Iron Age pillars found in Uppsala, Sweden

Archaeologists in Sweden say they have unearthed the remains of unusually large wooden monuments near a pre-Viking burial ground.

As excavation was taking place in preparation for a new railway line, traces of two rows of wooden pillars were found in Old Uppsala, an ancient pagan religious centre. One row stretched for about 1,000 yards and the other was half as long.

Archaeologist Lena Beronius-Jorpeland said that the colonnades were probably from the fifth century, but their purpose is unclear. She called it Sweden's largest and most intricately planned Iron Age construction.

AP