Horned helmets predate Vikings by 3,000 years, originating in the Bronze Age, researchers say

From appearing in the Asterix comic book series, to inspiring an avatar on "The Masked Singer," Vikings have revealed themselves across pop culture sporting horned helmets to symbolize their ferocity and power.

However, two horned helmets first discovered in Viksø, Denmark have been traced back to Sardinia in the Bronze Age -- dispelling myths that they originated from the Viking era, according to research published in the historical journal Praehistorische Zeitschrift in December. "For many years in popular culture, people associated the Viksø helmets with the Vikings," said Helle Vandkilde, an archaeologist at Aarhus University in Denmark who was involved in the research, in a press statement sent to CNN. "But our research confirms that the helmets were deposited in the bog in about 900 B.C., almost 3,000 years ago and many centuries before the Vikings or Norse dominated the region." Similar horned helmet imagery has been identified from the Bronze Age in Sardinia, southwestern Iberia and southern Scandinavia, according to the study. During the Bronze Age in Sardinia, symbols of horned creatures such as bulls had religious significance, and were often used to decorate Neolithic tombs. Read more...

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