A Norwegian family was able to come across an unexpected finding as they used a metal detector in their yard to find a missing earring.
Lost Missing Earring Search Leads to Viking Age Treasure Discovery
They picked up metal signals under a big tree at the back of their home. Rather than finding the lost earring, they discovered something of great archaeological value. As they dug the area, they found Viking age burial relics. More specifically, there were two ornaments of bronze that may have been originally covered with gold.
When the metal detector device gave off signals pertaining to the hoard, the family stopped their dig and reached out to government archaeologists to look into the finding.
According to archaeologist Vibeke Lia from the Vestfold and Telemark County Council, the many loose rock piles, which are known as cairns, were previously found in the southwest portion of the Island. Though researchers think that these cairns date back to the Viking Age, there is no record of inhabitants of Jomfruland prior to the earliest historical records that point to the Middle Age.
However, the new findings suggest that these cairns may have been made by Vikings.
The bigger artifact within the grave is a brooch that has an oval shape and that may have been used by a woman with a halter dress for fastening shoulder straps. These brooches were common sightings in Viking women's graves. The style of the brooch exhibited that of the ninth century.
The other finding was hard to distinguish, but archaeologists were, later on, able to find out that it was a circular brooch. Its decorations, which were intricate geometric and animal engravings, suggest that it dates back to the ninth century.
The location of the artifacts in the family's yard could have aided the objects' preservation. Because the site was never plowed before, they were found in quite a good condition compared to other findings picked up by metal detectors.
Whether the area will be further excavated or not still remains uncertain as the area could be sheltered as a grave. Nevertheless, moving forward, the next step would be to see if the area is vulnerable to deterioration.
First Viking Age Findings in Island of Jomfruland
The rare findings could serve as the first findings that date back to the Viking Age that were found in Jomfruland island. According to Lia, the discovery confirmed that there were inhabitants in the area during this period.
The island of Jomfruland is remotely located at the southeast coast of Northway. It faces Denmark and Skagerrak strait. Many of the houses within the island are vacation homes. Only around 75 people permanently live in the area.
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