In a surprising find by Swedish researchers, alleged Arabic characters were found woven into the burial costumes found from Viking boat graves, as well as the chamber grave clothing of central Viking Age sites, such as Birka. The garments were kept in storage for more than a century—dismissed as being typical Viking Age funeral clothing—until a new investigation yielded much more intriguing results.

“One exciting detail is the word ‘Allah’ depicted in mirror image,” says the textile archaeologist who made the breakthrough discovery, Annika Larsson of Uppsala University.

Larsson's findings have not undergone peer review and have been disputed by some other archaeologists since word of the discovery first emerged late last week.

The patterns were woven in silver thread