Monday Ground Up: Archaeological Discovery of Viking Artifacts Reveals Facts about Ancient Society

Guest Article By Maria Rainier

Scientists working in Norway’s Jotunheimen mountain range have been reaping the benefits of climate change, taking advantage of warmer conditions to make an exciting archaeological discovery whose implications may help to reconstruct the region’s ancient society.

With glaciers melting quickly enough to reveal layers of ice that have never been exposed before, it’s an archaeological opportunity almost too much to handle. Artifact collection in frozen areas is a delicate process which often requires finding an artifact within a few days of its emergence. The artifact must then be carefully removed, transported to a laboratory, and frozen to keep it from disintegrating. This is especially true of any type of fiber (clothing, rope, and thread), animal skins, feathers, or hair, while wood takes a few years to rot and is easier to manage for archaeologists.

The Viking artifacts being discovered in Norway are predominantly wooden hunting weapons, but archaeologists are still struggling to collect all specimens before they start to fall apart.

Artifacts from Viking Hunters

Archaeologists are quickly learning more about Viking reindeer hunters based on the tools they’re finding in the mountains. The most commonly discovered artifacts are part of an innovative scare tactic meant to drive reindeer toward hidden batteries of Viking archers. This scare tactic involved creating a barrier of wooden stakes spaced about 6 ½ feet apart. Each stake had a foot-long piece of wood tied to its tip so any gust of wind would cause the entire row of stakes to start “flapping,” scaring reindeer toward the waiting Viking hunters.

Most of these archaeological discoveries are incomplete, missing the thread which tied the moving pieces to the stakes, but scientists are hoping to find some intact as they increase their efforts. Bows and arrows and a leather shoe have also been found at the Jotunheimen sites.

Reconstructing Norway’s Ancient Society

According to Norse mythology, the Jotunheimen mountains were inhabited by the “Ice Giants,” also called Frost Giants or Jötunn (Jotunheimen means “home of the giants”). While they may have been tall in stature, these “giants” weren’t the superhuman entities of lore.

What archaeologists do know about them is that they had an organized society, a conclusion drawn from the way Vikings would have cooperated to create the stake barriers for reindeer hunting. Scientists hypothesize that they hunted in groups of 15 or 20, lying in wait together with their bows and arrows until the frightened reindeer ran within about 65 feet of them. This implies that Norway’s ancient society was characterized by hierarchy, as leadership would have been a necessary part of organizing and executing a collective hunting strategy. The prolific Jotunheimen sites are likely to offer more insights into this ancient society and scientists are working to make more meaningful archeological discoveries.


Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at Online Degrees, researching areas of online colleges. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Sources:

Photo: Marcin Szala, used with permission

Monday Ground Up: Alta Rock Carvings in Norway

Just above the Arctic Circle, north of Norway, there lies a series of rock carvings, otherwise known as petroglyphs, dating back as far as 4200 BCE. The Alta Rock carvings, similar to other pre-historic paintings, depict a culture consisting of hunter gatherers. The carvings have been linked to the descendants of the Komsa, a late Stone Age society.

What we do know is that the Komsa were fisherman and hunters and they were quite skilled at building boats and herding animals. The carvings themselves are diverse, displaying reindeer and bears most frequently, which suggests that they might have been worshiped. Additionally, there are wolves, elk, fish, birds, and several other species.

 

These types of pre-historic cultures were thought to have bear cults and shamanistic rituals. However, this belief may have stemmed from the footprints carved along the walls. If you look at a reindeer's tracks, you will notice the tracks are going horizontally.

In the case of the bears, the tracks seem to move vertically, which many researchers speculate that bears might have been in some way connected with a cult of the afterlife. Oddly, bears are legend to be able to cross different boundaries and layers of the world. So could it be that they were the key to time travel?

Today, visitors can view the Alta Rock Carvings in an open air museum, fashioned with a wooden walkway between the rocks. You can also see several artifacts found around the area of Alta from the Sami culture and an exhibit on the Northern Lights. The carvings at Alta give us a small glimpse into ancient history, and what it was like on a daily basis.

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 The Spear Masters of the Dinka Tribe of the upper Nile are a hereditary priesthood, and according to mythology, their presence is reinforced by political and religious ideals. There are several legends of the origins of these spear using masters, one in which includes a lion and a man dancing. The lion demands a bracelet that the man is wearing and he refuses.The Spear Masters of the Dinka Tribe

Related Sites:

• Alta Museum website
• Norway State of Environment webpage about the carvings

Sources All pictures compliments of gorbatsov

Akershus Castle in Oslo, Norway

Akershus Castle was constructed around the late 13th century by King Håkon V. Initially, it had replaced Tønsberg as one of the two most important Norwegian castles of the period. It was built to protect Oslo from any further attacks, one of those attacks led by Earl Alv Erlingsson of Sarpsborg’s.

The German surrender of Akershus Fortress on 11 May 1945.

Akershus went through many sieges over the years, however it never had been successfully captured by a foreign enemy. However, when the Germans assauted Norway and Denmark during World War II in 1940, the Norwegian government evacuated the capital.

Several individuals were executed at Akershus, including Norwegian traders after the war. Among those executed was Vidkun Quisling, who's charges involved his revocation of the mobilization order, his encouragement of Norwegians to serve in the Norwegian SS division, his assistance in the deportation of Jews, and his responsibility for the execution of Norwegian patriots and a number of other charges.

Akershus was also used a prison up until the 19th century, housing infamous prisoners such as the "thief of the people" and author Gjest Baardsen.


Today, the castle is open daily for visitors until 9pm, however the premises is still being used as a military base. On your tour, you will be able to see Norwegian Royalty which have been buried in the Royal Mausoleum in the castle. They include, King Sigurd I, King Haakon V, Queen Eufemia, King Haakon VII, Queen Maud, King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha.