Hello! My name is Micke Hermansson. When I worked as a teacher, I came up with a model with super short lessons that was named “Thing (Grej in Swedish) of the day” or GOTD.

My super short lessons have become super popular. Maybe you have already tried it together with your teacher?

GOTD is about trying to figure out the answer to tricky clues, and then learn something about the answers in very short and fun lessons. Are you ready for some clues?

In the game, I will give you the answers and some fun facts!
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‍“Can be super soft, but also the hardest of them all”
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‍“Air-filled fruit that can float”

“Swedes orbiting the Earth”

In the Tooth Mystery Quest, you will learn about a very special find made in our Archaeology school by Ines Roos Bengtsson at Nyvångskolan I Dalby, Sweden. Take a look at this film and learn about her archaeological discovery.

Hi! My name is Pär Widén, and I am a member of the Uppåkra Scientific board. I also do research on pedagogy. In collaboration with my colleague Per Dahlbeck, we have observed and analyzed what happens when students visit and partake in the Archaeology school at Uppåkra.

The results of the study are summarized in the “Uppåkra model”. Basically, the model means that the learning of the students is enhanced when they are engaged and partake in real archaeological projects of digging, and when they are allowed to do “real history” of Uppåkra. This demonstrates that curiosity and engagement in real-life projects are crucial forces in lifelong learning. If you want to know more about this model, take a look at this film about the Uppåkra model!

Uppåkra existed for 1100 years, making this Iron Age village unique and one of its kind in Scandinavia.

In this game, you will time travel to five periods of the Scandinavian Iron Age; The pre-roman Iron Age, Roman Iron Age, Migration period, Merovingian period and Viking Age. If you want to know more about what happened during this millennium, see what History professor Dick Harrison has to say!

Uppåkra was founded in the first century B.C. and was abandoned about a thousand years later. This time period is called the Iron Age in Scandinavia. This means that those who lived there felt – in various ways – the impact of the great events that shaped modern Europe. The Roman Empire had its golden age and fall. Religions like Christianity and Islam emerged, and countries like France and England began to take form. At the end of the Iron Age, the Vikings set out on long voyages.

What’s that? The Iron Age? I have never heard of it.

Well, the Iron Age got its name, long in retrospect, from the metal iron. In Scandinavia, people learned to handle iron around 500 f.Kr, and the period is called the Iron Age until 1050 e.Kr when the Middle Ages begin.

The knowledge of making iron is one of the most important inventions man has made throughout history. The hard and durable metal was both cheaper and easier to manufacture than the bronze, silver and gold that had existed for a long time. New iron tools made it easier for people to forge, work the land and fight. Everything became more efficient and locally produced. Iron is found naturally in Scandinavia and long and expensive transports around Europe could be avoided.

Hi! My name is Susanna Broomé, and I am an expert on how people dressed during the Iron Age.

At Uppåkra, no fabric remains have been preserved, but we can still figure out how people might have dressed by looking at finds from other places in Scandinavia.

In the game, villagers, the rich, and other characters are dressed according to the time period they come from. Here are some examples:

Hello! I am Håkan Aspeborg and I am leading the excavations at Uppåkra together with a team of archaeologists from Lund University.

In 2022, the largest research excavations in Sweden to this day started at Uppåkra. Generations of so called Great Halls, wooden palaces that were once the homes of the rulers of Uppåkra , are being excavated. Many more answers to the secrets of Uppåkra will be revealed, and the history will be rewritten in the years to come. In this game, one of the missions is to rebuild the Great Hall.

Join the quest and start working with the latest results and finds from the excavations in order to create your interpretation of the building. You may also participate in a contest. The interpretation closest to the results of the excavations will win the contest!

You can send in your contribution to sofia.winge@uppakra.se, taking a screenshot of your reconstruction. Don’t forget to hand in documentation on your choice of materials and interpretations. In 2027 we will announce the winner!

Read more below about the Great Hall quest.

The area where generations of Great Hall buildings once stood, have previously been open for excavations.
Many buildings have been built in the same area during the Iron age.
The building from 500 A.D period is one of the best preserved. This is the one that we also have chosen for the game from Quest 4, the Murder Mystery!

What did they use as building material? The buildings during the Iron Age in Scandinavia were built of so-called organic building material, such as for example wood and straw. These materials are rarely preserved to our days.

It is also important to remember that only a fraction of the objects in ancient times have been preserved to the present. Objects made of organic matter such as wood and textiles quickly break down in the soil. We therefore need to imagine tools, furniture, clothes and much more to get a better picture of Uppåkra during the Iron Age.

Use the information below in order to make your own interpretation of what the building looked like, and what objects there were inside!  

For example: Choose the building material that the people at Uppåkra might have used. Write down why you choose this material based on facts and educated guesses. This task often triggers questions. What we know so far (in 2026):


Roof bearing posts: In the bottom of the holes, they had put big stones to support the posts. We do not know what material the posts were made of, but oak is a sustainable material that might have been used. Roof: So far, there have not been any finds indicating what the roof was made of. But the roofs during the Iron Age in Scandinavia were usually made of straw, or reed.  

Walls: Parts of the walls were found. They were made with so called wattle and daub technique, meaning that intertwined branches were covered with yellowish clay.

‍Floor: The floor was also made of yellowish, hardened clay.

Finds: The finds inside the building shows that the people living in this house were rich, prominent people. It was the home of the leading family of Uppåkra! Many objects made of gold and silver such as brooches and coins have been found, as well as glass sherds that were once beautiful bowls and beakers. They have also uses bowls and beakers made of ceramics. 

What did they put on their table? Finds of tons of animal bones, waste from what seems to have been big feasts, have been made. They ate for example veal, pork, lamb, fish (herring and cod) and meat from horse.

They probably drank beer, brewed by the big ovens found at Uppåkra. The also ate cale, turnip and carrot, and used dill and parsley. These were plats that had been imported from the roman empire and were very luxurious at the time. 

Charred grains: The charred grains of barley from this building shows that the people stored big jars of grain inside the building. Perhaps it was the food supplies for the winter?

Bear claws: On the floor of the building bear claws have been found. This might be what’s left of a bear fur that once was spread on the floor.