1,000-Year-Old Iron Ingots Recovered in Norway

VALDRES, NORWAY—Live Science reports that 32 iron ingots estimated to be 1,000 years old have come to light in central Norway. Grete Margot Sørum came across the rods, which are identical in size and shape, while clearing out her parents’ basement. She said her father found the hoard in the 1980s while digging a well along what had been the Bergen Royal Road, a medieval trade route that connected the cities of Oslo and Bergen. Archaeologist Kjetil Loftsgarden of the University of Oslo explained that holes in one end of each of the ingots may have been used to tie them together in a bunch for use as currency. Farmers in the region are known to have produced iron, he added, and sold it to traders who carried it to the more populated coastal regions, where it was in demand. Charcoal pits were found around the area where the iron was originally unearthed, Loftsgarden added. To read about a massive cache of Viking silver, go to "Secrets of Scotland's Viking Age Hoard."