Norway archaeologists find 'world's oldest runestone'

Category : Science and Tech Published on: January 23 2023

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Norwegian archaeologists find 'world's oldest runestone'Archeologists in Norway have discovered the world's oldest dated runestone, featuring runic inscriptions from up to 2,000 years ago.
The runestone was first discovered at an ancient grave near Tyrifjorden in eastern Norway during the autumn of 2021 by archaeologists at the Museum of Cultural History, part of the University of Oslo.
The stone has been named "Svingerudsteinen," or "the Svingerud Stone," after the site where it was found.
Burnt bones and charcoal from the cremation pit where it was discovered revealed that the writing was carved into the reddish-brown sandstone boulder, measuring about a foot in height and width, between 1 and 250 AD.
Runes are the oldest known form of writing in Scandinavia, and the alphabet was widely used from the beginning of the Common Era (CE) and throughout the Viking Age until the late Middle Ages.

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