Two graves in Norway, something like seven centuries apart in date, one contemporary with the era of the Roman Empire, the other from the Viking age can be seen to have clear similarities. A report on phys.org sets out the evidence. The earlier one appears to mark a significant change in dealing with the dead in that it is a burial not the remains of a cremation, which had hitherto been the practice whilst the second is seen as a conscious imitation of the older grave to convey a sense of continuity. Both burial mounds are created to look older than they actually are, to look back to a past era.
This, it is argued, suggests a society where tradition - define it as you choose - was valued, where identifying with past practice was important.
The article can be read at Findings show that the Vikings' self-image was influenced by Ancient Rome
The use of the the word Roman is slightly curious - I assume it is used in the sense of contemporaneous with rather than implying Roman rule in Norway, although there were doubtless some commercial contacts and just maybe intrepid Norwegians who served as Barbarian feodorati in the later centuries of Rome.
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