Police probe sheep heads mystery

The decapitated heads of nearly a dozen sheep were found mounted on stakes around four historic sites in Vestfold County over the weekend. Police launched an investigation into who or what is behind the macabre stunt. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that the bloody sheeps’ heads were found around Borrehaugen in Horten, Slottsfjellet in Tønsberg, at [...]

Norway’s oldest city even older than thought

The Norwegian city of Tønsberg, about an hour’s drive southwest of Oslo, was believed to have been founded around 1100 AD. Now archaeologists think it’s at least 200 years older, following drilling tests around the downtown area. The city isn’t far from where Norway’s famous Oseberg Viking ship was excavated, and now it appears Tønsberg [...]

Viking ship sunk near Shetland

A replica Viking ship known as Dragens Vinge (“The Dragon’s Wing”) has sunk on its way from Norway to the Shetland Islands in Scotland, with seven people needing to be rescued by emergency services. The boat, built based on methods used in the thirteenth century, left Sandnes in south-west Norway on Monday. But reports of [...]

30 Viking graves found in Setesdal

Thirty graves believed to originate from the Viking period have been discovered in the valley of Setesdal, southern Norway. The major discovery earlier this summer was made in connection with a road project in the area. Newspaper Aftenposten reports that the burial area, near the settlement of Langeid, was first found in June as part [...]

Ancient coin confirms saga

A rare German coin – a silver pfenning from the Harz mountains – was found during an excavation at Avaldsnes on Karmøy, close to Stavanger on the southwest coast. The coin confirms references in Snorre Sturlason’s ancient norse king saga to a royal estate during the time of Harald I of Norway, also known as [...]

Viking axe from Oslo found in south

An axe dating from the Middle Ages or Viking period found in a cellar in south Norway is believed to be originally from an old estate in Oslo. The axe was originally found when Reidar Kjeldstrup was cleaning up his deceased parents’ property in 1961. Kjeldstrup only guessed that the axe was ancient when he [...]

Viking is ‘forefather to British royals’

A joint Norwegian-French investigation hopes to reveal that Norwegian Viking noble Ganger Hrólf was the same person as Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy – and the forefather of the British royal family. Rollo, sometimes known as Robert I, is estimated to have lived between 846 and 931 AD, and was the first ruler of [...]

Viking ship not just ceremonial

For years, it was widely believed that the ancient Tune ship on display at the Viking Ships Museum in Oslo was used mainly as a so-called “grave ship,” perhaps even built for the purpose of being buried in the grave of an important Viking. Now a new doctoral dissertation claims that it was not only [...]

Remnants of ancient church found

As Levanger celebrates its 1000th anniversary, a vaulted basement in the center of town has been found to contain ashlar blocks of prepared marble, remnants of a medieval church. Tasked with searching for traces of early settlement in the town of Levanger in Northern Trøndelag, the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) were performing [...]

Full-scale Viking replica to be built

Volunteers are aiming to complete and sail a full-scale replica of Norway’s famed Oseberg ship, one of the best-preserved and most celebrated Viking relics in the world, later this year. Enthusiasts working in Tønsberg, southern Norway – home port of the original Oseberg vessel – are carrying out their work in Viking dress and with [...]

Vikings revered Stone Age objects

New archaeological findings suggest that the Vikings considered Stone Age objects to have magical qualities, and that such “antiques” were more important in Viking culture than previously understood. Examinations of around 10 Viking graves found in Rogaland, southwest Norway, revealed Stone Age items, such as weapons, amulets and tools. Olle Hemdorff of the Archaelogical Museum [...]

Vikings advanced in jewelry design

Not only did the Vikings build legendary vessels and extraordinary wood carvings for their time, they also were highly advanced in their design and production of jewelry. A doctoral candidate at the University of Oslo who was defending her thesis this week has (literally) unearthed evidence of large-scale jewelry production in the Viking town of [...]

Vikings were terrorists of their time

One of the world’s leading experts on Scandinavian history now believes that the Vikings had motives similar to those of today’s terrorists. Robert Ferguson, who emigrated to Norway in 1984, is launching a new theory that Viking raids were a reaction to threats to their identity, culture and beliefs. Ferguson addresses the terrorist issue in [...]