1,200-Year-Old Viking Sword Found By Hiker In Norway

AncientPages.com - A 1,200-year-old Viking sword was accidentally found by a hiker traveling the ancient route between western and eastern Norway.

The sword was found at Haukeli located about250 km (150 miles) from Oslo, Norway and it will be sent for conservation at the The University Museum of Bergen.

Jostein Aksdal, an archeologist with Hordaland County said the sword was in such good condition that if it was given a new grip and a polish, it could be used today.

“The sword was found in very good condition. It is very special to get into a sword that is merely lacking its grip,” Aksdal said.

“When the snow has gone in spring, we will check the place where the sword was found. If we find several objects, or a tomb, perhaps we can find the story behind the sword,” he said.

He said that judging by the sword’s 77cm (30 inches) long, and is made of wrought iron. Based on its characteristics, experts date it back to 750-800 AD.

See also:

Surprising Inscription Discovered On Birka Ring – Ancient Viking Artifact

Swords like this one represented status symbols in Viking times and especially in Western Norway. However, it was rather costly weapon because of the high cost of extracting iron.

The owner of this weapon must have been a wealthy person and probably used it to demonstrate his power.

Next year, archaeologists will return to the area where the sword was found and will try to uncover more artifacts at the site, which may shed light on early history of the country and its people.

AncientPages.com

source:

The Local.no

Hordaland Fylkeskommune