THERE’S an unusual exhibit at one of Lidl’s Irish stores.
A glass floor installed at one of the budget supermarket’s outlets in Dublin reveals the ruins of a 1,000-year-old Viking-Irish house.
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Images of the display at the city centre spot attracted the attention of thousands of people on Reddit over the weekend.
Managers at the shop invested heavily in site’s preservations after it was discovered during excavations, DublinLive reports.
The store on Dublin’s Aungier Street opened last year.
Glass panelling was placed between the aisles to give shoppers a snapshot of the city’s medieval history as they browse the shelves.
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Through one panel shoppers can see the remains of the 18th Century Aungier Theatre staircase.
At another section of the store, you can peer at a sunken floored structure dated to the 11th century.
The Longford Street Arches, which also date from the 18th century, can also be viewed from within the store.
A Reddit forum boasting almost eight million members shared images of the exhibits last week.
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The post reads: “During the construction of a supermarket in Dublin, Ireland, archaeologists discovered the remains of a 1,000-year-old medieval house.
“Rather than excavate the items and build on top of the site, the store installed glass flooring that provides shoppers with a literal window into history.”
The post has garnered more than 20,000 up-votes and 200 comments since it was posted.
One commenter joked: “The ghosts of that house are super confused.”
A brief history of the Vikings…
- The Viking Age is a period in European history and dates from around 800 to 1050AD
- Some groups of Vikings did live on for a bit longer after this period in different countries across the globe
- They originated in Scandinavia and travelled all over the world on their famous Viking ships
- They are well known for colonising and brutally raiding new areas
- Vikings created a trade network that spanned the globe
- Evidence of Viking house styles, jewellery, tools and other everyday equipment has been found in many countries
- The Viking Age in Britain ended when the Norwegian king Haraldr harðráði was killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066
- Vikings are usually depicted as having horns on their helmets but there is only one well preserved helmet from the Viking Age and this does not have horns
Another wrote: “They just want to buy food but their glass ceiling is keeping them down.”
And a third commenter revealed: “We have something like these here in Slovenia!
“While building a supermarket, a road built by the Romans was discovered (about 4x1m) and glass-like was constructed.
“So while I’m shopping for veggies I get to look at them. Pretty cool.”
Hoard of Viking artefacts including gold bangle and silver brooch buried for over 1,000 years ago discovered on the Isle of Man
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In other news, experts have wiped centuries of dust and dirt from a Viking-era cross pedant discovered in a field in western Scotland.
The face of a Viking warrior woman with a gruesome battle wound has been reconstructed by experts.
And, a lost Bronze Age stone circle used for ancient rituals was recently uncovered in Gloucestershire by laser scanning.
Would a Viking ruins display make you more likely to visit your local shop? Let us know in the comments!
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
