The unique discovery sheds new light on the contact between Norway and the British Isles.
The sword is currently at the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger. Source: Konservator Lise Chantrier Aasen / UiS
Parts of a magnificent sword with unique details in gold and silver have recently been found at Jåttå in Stavanger. The sword blade itself is gone, but the preserved sword grip has exquisite and unique details.
It is still difficult to see all the details on the sword - but the decorations include gilded elements of the typical animal style from the Late Iron Age, about 550 to about 1050, as well as geometric figures of silver in the so-called niello technique - that is, a metal mixture was added in as black stripes in the silver. The hilt also has ends designed as an animal head.
"The technique is of very high quality, and the complex decorations and the special helmet design make this a unique find, which will arouse great interest from other parts of Europe," archaeologist and expert on the Viking Age at the Archaeological Museum at the University in Stavanger, Zanette Glørstad, stated.
A rare sword type
The sword belongs to a rare type, which includes the richest ornate and heaviest sword types from the Viking Age. Examples of this sword type have been found in both Eastern and Western Europe. In Norway, less than 20 pieces have been found. Many of the swords found in the country were probably imported.
"But we can imagine that copies may also have been made by skilled swordsmen in Norway. The decoration may indicate that the sword was made in the then Frankish Empire or England and that it can be dated to the early 800s. The closest parallel we know of is a sword from the island of Eigg in Scotland, found in a tomb from the 9th century," the archaeologist added.
The place where the sword was found is known for a number of other significant finds from the Viking Age, such as the "Tomb of the Gausel Queen," one of the richest women's graves from the Viking Age after the Oseberg discovery.
The "Gausel Queen"
The "Gausel Queen," like the Oseberg women, had brought a number of rich finds from the British Isles to the grave.
"With this finding, we must look at the entire Jåttå-Gausel area again. The collection of imported magnificent finds related to both men and women from the area shows that this has been a hub for contact across the North Sea," Håkon Reiersen, a researcher at the Archaeological Museum in Stavanger, noted.
The sword was found with a metal detector in two parts by two finders, independently of each other. One part was found last year and the other this spring. Both detectorists immediately reported the unique find to the Cultural Heritage Service. In this way, they ensured that the sword could be quickly taken care of at the conservation department at the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger.
When the second find came into the museum, the archaeologists discovered that it matched the find from last year. Thus, the entire grip can now be reconstructed.
When the sword has been preserved, the museum will contact researchers abroad to research the sword's origins.
