A couple’s home summer project unexpectedly became an archeological dig when they unearthed a Viking-Age grave in their backyard—including a sword over 1,000 years old.
Norwegian homeowner Oddbjørn Holum Heiland broke ground with an excavator in late June, intending to open up the yard space, when he pulled up an oblong slab of stone from just below the surface.
Another bucket load saw an iron object pop up from underground, which he thought looked like the blade of a sword. Upon emptying the bucket’s contents, this was confirmed when he saw the hilt of a sword fall out.
Rather than keep digging, Mr. Holum Heiland immediately called authorities. The next day, Agder County archaeologists Joakim Wintervoll and Jo-Simon Frøshaug Stokke, from the Museum of Cultural History, visited Mr. Holum Heiland’s home in Valle, Setesdal, in southern Norway, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southwest of Oslo.
The archaeologists inspected the excavation site and confirmed the find was a Viking grave.
“I immediately cleared my schedule and made some calls to see what was possible to get done,” Mr. Wintervoll said. “Jo-Simon and I went up there together to have a look at it and it was quite clear that this was a grave. It is a very rare find, very exciting.”
In addition to the sword, further inspection revealed more Viking-Age artifacts: a lance, used for combat on horseback; pieces of belt buckle; the bulge of a shield; an axe; a knife; a broach, used for fastening capes; and several glass beads gilt with gold.
The sword itself was in two pieces, measuring 70 centimeters (approx. 27.5 inches) in total length and 5 centimeters (approx. 2 inches) wide at its broadest. It was the hilt, however, that allowed them to date the find, as Viking sword hilts were crafted in fashions that can be classified by date. The style of this particular hilt places it around the end of the 9th or beginning of the 10th centuries, Science Norway reported.
“We have datings for different styles of hilts from year zero, so we have a pretty good overview of how these hilts have changed from the early Iron Age and into the Middle Ages,” Mr. Wintervoll said.
Mr. Holum Heiland and his wife, Anne, live in an old house that dates from 1740. They obtained permission to dig, yet no one expected anything like this.
Previously, in the 1970s, Ms. Holum Heiland’s parents had dug around the premises. The recent run-in with a Viking grave seems to be a complete coincidence.
“We didn’t think it was likely that anything would be found there,” Mr. Wintervoll said. “It’s a pretty far way from other cultural heritage sites.”
The region of Valle was once a major center of trade and iron production for manufacturing hunting goods during the late Iron Age, according to the Museum of Cultural History.
The oblong stone found by Mr. Holum Heiland may have served as a grave marker in place of a mound and could have either been laid flat or stood upright. It might have been placed here by ancestors and displayed openly as a claim of territory.
Judging from the grave’s abundant valuables, it likely belonged to someone of wealth, perhaps a Viking rider.
“Even if we often imagine Vikings with helmets and swords, very few Vikings could actually afford this,” Mr. Stokke told Science Norway. “These weapons alone make this a rich grave, but then you have the jewelry as well. So this is a person who clearly had some resources.”
As for the one laid to rest, no human remains have been found as yet. The Museum of Cultural History decided to continue excavating, though researchers are doubtful anything more will be found. That could depend on whether the deceased was cremated or buried.
“Perhaps we can find a bone, which would allow us to say something about the gender and age of the person buried here,” Mr. Stokke said. “In any case, most of the organic material such as bones is most likely gone, but we always hope we might find something small.”
As for Mr. Holum Heiland’s home improvement project, that’s temporarily been shelved. Yet he has no qualms, for he was told the research won’t take long.
“It’s really not been a problem, they’ve been very easy to deal with,” the homeowner said. “And in any case, a bit of a delay is no disaster, I’ve got plenty of stuff that needs doing.
“It is after all a very special thing. We have a Viking grave right behind our house.”
