The flat, square block of brownish sandstone has carved scribbles that may be the earliest example of words recorded in written form in Scandinavia. The Oslo Museum of Cultural History said the find is among the oldest runic inscriptions ever found and the oldest dated runic stone in the world.
This may be one of the first attempts to use runes in Norway and Scandinavia on stone, Kristel Zillmer, a professor at the University of Oslo, told The Guardian.
Older runes have been found on other objects, but not on stone. The earliest runic find is on a bone comb found in Denmark.
The rune stone was discovered in the fall of 2021 during the excavation of a grave near Tirifjord, west of Oslo, in a region known for several monumental archaeological finds. Objects in the cremation pit, burnt bones and charcoal, indicate that the runes were probably written between AD 1 and 250.
According to Prof. Zillmer, it took time to analyze and date the stone, which is why the discovery was announced only now.
The runestone will be on display for a month, starting on January 21, at the Museum of Cultural History, which has Norway’s largest collection of historical artefacts, from the Stone Age to modern times.
Illustrative Photo by Erik Mclean:
