Archaeologists in Norway have found what is believed to be the world’s oldest runestone and say the inscriptions date back as far as 2,000 years, dating back to the earliest days of runic writing’s enigmatic history.
The flat, square block of brownish sandstone has carved scrawls that may be the earliest example of words recorded in writing in Scandinavia, the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo said.
It was said to be “one of the oldest runic inscriptions ever found” and “the oldest datable runestone in the world”.
“This find will give us much knowledge about the use of runes in the early Iron Age. This could be one of the first attempts to use runes on stone in Norway and Scandinavia,” said Kristel Zilmer, a professor at the University of Oslo, to which the museum belongs.
Older runes have been found on other items, but not stone. The earliest find of runes is on a bone comb found in Denmark. Zilmer said that perhaps the point of a knife or needle was used to carve the runes.
The rune stone was discovered in late 2021 during the excavation of a tomb near Tyrifjord west of Oslo, in a region known for several monumental archaeological finds. Items in the cremation pit – burned bones and charcoal – indicate the runes were probably inscribed between AD 1 and 250.
“We needed time to analyze and date the runestone,” she said, explaining why the find was first announced on Tuesday.
The stone measures 31 cm x 32 cm (12.2 in x 12.6 in) and has several types of inscriptions, not all of which make linguistic sense. Eight runes on the face of the stone read “idiberug” – which could be the name of a woman, man or family.
Zilmer called the discovery “the most sensational thing I had as an academic”.
Much research remains to be done on the rock, called the Svingerud Stone after the place where it was found.
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“There is no doubt that we will gain valuable insights into the early history of runic writing,” said Zilmer.
The rune stone will be on display for a month from January 21 at the Museum of Cultural History, which has Norway’s largest collection of historical artefacts from the Stone Age to modern times.
Runes are the characters in several Germanic alphabets used in Northern Europe from ancient times until the introduction of the Latin alphabet. They have been found on stones and various household items.