While trying to expand their home, a Norwegian couple found an ancient grave in their garden with various artifacts and weapons dating back to the Viking Age.
A family residing in the town of Setesdal, Norway, was planning to expand his house built in 1740, so he began to dig a foundation pit. As they dug, they noticed something strange sticking out of the ground, the objects, resembling both the hilt and the blade of a sword. Additionally, they found an oblong stone that appeared to be some kind of tombstone.
Oddbjørn Holum Heiland and his wife decided to research the find online and found an almost identical Viking sword that was discovered in another area of the country some time ago.
The couple concluded that the objects were part of a viking swordso Heiland stopped digging and informed local authorities of his discovery.
The next day, the archaeologist Joakim Wintervoll from the County Municipality of Agder and Jo-Simon Frshaug Stokke from the Oslo Museum of Cultural History, came to see the find.
Archaeologist and owners examining the find. Credit: Joakim Wintervoll.
Experts have confirmed that a Viking was once buried at the site.
Although the blade of the sword was broken and would have broken during the funeral ritual. The two pieces of the sword found they form a 70 cm long sword, and the blade measures 5 cm at the widest point. The mark of the sword has allowed archaeologists to date the find to between the late 9th and early 10th centuries.
“It’s the hilt that tells us it’s a Viking Age sword,” Explain Joakim Wintervol.
A sword hilt is a fashionable item, and the hilt style found at Setesdal places it in the late 800s and early 900s.
Detail of the hilt of the sword, which revealed that this sword is from the Viking era. Credit: Joakim Wintervoll.
other discoveries
In addition, in the tomb, golden glass beads were found in the place, a gold-plated belt bucklea bronze clasp for capes and a cavalry spear.
You might also be interested in: 2.3 meter long sword found in Japan.
According to experts, the grave could belong to a Viking of high social class, with access to resources; however, they clarified that the warriors did not use swords as their primary weapons, but rather axes and spears. Additionally, very few Vikings were wealthy enough to afford goods such as helmets and swords.
On the other hand, it is believed that the jewelry found was an indicator that the grave belonged to a man and not a woman.
References: Science Norway.
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