Archaeologists have recently discovered remarkable artifacts from Viking graves in Norway — all thanks to steam metal detectors who unwittingly stumbled upon the treasure.
Søren Diinhoff, an archaeologist at the University Museum of Bergen, spoke to Fox News Digital about the discovery on Tuesday. Viking graves were found at the Skumsnes farm in Fitjar, located in southwestern Norway, in the fall of 2023, but the initial excavation of the site was completed at the end of last year.
Diinhoff said the graves were found by members of the Bjørgvin Detector Club, who immediately informed the local museum about the discovery. Archaeologists then began excavating the first two graves, both of which date back to between 800 and 850 AD.
Diinhoff told Fox News Digital that both graves, which were filled with coins, jewelry and other treasures, belonged to wealthy women. In the first, the excavators found “fragments of jewelry that indicate that it was a rich grave with significant grave goods.”
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Norwegian archaeologists recently discovered the discoveries of the excavation of a Viking grave. (Søren Diinhoff / University of Bergen)
“There were fragments of several gilded oval brooches (also called tortoise brooches) of Norse origin, [and] metal cauldron/vessel fragments produced in southern England or Ireland with enamel inlay and animal handles,” read the summary of the first tomb.
One of the most interesting artifacts discovered was a book clip which Vikings appeared as reshaped as a clasp or brooch pin. Diinhoff explained that the clasp was probably looted from a Christian monastery in the British Isles before the ninth century.
“They put a pin on the back of the buckles, and they could serve as brooches,” described the expert. “We think the clasp in the first grave could very well have come from a Bible in England or Ireland. It was torn off and returned to Norway where it eventually ended up as a woman’s brooch.”
Most of the fragments were found in the first grave because the site was likely looted shortly after the burial, Diinhoff said.
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Jewelry beads dating back to before 850 AD were among the discoveries during the excavation. (Søren Diinhoff/University of Bergen)
“We suspect that the first grave was opened a long time ago. It may have been opened even in the Viking Age,” he explained, adding that grave robbing in the Viking Age “was not uncommon” and that it is possible that it was done to steal valuable objects or to the dead would dishonor themselves.
“The finds are arranged in fragments on top and around the grave,” Diinhoff described. “The jewelry was broken into pieces, but the destruction was clearly not due to erosion. The broken surfaces indicated that the artifacts were destroyed intentionally and most likely when the grave was reopened.”
But the real treasure was found in the second grave, which included priceless artifacts ranging from textile production tools to fine jewelry and coins.
“These tools indicate that the burial had skills, but more indicate that the buried woman was the head of textile production on the farm. The production of high-quality textiles was prestigious and an important financial income,” the report explains. “The bronze key found in the grave symbolizes the central position of this woman. She was the holder of the key to the house and as such the head of the household. [What is] probably the pan in the grave shows the same.”
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“We found a pearl necklace near the brooches,” added the research report. “It consisted of 46 glass beads of various European and Scandinavian origins, and between the pearls were 11 silver coins.”
One coin was minted in Jutland between 832 and 840, while the other was Frankish and produced during the reign of Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne. Louis died in 840
A valuable brooch (left) and a pin that once served as a Bible clasp (right) were found in the excavation. (Søren Diinhoff /University of Bergen)
In general, Diinhoff said trade between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings was not uncommon, although not all “trade” was necessarily voluntary. He believes that the coins in the second grave were traded, while the book clip was stolen during the raid.
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In all, archaeologists fully excavated two of the women’s graves and were able to analyze a third that was not fully excavated but contained a gilded brooch and 25 glass beads. Historians also believe that the descendants may have been part of the same Viking family.
Diinhoff noted that there was a sense of urgency in terms of excavating other graves at the site, of which there are at least 20.
“We fear they will be destroyed in time,” said the Viking expert. “They’re right under the lawn and there are so many ways they can be destroyed… We hope to be able to dig up a few graves every year.”
Diinhoff also expressed his gratitude to the metal detectorists who found the site.
Archaeologists believe that there are many more graves in that place. (Søren Diinhoff/University of Bergen)
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“If they hadn’t ‘found’ the site in the first place, we wouldn’t know about the site,” the archaeologist said. “As the graves we found were just below the lawn, they are very exposed and would likely have been lost to time. Now we have the opportunity to excavate this small burial field.”
