Viking burial site discovered in backyard in Norway
Archaeologists excavate a Viking burial site in a backyard in Oslo, Norway. (Courtesy: Oslo Municipality Cultural Heritage Management Office)
OSLO, Norway - When a resident in Norway wanted to build a new detached house on their property, ancient artifacts were uncovered in the backyard — and archaeologists were brought in to further examine the property.
What they found turned out to be a Viking burial site in what is now the Holmen neighborhood of the capital city of Oslo.
The Oslo Municipality Cultural Heritage Management Office shared photos of their excavation, showing artifacts such as ring buckles and knives as they were unearthed.
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Archaeologists also found the remnants of a shield, a sickle, and equestrian equipment, including a bell and sleigh pull.
Archaeologists excavate a Viking burial site in a backyard in Oslo, Norway. (Courtesy: Oslo Municipality Cultural Heritage Management Office)
Workers carefully excavated each piece from the ground and brought them to the Cultural History Museum for further cleaning and conservation.
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"This location has been a prominent hill, clearly visible in the terrain and with a great view," Marianne Bugge Kraemer, an archaeologist in charge of excavating the site, told Science Norway. "The grave was located directly under a thin layer of topsoil and turf right on the east side of the highest point on the site... This was a valley where the stream Holmenbekken flowed in ancient times."
No human remains were found because a common burial custom in the Viking Age was cremation, where the dead were burned on a pyre. After cremation, the ashes and bones would be collected in a stone vessel and placed in a rock crevice on a hill with a view of the valley, archaeologists said.