Archaeologists Uncover Intriguing Viking Age Grave
Archaeologists in Norway have made an exciting discovery after a metal detectorist stumbled upon an oval brooch in Trøndelag County. The team has since been excavating the site in secret to preserve the area and its archaeological riches.
The Viking Age grave they uncovered contains the skeletal remains of what they believe to be a free and likely married woman from the 800s. The grave includes typical Viking Age costume and jewelry, such as two oval brooches that would have attached to the straps of a suspender dress, and a ring buckle used to close a petticoat's neck opening.
However, the most notable feature of the grave is the presence of two scallop shells that partly covered the deceased's mouth. While scallop shells were a Christian symbol related to the cult of St. James during the Middle Ages, they are exceedingly rare in pre-Christian graves in Norway.
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Start Your News Detox"This is a practice that is not previously known from pre-Christian graves in Norway. We don't yet know what the symbolism means," said Raymond Sauvage, head engineer at the NTNU Museum's Department of Archaeology and Cultural History.
The excavation also revealed the presence of bird bones, likely wing bones, along the grave. According to the researchers, the shells and bird bones were probably meant to communicate symbolic meaning to the people who observed the burial.
This discovery follows the previous finding of a pristine skeleton in the same field earlier this year. The recently discovered individual is likely one to three generations younger than the previous find.
"During the inspection, we quickly realized that we were facing a new skeletal grave that was in acute danger of being damaged during the next ploughing," explained Hanne Bryn, field supervisor from the Department of Archaeology and Cultural History.
The next step for the researchers is to thoroughly examine the skeleton, preserve the objects, and conduct dating and DNA analysis to learn more about the person and their possible kinship to the previous find from the same location.
