Iron Age Remains Discovered on Arctic Island

GIMSØYA, NORWAY—Live in Norway reports that an Iron Age skeleton has been uncovered by a team of researchers led by archaeologist Anja Roth Niemi of the Arctic University Museum on one of the Lofoten Islands, which are located above the Arctic Circle in the Norwegian Sea. The body was placed in a crouched position with one arm near the head and the other with a clenched fist. “The upper body has not been disturbed by soil levelling or other human activity,” she said. The lower half of the 1,300-year-old remains, found in an area thought to have been the site of an Iron Age farm, were damaged by plowing. An ax has also been found in the grave. “Right now we are trying to find out if the ax is stuck in the lower jaw or lying next to it,” Niemi added. The site has been slated for a construction project. To read about a Viking grave unearthed beneath a Norwegian home, go to "Around the World: Norway."