains a buckle that may have come from Ireland or Scotland.

1,750 skeletons tell stories of life during the industrial revolution

Analyses of bones unearthed during Copenhagen’s metro expansion are revealing details of everyday life and living conditions during the industrial revolution.

Archaeologists develop new technology to read ancient documents

Using X-rays and 3D-modelling, scientists have developed a new method to read ancient texts, which were until now considered unreadable.

When and where did wolves become dogs?

Did dogs become domesticated in Southeast Asia or Europe? New study challenges recent research.

120-year-old astronomical photos discovered in basement

Retired astronomer unearths photo of 1919 solar eclipse that helped prove Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Archaeological breakthrough could solve the mystery of Greenland’s Vikings

Archaeologists develop new method, which might finally tell us why the Vikings migrated to Greenland.

What 142 million year old footprints reveal about dinosaur behaviour

Two sets of fossilized dinosaur footprints on a beach in Germany provide insights into the ancient giants' behaviour.

The first Danish kings were pirates

Medieval pirates and buccaneers founded Denmark. A new project investigates who the pirates really were and how they affected the formation of the Danish kingdom in its infancy.

When did Tibetans have sex with prehistoric humans?

Sex with ancient humans enabled the Tibetans to adapt to a life at 4,000 metres above sea level and sheds light on our own evolutionary history.

See where the Vikings travelled

Use the interactive map to find out where the Vikings travelled to and how they traded and plundered in everything from spices to slaves.

Ancient urn hints at global trade network

Archaeologists "couldn't believe their eyes" when a perfectly preserved urn turned up in a grave in Southern Jutland.

History rewritten: Europeans were “born” in the Bronze Age

DNA from 101 Bronze Age skeletons shows that Europeans came from nomadic tribes who invaded during the Bronze Age.

A famous Danish Bronze Age icon turns out not to be Danish after all

Analysis of the Egtved girl’s teeth, clothes, hair, and nails, show that the Bronze Age teenager was not born in Denmark.

800-year-old rune stick unearthed during excavation of Danish city

A rune stick from the Middle Ages has been found in the centre of Odense. An unique find, say scientists.

The Viking age began in Denmark

New study changes our understanding of how and where the Viking age began.

Opinion: "Denmark must not succumb to polarisation in the wake of Copenhagen attacks"

Nuances have it tough in times of polarisation and we must be careful not to fall back on prejudice and profiling, writes philosophy Professor Vincent F. Hendricks.

How skeletons reveal gruesome secrets about our ancestors

A new study provides a unique insight into what life was like in the Middle Ages.

Copenhagen's visual history is now available on the Internet

Denmark’s capital has been digitised. It's now possible to delve into century old maps and explore the city’s rich history online.

Minimal corruption in Denmark began with the absolute monarchy

Denmark's path to becoming the world's least corrupt country was laid with the introduction of the absolute monarchy in the 17th century.

This is what living in the Viking age looked like

Explore one of northern Europe's largest Viking settlements in Denmark through this digital reconstruction.

Historian will transform censuses into goldmine of health data

Denmark has a treasure chest of historic records. But until now we have not had the right tools to wrest as much information as possible from them. A Danish history professor intends to change that.

Prehistoric humans were far smarter than previously assumed

325,000-year-old stone tools go to prove that our forefathers were far better at collaborating and planning than we thought.

Why do we spare civilians in war?

Neither compassion nor charity were the reasons why Western soldiers spared enemy civilians in war, new Danish research shows.

Ancient male warriors showed signs of vanity

Scandinavian men who lived 3,000 years ago were buried with bronze straight-edged razors, tweezers and tools that could have been used for manicures.

Researchers are trying to solve a Danish castle mystery

Who built the lengendary Hammershus castle? Archaeologist are trying to find the answer.

11,000 years old elk bones shrouded in mystery

Someone put elk bones in a bog several thousand years ago -- but archaeologists have no clue who it was.

Global poverty and inequality: is welfare only for the lucky few?

A new research project sets out to investigate what happens when the fight against global poverty and inequality is left to the corporate sector.

New materials will change the world

What will be the next big thing in materials science? A group of researchers will discuss that during the ESOF2014 conference in Copenhagen.

Were the Vikings scared of volcanoes?

New Danish research suggests that the Icelandic Vikings were far less relaxed about volcanoes than previously believed.

"I write history in the form of a detective novel"

What's important to keep in mind when you communicate your science? A Q&A with Professor Londa Schiebinger who specializes in the history of science.

Rebel artist keeps researchers busy

A new research-based exhibition of Danish artist Asger Jorn’s works opens up for new interpretations of his cultural contribution.

Nordic people drank wine 3,000 years ago

Researchers have found traces of wine in jars, dating back to 1100 BC. The finds suggest that wine was imported long before previously thought.

Prosperous Vikings whitewashed their walls

Archaeologists have found Denmark’s oldest lime kiln near a large Viking hall at a Viking settlement on the Danish island of Zealand.