Archaeologists have excavated a rare Viking burial in Oslo containing the remains of a high-status individual and a variety of grave goods.
Some of the artifacts found in the grave in Oslo, including knives, a cloak brooch and the remains of a shield. (Image credit: Courtesy of the Cultural Heritage Management Office of Oslo)
The grave holds the remains of a cremated individual who archaeologists believe was likely a male. He was buried with a variety of grave goods, including two knives, a shield and a brooch that could have been used to fasten a cloak.
“In Norway, cloak brooches like these are almost always discovered in presumed man’s graves,” said Ann Zanette Tsigaridas Glørstad (opens in new tab), a curator at the University of Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History who is analyzing the artifacts. “The cloak brooch in this grave is unique in that it has preserved an unusually long pin, around 20 cm [centimeters, or 7.9 inches], which means that it must have been a rather prominent part of the costume of the deceased,” Tsigaridas Glørstad told Live Science in an email.
Conservation work on the artifacts is ongoing, and it’s not clear yet what the knives were used for. “For both men and women, sharp knives were essential for everyday use. The knives in the grave are of different sizes, possibly because they were intended for different purposes,” Tsigaridas Glørstad noted. “The smallest knife’s blade appears to have been sharpened repeatedly, indicating that it was a well-used possession of the deceased that was used over a long period of time.”