Viking settlement found in CONSTANTINOPLE

The fact that these were the Vikings is evidenced by the found cross made of ambergris, a substance that is formed in the stomach of the sperm whale.

ANKARA, 25 August. / TASS /. In the area of ​​Lake Kucukcekmece in Istanbul, archaeologists have found a Viking settlement. According to the Hürriyet Daily News 

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/archaeologists-unearth-viking-neighborhood-in-istanbul-157658?fbclid=IwAR2JCJ1nT5PYJrjsk_C6wlNcU3nUgAbh0ShKZTSc5i00aXq0CbfFeW49MPk

it was located on the territory of the ancient Greek city of Batonea, which has been excavated since 2009.

"The ancient texts say that foreigners who were denied access to Constantinople settled in the port, which was located in Batonea," said one of the archaeologists Blazhei Stanislavsky. He said that the Vikings also lived there, who served as mercenaries for the Byzantine emperor Michael VII Duca.
Seven artifacts indicate that the Vikings lived here, including a cross made of ambergris, a solid substance that forms in the digestive tract of sperm whales. Similar crosses were previously found only in Northern Europe. The finds also included a necklace depicting a snake.
Historians believe that the Vikings lived in the vicinity of Constantinople at various times between the 8th and 11th centuries. Researchers have several theories about why the Vikings established their settlement there. One of them is that the Vikings came to the territory of Byzantium as mercenaries or merchants. Local authorities accepted them, but they were still afraid, so the Vikings were allowed to visit the city only in small groups - no more than 35 people. In addition, they had to leave the city before dark. Forced to settle outside the Byzantine capital, the Vikings chose Batonea for this, which at that time was an international port.