A family in Norway made an astounding discovery while searching for a lost gold earring in their yard: Viking-era artifacts dating back over 1,000 years. Instead of finding the earring, the Aasvik family found items believed to be from a Viking funeral. The Cultural Heritage of Vestfold and Telemark County Council shared news of this find, which includes a bowl-shaped buckle and another item possibly used in a ninth-century Viking burial.
The two Viking-era artifacts discovered under a tree in the Aasvik family’s yard.
Kulturarv i Vestfold og Telemark fylkeskommune
The council believes that a woman’s grave had unknowingly been preserved under a large tree in the Aasvik family’s garden. The artifacts are estimated to be from around AD 800.
The Aasvik family’s garden where the Viking-era artifacts were unearthed.
Kulturarv i Vestfold og Telemark fylkeskommune
The Aasvik family immediately reported their find to local authorities. This discovery is significant as it is the first Viking-era find on the island of Jomfruland, which is located off Norway’s south coast. Prior to this, archaeologists only had evidence of settlements on the island dating back to the Middle Ages.
In a separate discovery, amateur archaeologist Erlend Bore found Viking-era artifacts on the southern island of Rennesøy in Norway. Bore initially thought he had found foil-wrapped chocolate coins but instead uncovered nine pendants, three rings, and 10 gold pearls from around AD 500.
