For decades, archaeologists have grappled with the identity of a 10th-century skeleton discovered at Prague Castle, whose remains were exploited by both the Nazis and Soviets for ideological purposes. The warrior, buried with a sword, knives, and other grave goods, has been subject to conflicting interpretations that reveal more about the political pressures of the 20th century than the individual himself.
The skeleton was unearthed in 1928 by Ukrainian archaeologist Ivan Borkovsky, who was initially prevented from publishing his conclusions. When the Nazis occupied Prague in 1939, they seized on the theory that the warrior was a Viking, using it to support claims of Germanic racial purity and historical territorial rights. Borkovsky was forced to cooperate under threat of deportation to a concentration camp, and his work was edited to fit Nazi propaganda.
After the war, under increasing Soviet influence, Borkovsky reversed his position, claiming he had been pressured into promoting the Viking theory. He instead adopted the interpretation of his former superior, that the skeleton belonged to a member of the early Slav Přemyslid dynasty, which ruled Bohemia for over 400 years. This shift helped him avoid the threat of Soviet prison camps.
Modern scientific analysis has shed some light on the warrior's origins. Jan Frolik of the Czech Academy of Sciences explained that strontium isotope analysis of the teeth shows he grew up in Northern Europe, likely on the south coast of the Baltic Sea or in Denmark. However, Frolik cautioned that this does not automatically make him a Viking, as Slavs and Baltic tribes also inhabited that region.
Frolik believes the warrior came to Prague in early adulthood, serving in the retinue of Duke Bořivoj I or his son Spytihněv I, founders of the Přemyslid dynasty. His burial in the centre of Prague Castle indicates he was a man of prominence. Yet his exact identity remains elusive, with experts noting that past individuals, like modern people, could have held multiple identities.
