A small piece of brown embroidered woolen fabric recently found in Norway, which may be considered by some at first glance as a neglected piece of fabric, but in fact it is a discovery that astonished archaeologists, as it dates back to the Viking era, nearly a thousand years ago.

The Viking Age is an important period in European history, especially Northern Europe and Scandinavian history, extending from the late eighth century to the eleventh century. Through war and trade, the Norwegian Vikings roamed Europe from the north to the southern Mediterranean.

About the astonishing discovery, archaeologist Ruth Erin Owen at the University Museum at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology says: “Finding embroidered tapestries from the Viking age is so unusual that you can’t believe it’s real.

She continues: “Those who work in the field of antiquities are happy if they find a piece of cloth that is a centimeter by a centimeter, but in this case we have approximately 11 centimeters of fabric remains, and the discovery of the embroidery process itself is quite unique.”

The discovery was so unique that Oyan couldn’t believe what she saw through the eye of a microscope. “Viking embroidered textiles are something we only know from a few stately tombs, such as Oseberg and Mammengraven in Denmark,” she says.

Unusual grave

Scientists found the fabric in the grave of a woman in Hestenes in the southern Trondelag county, Norway, during excavations in 2020. The grave dates to approximately 850-950, in the middle of the Viking Age.

The deceased woman was placed in a wooden burial chamber in a tall mound above the grave, this type of grave being unusual in central Norway.

“The chamber tombs are mainly found in Birka and Scania (today’s Skåne) in Sweden, in the former Danish regions, southeastern parts of Norway, and Hedeby in today’s Germany,” says archaeologist Raymond Sauvage and director of the excavation project.

According to the director of the excavation project, the funerary finds that were found are out of the ordinary. The woman was buried with a three-lobed brooch, a very rare find in Norway, but common in old Danish areas, and she was also buried with several hundred tiny pearls, a type known only in a very few Norwegian cemeteries.

In some detail, Sauvage explains the nature of the find: “The pearls were centered on her right shoulder, but we do not know whether it was a pearl necklace or something else. That would be the case here.”

“However, textiles are the most extraordinary finds in the tomb.”

Police are set to investigate a clairvoyant’s claim that Madeleine McCann’s body is buried in a forest six miles from the Portuguese holiday resort where she went missing.

Michael Schneider, who has successfully located the remains of several missing people, has told officers that Madeleine “is unfortunately dead and buried in Portugal north-east of Lagos”.

He has given cops the exact coordinates of the spot where he believes they will find her body.

Tonight senior German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters confirmed to the Sunday People his officers have previously used clairvoyants and in some cases received specific information.

But Schneider’s claim will come as a fresh blow to Madeleine’s parents Kate, 52, and doctor Gerry, 53, of Rothley, Leics, who believe she is still alive.

Madeleine vanished from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3 in 2007, days before her fourth birthday.

Schneider, 50, a former TV reporter, said: “I do not give out such information lightly and without constantly questioning myself because I am very well aware of the responsibility of what I do.”

Last month he helped solve the case of a woman who went missing in Germany. She was found hanging from a tree 36 hours after Schneider gave police the correct location.

He also successfully pinpointed the bodies of ­murdered couple Peter Neumair, 63, and Laura Perselli, 68, who went missing from their home in Bolzano in Italy in January.

Peter’s sister Michaela said: “In the case of Maddie, in my view, it is worth a try – the police should take a look at the coordinates Michael has given.”

Schneider contacted the BKA – Germany’s equivalent of the FBI – three weeks ago with his claim.

They emailed back saying: “Your ­information will be appropriately incorporated into our work.”

Schneider said: “I am happy that the BKA seem to be taking me seriously.

“Often you have a reputation as a freak or someone just trying to squeeze money out of someone, and this is quite hurtful. I never take money.”

Explaining his psychic technique, Schneider said: “I look at a photo of the missing person and ask myself upwards towards God whether this living being is alive or dead.

After that, I take an atlas or a road map and look at large areas superficially. Afterward at Google Maps and Earth.

“Then I let my fingers and my eyes circle over these maps until they stop on a spot and mark it.”

German prosecutors have named pedophile Christian Brueckner, 44, who is currently serving a seven-year sentence for rape, as the prime suspect.

Mr. Wolters refused to comment on Schneider but said: “Several psychics have responded to our call for help in the past year and offered assistance.

“In some cases, we also received ­concrete tips. We do not ignore them, but we are cautious.”

The Sunday People asked the McCanns’ Portuguese legal team to comment.

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Announcements of obituary follow from world leaders on the death of Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier praised the late Prince’s role in the reconciliation between Germany and Britain. Several countries announced their flags at half-mast.

