The sites include eastern Jylland, Fyn, Lolland, Sjaelland, and Bornholm in Denmark, plus Öland and Västergötland in Sweden.

The oldest deposit in Illerup Ådal contained 300 spear points, two with the name Wagnijo written in runes, plus shields, belts, and scabbards.

The area covers 40 ha and although the events behind the macabre scene are unclear at the moment, many of the dead are believed to be warriors, maybe sacrificed prisoners of the wars at the time.

Excavation Project Manager Mads Kähler Holst, professor of archaeology at Aarhus University, has been quoted as saying of finding the remains of a violent conflict at the 40-hectare (99-acre) site: "It's clear that this must have been a quite far-reaching and dramatic event, that must have had profound effect on the society of the time.

The dig has produced a large quantity of skeletal remains, and we believe that they will give us the answers to some of our questions about what kind of events led up to the army ending up here.