Norway First-Graders Unearth 1,300-Year-Old Viking Sword Near Oslo
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
Norway First-Graders Unearth 1,300-Year-Old Viking Sword Near Oslo
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
Summary
A class of first-graders found an 8th-century Viking sword in late April in a field near Brandbu, about 40 miles northwest of Oslo, after 6-year-old Henrik spotted metal protruding from the ground on a school trip.
Archaeologists say the single-edged weapon likely dates to 750-850 A.D. and is a relatively rare find in Innlandet, where roughly one Viking sword is discovered every two years.
Øystein Lia of Innlandet County said the sword probably belonged to a high-status free landholder and warrior, and may have come from a grave disturbed by cultivation near Iron Age burial mounds 40 meters away.
The rust-covered sword, with pommel and hilt largely intact, has been sent to Oslo's Museum of Cultural History for preservation, where X-rays may reveal how it was forged.