COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—Contrary to their image as unsophisticated barbarians, the Vikings built structures that were outfitted with glass windows, according to a statement released by the National Museum of Denmark. A team of researchers analyzed 61 glass fragments unearthed during six excavations carried out over the past 25 years in southern Sweden, Denmark, and northern Germany. The excavations were carried out at the sites of farms of Viking noblemen, pre-Christian temples, and early urban settlements. It had been assumed that the fragments dated to well after the Viking Age (ca. A.D. 793–1066), but chemical analysis established that the glass had indeed been used by the Vikings. The researchers believe that the Vikings most likely obtained the glass through trade. The windows in question were not the large, transparent apertures we know today, but rather smaller windows in shades of green and brown. They would have been designed not to look out of, but to allow colorful light to filter in. “It is also reasonable to assume that they regarded the presence of glass windows as something special and magical that could let sunlight in and illuminate the room, while keeping out cold, wind and rain,” said conservator Torben Sode. For more, go to “When the Vikings Crossed the Atlantic,” one of ARCHAEOLOGY’s Top Ten Discoveries of 2021.