Archaeology news for June 9-22

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Largest trove of Viking gold ever found in Denmark

Six gold bracelets and a seventh made of silver comprise the largest collection of Viking treasure to ever be discovered in Denmark, The Local reports — and the trove wasn't even found by professionals.

The three amateur archaeologists who make up "Team Rainbow Power" found the gold with their metal detectors in a field in Jutland. "We really felt like we had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when we found the first bracelet, but when others then appeared it was almost unreal," Marie Aagaard Larsen of Team Rainbow Power said in a press release from the National Museum of Denmark.

Discovery of Roman coins in Devon redraws map of empire

The discovery of a few muddy coins in a Devon paddock by a pair of amateur metal detector enthusiasts has led to the redrawing of the boundary of the Roman empire in south-west Britain.

Previously it had been thought that Ancient Rome’s influence did not stretch beyond Exeter but the find has resulted in a major archaeological dig that has unearthed more coins, a stretch of Roman road and the remnants of vessels from France and the Mediterranean once full of wine, olive oil and garum – fish sauce.

The far south-west of Britain has long been seen as an area that clung to its independence but the discovery at Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot, 20 miles south-west of Exeter, has led to the conclusion that Roman influence was strongly felt here.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is lopsided, new investigation reveals

It's one of the most fascinating and well-built structures in existence, but researchers have shown that the Great Pyramid of Giza is actually lopsided, thanks to an error builders made during construction some 4,500 years ago.

This error has led to the west side of the pyramid being slightly longer than the east side, creating a base that isn’t perfectly square – despite the fact that it looks that way from afar.

The discovery came as researchers from the US-based Glen Dash Research Foundation and the Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA) were studying the magnificent structure to better understand its original dimensions.