The British Weapons College said that Prince Philip’s funeral will not be official and that his body will not be recorded so that the public can take a final look at him before the funeral, and added that the ceremony has been modified in light of the restrictions imposed to combat the Corona epidemic.

The college continued: “The funeral will not be formal and the body will not be placed in an open coffin. The body of His Royal Highness will lie in Windsor Castle before the funeral in St. George’s Church. These arrangements are consistent with tradition and with the wishes of His Highness.” “Funeral arrangements have been modified in light of the prevailing circumstances imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and unfortunately, we ask people not to attend or participate in any funeral-related events,” she added.

The Queen’s unwavering supporter
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered his condolences on the death of Prince Philip, saying that Britain “will give thanks, as a country and a kingdom for his extraordinary life and work,” adding, “We remember the Duke … above all for his unwavering support to Her Majesty, not only as a companion who stood up to By her side every day of her reign, but also as a husband. She has had strength and support for more than 70 years. And I say to Her Majesty the Queen and her family: The hearts of our country are with you today. ”

Flags at half-mast in New Zealand, Australia and Norway
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed her condolences on the death of the Prince, on behalf of the Commonwealth country. Ardern was quoted as saying that “Prince Philip will be remembered fondly for the courage he has given to so many young New Zealanders through the (Hillary) Prize that the Duke of Edinburgh received,” referring to a youth program launched by the Prince. Ardern ordered the flags to be flown at half-mast on all government buildings and on navy ships, according to the statement.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined world leaders in the memorial service for Prince Philip. “Australians send their love and warmest condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and all members of the royal family,” Morrison wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. “He (Prince Philip) embodied a generation that we will never see again.” Morrison announced that flags will be lowered at half-mast in Australia “in honor of His Royal Highness.”

The Duchess of Sussex’s father, Thomas Markle, says he is currently ready to talk to Oprah Winfrey, in a format similar to the recent interview with Prince Harry and his wife Markle.

The father reportedly delivered a message to a talk show host and media mogul hoping to sit down with him after her surprise encounter with his daughter Megan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry.

According to a report in the British newspaper “The Sun”, Markle was said to have gone over the weekend to Winfrey’s home in Montecito, California, and handed a note to her security guard that reportedly requested an interview with him about his relationship with his daughter Megan. However, no statement was made by Winfrey regarding the interview request.

According to the circulating news, Meghan’s father, who is a retired lighting manager in Hollywood, 76, has not spoken to his daughter since before her marriage to Prince Harry, nor has he ever met his daughter-in-law or grandson Archie.

The American “Wall Street Journal” revealed that “CBS” had paid a large sum of money in exchange for the rights of the expected interview with Britain’s Prince Harry and his American wife, Megan Markle.

The US channel paid a sum of $ 7- 9 million to private media production company, Oprah Winfrey, to win the rights to broadcast the interview.

A spokeswoman for Harry and Megan revealed that the couple were not compensated for the interview.

According to the agreement concluded with Winfrey, the “CBS” network owns the rights of the interview in the global markets, as the interview will be broadcast, on Monday, on the “ITV” channel in Britain, for an unspecified sum of money.

The highly anticipated interview is scheduled to be published later, on Sunday evening, at prime time, after the well-known program “60 Minutes”.

Choosing this date is not in vain. Sunday nights are the times that most Americans watch TV, especially CBS, according to Sky News Arabia.

Thrilling to the fans, CBS broadcast small clips of the interview, which will last for two hours.

It is these details that Winfrey contacted Meghan Markle before her wedding in 2020, to conduct an interview, a request that was rejected.

Megan also accused Buckingham Palace of “inculcating slanders” about her and her husband, and said that they would not refrain from publishing their version of events.

The royal palace said it was “extremely concerned” by reports in “The Times” that said Megan had bullied aides who worked with her two years ago.

But the couple denied the matter, which increases the importance of the interview, which will reveal the secrets of the relationship in the royal family in Britain.

The TV interview is the first since Harry and Meghan left royal duties and bought a home in the United States last year.

A year after they quit their royal duties, Prince Harry will give up his honorary military appointments and patronage, having assured Queen Elizabeth II that he and his wife Megan Markle will no longer be serving members of the royal family.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are formally known, has since embarked on a new life involving several commercial ventures in the United States, and they now live in California.

Prince Harry and Meghan announced in January last year that they had left the royal family, and this measure comes after they announced at the beginning of the same month their intention to leave and be financially independent and divide their time between Canada and the United Kingdom. The couple’s agreement with Buckingham Palace expires on March 31, 2021.

The Duke of Sussex will lose his military titles, while his wife will lose her sponsorship of charitable activities, according to a royal palace statement that said, “Everyone is sad about this decision.”

“The Queen has written an affirmation that by giving up the business of the royal family, the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service cannot be continued,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement Friday.