Archaeologists rejoice over ‘new’ but oldest rune stone
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Loading... - paula summer
- 24 Jan 2023
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It may look look like scribbles to the untrained eye, but the figures found etched on this piece of stone found in southern Norway thrilled archaeologists at the University of Oslo. A “new” rune stone had been uncovered, and turned out to be the world’s oldest, providing evidence of people living by the Tyri Fjord as long as 2,000 years ago.
The figures inscribed on reddish-brown sandstone in Ringerike are an ancient form of Nordic language that later evolved into the various forms spoken today. The runic writing is believed to be the name of a person buried in a grave where the stone was found, at Svingerud not far from the historic Hole Church south of Hønefoss. It dates from around 1200 and still features similar light-brown stone.
The archaeologists were digging in the area where the state has long had controversial plans to build a new train line called Ringeriksbanen, aimed at shortening the trip between Oslo and Bergen. Such excavations are common before any construction starts, and those working on the project got a big surprise in the autumn of 2021.
They found a relatively small block of stone, measuring 31x32cm, with the main inscription in the bottom left corner. The stone was lying in a grave that also revealed burned bones and charcoal that have since been dated back to the years 1-250AD. That makes it the earliest known rune stone ever found, according to a press release from the University of Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History.
“It means that some stood near the Tyri Fjord sometime around 2,000 years ago and carved runes into stone,” Professor Kristel Zilmer, a “runolog” at the museum, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Tuesday. She called the stone “incredibly educational and inspiring.” Read More…
