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9780897332606

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“This engaging nonfiction book for young adults offers an impartial discussion of the controversial DNA findings for the person in Viking grave Bj 581, and all of the archaeological, historical, and literary fallout that followed it, including long-overdue discussions of Viking women, gender, and our biases about people of the past.” —Sebastian Peiter, executive producer and writer of Viking Warrior Women “The Bones of Birka by C. M. Surrisi opens up a thousand-year-old Viking grave site and allows us to peer into a mystery. Who was in grave site Bj 581 and why does it matter? Surrisi starts us off with traditional assumptions of the male Viking warrior and his wide-ranging exploits and travels. Given that, the Viking skeleton in Bj 581 surrounded by ancient weapons must be male. More than a hundred years later, a female team of archeologists, anthropologists, osteologists, and geneticists open the world’s eyes and our own to a new finding. The skeleton in Bj 581 was female. Surrisi’s in-depth and timely research turns Viking narratives into questions and doing so challenges our own biases about our history and ourselves. Anyone young or old fascinated by archaeology, bones, and what they reveal will want to read this book.” —Caren Stelson, author of Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story and Stars of the Night:The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport  “This fascinating exploration of a high-profile Viking Age burial and its place in research history offers its readers a plethora of different dimensions to explore and contemplate. Touching on the archaeological process and research history, it asks important and interesting questions about how we create and sustain our knowledge of past cultures and identities. Crucially, it manages to do so by being both entertaining and informative. I have no doubt it will inspire its audience to continue exploring the questions it raises about our relationship with the past.” —Dr. Marianne Moen, University of Oslo, and author of The Gendered Landscape

"""This engaging nonfiction book for young adults offers an impartial discussion of the controversial DNA findings for the person in Viking grave Bj 581, and all of the archaeological, historical, and literary fallout that followed it, including long-overdue discussions of Viking women, gender, and our biases about people of the past."" --Sebastian Peiter, executive producer and writer of Viking Warrior Women ""The Bones of Birka by C. M. Surrisi opens up a thousand-year-old Viking grave site and allows us to peer into a mystery. Who was in grave site Bj 581 and why does it matter? Surrisi starts us off with traditional assumptions of the male Viking warrior and his wide-ranging exploits and travels. Given that, the Viking skeleton in Bj 581 surrounded by ancient weapons must be male. More than a hundred years later, a female team of archeologists, anthropologists, osteologists, and geneticists open the world's eyes and our own to a new finding. The skeleton in Bj 581 was female. Surrisi's in-depth and timely research turns Viking narratives into questions and doing so challenges our own biases about our history and ourselves. Anyone young or old fascinated by archaeology, bones, and what they reveal will want to read this book."" --Caren Stelson, author of Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story and Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport ""This fascinating exploration of a high-profile Viking Age burial and its place in research history offers its readers a plethora of different dimensions to explore and contemplate. Touching on the archaeological process and research history, it asks important and interesting questions about how we create and sustain our knowledge of past cultures and identities. Crucially, it manages to do so by being both entertaining and informative. I have no doubt it will inspire its audience to continue exploring the questions it raises about our relationship with the past."" --Dr. Marianne Moen, University of Oslo, and author of The Gendered Landscape"

Author Information

C. M. Surrisi is author of the middle-grade novels The Unofficial Lola Bay Fan Club, The Maypop Kidnapping, Vampires on the Run, and A Side of Sabotage as well as the picture book The Best Mother. She lives in Minnesota.

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