– This is one of the best finds I have made! Archaeologist Morten Ramstad is full of excitement about the bottle post that was unearthed at Nordfjordeid this week. The large burial mound has indeed been explored before. 150 years ago, Anders Lorange dug in and found the remains of a large Viking ship. Klaus Edler gets big results with the metal detector. Photo: Håkon Vatnar Olsen / news Before the pile was filled again, he left a message for his future colleagues. The archaeologists have not opened the bottle post. A little water has penetrated, and they are afraid of ruining the message. Great find Lorange had placed the bottle under a number of ship’s rivets from the burning Myklebust ship. The archaeologists have dug into the same part of the burial mound as 150 years ago. Nevertheless, they have made overwhelming discoveries. Photo: Håkon Vatnar Olsen / news – It is very difficult to describe how big it is. In Western Norway, it has been over 100 years since one was allowed to enter a ship’s grave, says Ramstad. They have found over 600 objects – including 500 rivets from the Viking ship. They have also found a bronze ring, which probably belonged to a vessel that was stolen from Ireland. – We have found about as much as Lorange did, says Ramstad. In total, over 1,300 rivets have been found from the Myklebust ship. 500 of them have been unearthed this week. Archaeologist Morten Ramstad has been involved in a lot, but this project is among the biggest in his career. The ship’s nails indicate that the Myklebust ship was of formidable size. National antiquarian Hanna Geiran wants the ship’s heritage to end up on UNESCO’s world heritage list. Not in 150 years has anyone explored the Viking grave at Nordfjordeid. A few stone’s throw away from the burial mound is the reconstruction of the ship that was burned here – the Myklebust ship. The ship was of formidable size. – Perhaps Norway’s largest. Now we get to know more. The size of the ship’s nails will be able to say something about the size of the ship. It’s hugely exciting, says national antiquary Hanna Geiran. The Myklebust ship was very large, but the researchers do not have the exact measurements. Here is a replica. Photo: Oddmund Reisæter Haugen / news Flaskepost from 2024 The whole heap will not be excavated. They will leave the rest intact. – Cultural heritage is a non-renewable resource. It’s a treasure trove for the future we’re looking for, says Geiran. The burial mound dates from the 8th century. Several hundred days’ work was needed to make the pile. It was a symbol of the power of the buried. This bronze ring was probably stolen from a monastery in Ireland. Photo: Håkon Vatnar Olsen / news Perhaps it was King Audbjørn who was buried here. According to Snorri, he died in battle against Harald Hårfagre. There are also bone remains in the burial mound. Animals were sacrificed. It is not inconceivable that people were killed in the religious burial rituals. Archaeologist Thomas Bruen Olsen says that they will also add a bottle post. Photo: Håkon Vatnar Olsen / news Archaeologists use completely different methods today than in the 19th century. Then one was most concerned with finding the big treasures in the middle of the grave. On Monday, the burial mound will be closed again. Then the archaeologists must of course leave their own bottle post. What message they will leave behind, the archaeologists will never reveal. They take that with them to the grave. Published 18.10.2024, at 18.20
ttn-69
Major finds in Viking grave at Nordfjordeid – also found 150-year-old bottle mail from archaeologist – news Vestland
