Viking-Era Grave Discovered in Norway

OSLO, NORWAY—Life in Norway reports that a Viking-era grave was found in a residential area of Oslo during a survey conducted before a construction project. Archaeologist Marianne Bugge Kræmer of the Oslo Municipality Cultural Heritage Management Office said that the grave was situated on a prominent hill and would have had views of a valley and stream. The grave contained fragments of a soapstone vessel and a style of brooch worn by men, as well as a sickle, two knives, the metal shield boss from a wooden shield, horse equipment, and human remains. “For now, the grave has been dated based on the artifacts it contains,” Kræmer said. “This type of brooch with spheres begins to appear in approximately A.D. 850 and became common after the tenth century A.D.” Zanette Tsigaridas Glørstad of the University of Oslo explained that the bones and artifacts have been transferred to a conservation lab at the university’s Museum of Cultural History. Researchers will not be able to extract a DNA sample from the bones because they were all burned, she added. For more, go to "Vikings in Furs."