Neighborhoods Update
At press time, the news around town is that Jot Ariston, our Esteemed Leader, is re-thinking and/or planning big things for the neighborhoods of Ancient Worlds. However, we are always on the lookout for more Bryti, people who can adopt a region or district and help the Scribes build our hoods.
For further information on where you can help, the Scribes have divided up the Hoods to make everything go more smoothly. Contact Anarane if you want to help in either Scandinavia or The Varangian Way, Aelfwine to help in Yggdrasil or Middangeard, and Dagmar to help in Anglo-Saxon England.

Don't stand too close to a Viking - he might kill you with a smile!
(Written by Aelfwine Scylding, Found by Norvegicus Lupus)

January 2006. Ms. Caroline Arcini of Sweden's National Heritage Board holds my dream job. She analyzed 557 skeletons of men, women and children from between 800 and 1050 A.D. in four major Viking Age cemeteries in Sweden. 22 of the men (but none of the women) bore deep, horizontal grooves across the upper front teeth. (picture from Discovery Channel)

"The marks are traces of deliberate dental modifications ... they are so well-made that most likely they were filed by a person of great skill," Arcini wrote in the current issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. She adds that the marks, cut deep into the enamel, are often found in pairs or triplets. To quote further from the New Scientist, "they might have marked certain men as members of a group of tradesmen or warriors, or signified their ability to withstand pain. Most of the men bearing the grooves were young, but in the absence of any distinctive injuries or artefacts buried with the skeletons, the exact reason for the marks remains a mystery."

This is the first time that the practice has been found on a European people. Teeth mutilation was diffused all over the world, reaching its peak between 700 and 1400 AD. The skeletons date from around the same time, o the Vikings picked up the practice during their travels, along with chocolate, fried chips, ketchup... oh, sorry, this is another story.

Sources:
New Scientist
Discovery News

14th-Century Shipwreck Found in Stockholm
By MATTIAS KAREN, Associated Press Writer Thu Mar 2, 8:52 PM ET
(Contributed by Beatrix Godwinson)

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Archeologists have found a shipwreck from the late 1300s buried in the mud of a bay in central Stockholm, officials said Thursday.
They are now awaiting permission to excavate the wreckage — one of the oldest ever found in the Swedish capital — hoping it will shed light on shipbuilding techniques and trade in the 14th century.
Experts say they might be able to bring the ship up on land, as was done with the 17th century warship Vasa, which is now housed in a museum that is one of Stockholm's main tourist attractions.
Parts of the wreckage are protruding from the brackish sediment at a depth of about 30 feet in the Riddarfjarden bay leading into the heart of Stockholm, National Maritime Museum officials said.
Archeologists found it last year when examining the planned site for a new train tunnel. They have now dated the ship to between 1350 and 1370, and believe it sank sometime in the 1390s.
"This is really exciting," said Marcus Hjulhammar, project leader for the museum.
"What is so special is that it is under water, here in Stockholm," he said. "That makes it much more likely that it is well-preserved than if it had been on land."
Shipwrecks have a decent chance of being well-preserved in the low-salt waters of the Stockholm archipelago because of the lack of wood-eating shipworms.
If the entire ship — the size and type of which are unclear — is still intact, its cargo could give historians a better idea of trading that took place in the area at the time.
There is a large crack in the hull, which had been covered by a piece of leather that had been nailed to the boards, Hjulhammar said.
"That is a sign that this ship was very worn down, and it is possible that this repair work is part of the reason it sank," he said. "My spontaneous reaction was that the repair was rather clumsily done."
The museum is awaiting permission from the county government to dig out the remaining parts of the ship, Hjulhammar said. They would then decide whether it is possible to bring it up on land.
"But it depends on how eroded it is," he said. "It may turn out that it is better to let her lie."

On the Net:
Museum Web site: Maritima.se

Need newbie help and advice in Germania? Try the Welcome to Germania thread!
Want to meet people, get involved, and have the best mead at AW? Join us at The Red Boar Tavern!

Need help? Ask one of your friendly Germania scribes:

Dagmar Sigurdsson, Anarane Burgundian , or Aelfwine Scylding.

Anyone interested in submitting articles, group highlights, or other items of interest for our Germanian World page in the ACTA, please contact me with the URL of your item. If you would prefer to e-mail items to me, please send them (or any other suggestions) to: this address. Thank you for helping us make Germania a great Place to Be!

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Featured Articles:
The Lombards in Italy: A Short Story
by Marduk Hammarabi.

Group Spotlight:
Thunder of Perun is looking for more members. A group exploring slavic culture as it emerges from the mists of time, in myths and in facts. Also discussions of other Eastern European cultures. Stop by and check it out!

Member Spotlight:
Bree Burgundian, a sweet, helpful, talented Germanian is this issue's featured member. Bree is always willing to jump in to help with festivals and by creating graphics or other great items for Germania. Thank you, Bree, for all you do!

Location Spotlight:
Asgard, the home of the Norse gods. Protected by an inpenetrable wall, the gods' home may only be reached by way of the rainbow bridge, which is guarded by Heimdall.
This City in our Yggdrasil neighborhood is the best place to discuss Norse mythology. Come on over and learn more!

Contributors:
Aelfwine Scylding
Beatrix Godwinson