‘The coldest case of all’

Fire investigation at the Viking Age ring fortress of Borgring, Denmark

Authors

  • Eva Ljungkvist National Forensic Services (NKC), Danish National Police
  • Benny Thomsen National Forensic Services (NKC), Danish National Police
  • Søren Michael Sindbæk Aarhus University
  • Jonas Christensen Museum Southeast Denmark
  • Nanna Holm Museum Southeast Denmark
  • Maja Kildetoft Schultz Museum Southeast Denmark
  • Jens Ulriksen Museum Southeast Denmark

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7146/dja.v10i0.121916

Keywords:

Fire investigation, Daubert standard, Viking Age, ring fortress, interdisciplinary research

Abstract

During excavations of the Viking-age ring fortress Borgring, Denmark, traces of a devastating fire was uncovered. The National Forensic Services of the Danish Police were invited to participate in a novel collaboration, applying contemporary forensic fire investigation to an archaeological site. This paper presents the results and sets a benchmark for future applications. The investigation leads to a revised reconstruction of the fortress and the development of the fire. The application of fire investigation methods, following the Daubert standard criteria, enhance the documentation and analysis of archaeological sites, while archaeological methods show significant potential at modern fire scenes.

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Published

2021-07-22 — Updated on 2022-01-11

Versions

How to Cite

Ljungkvist, E., Thomsen, B., Sindbæk, S. M., Christensen, J., Holm, N., Schultz, M. K., & Ulriksen, J. (2022). ‘The coldest case of all’: Fire investigation at the Viking Age ring fortress of Borgring, Denmark. Danish Journal of Archaeology, 10, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.7146/dja.v10i0.121916 (Original work published July 22, 2021)

Issue

Vol. 10 (2021)

Section

Research Article

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