SKUMSNES, NORWAY—Science Norway reports that the ninth-century A.D. graves of three women have been unearthed in western Norway. There may be as many as 20 graves at the site, which was located on the coast near a large, Viking-era farm. “Many of the buried individuals were adorned with fine jewelry,” said archaeologist Søren Diinhoff of the University Museum of Bergen. The recovered jewelry includes mosaic glass beads, a necklace made of glass beads and silver coins, and oval brooches. One of the brooches is triangular in shape, and inlaid with glass and gold enamel. It is thought to have been made in England or Ireland. Most of the coins in the necklace have been identified as Carolingian silver minted in the Frankish Empire in the first half of the ninth century. Stains in the soil around the beads and coins suggest that the necklace may have been placed in a leather pouch for burial. A coin from another grave was minted in southern Denmark, in either the town of Hedeby or Ribe. “For the woman buried here, it may have had greater value as jewelry,” said archaeologist Unn Pedersen of the University of Oslo. “It may have told a story about her identity and the network she was a part of." The researchers think that these women may have married into the wealthy coastal community and brought the coins with them from home. For more on Viking Age women, go to "Viking Roles."
