Medieval and Viking-Age artifacts discovered in Norway

Medievalists.net ^ | circa January 2025 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

A very rare Byzantine coin is among dozens of medieval and Viking-era objects discovered in eastern Norway last year. Officials with Innlandet County Municipality have released details of items found by metal detectorists, including buckles, seals and pieces from swords.

Around 700 coins have now been found with by metal detectors in recent months – they date from the Roman period to 1650, with the most spectacular being a gold histamenon in excellent condition. Minted during the reigns of Basil II and Constantine VIII, sometime between 977 and 1025 AD, it shows the joint Byzantine emperors on one side and Jesus holding a book on the reverse...

Officials plan to do a more extensive search of the area later this year...

Another find reported to officials in Innlandet County is a set of 32 Viking-Age iron ingots. However, these were actually found back in the 1980s. They were then forgotten until Grete Margot Sørum came across them while cleaning her parents’ house.

The ingots have now been sent off to the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo for further study.

[SunkenCiv]

• Cross/thor hammer found in Ringsaker municipality. Photo by Kenny Hansen / Innlandet County Municipality
• Pearl spreader found in Stange municipality. Photo by Ola Hågensen / Innlandet County Municipality
• Limoges figure found in Ringsaker municipality. Photo by Vegard Høystad-Lunna / Innlandet County Municipality

[ComputerGuy]

Over the years, I’ve been asked many times if I use a detector when looking for arrowheads.

[Waverunner]

And this man from America reports, Civil war relics found at Gettysburg PA and Shiloh TN.

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists are finding mysterious ancient objects on Norway’s melting glaciers. Take a look.
Morgan McFall-Johnsen Feb 25, 2025, 5:16 AM ET
https://www.businessinsider.com/archaeologists-discovering-ancient-artifacts-norways-melting-glaciers-photos-2025-2

A Metal Detectorist in Norway Found an Ultra-Rare Byzantine Coin That’s More Than 1,000 Years Old
The gold coin was discovered over 1,600 miles from its place of origin.
Photo by Martine Kaspersen, courtesy of Innlandet County Municipality.
Verity Babbs
December 11, 2023
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/byzantine-coin-norway-found-by-metal-detectorist-2406396

Byzantine Gold Coin Found in Norway
December 5, 2023
Archaeology Magazine
https://archaeology.org/news/2023/12/05/231206-byzantine-gold-norway/

Viking Age silver bracelet unearthed by metal detectorist in Norway
by Dario Radley November 13, 2023
https://archaeologymag.com/2023/11/viking-age-silver-bracelet-found-in-norway/

Prehistoric Viking weapons revealed as glaciers melt in Norway during heat wave
Aspen Pflughoeft August 30, 2022 12:10 PM
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article265075029.html

[SunkenCiv]

• They found gold coins from the time of Justinian the Great near Troyan [near the village of Debnevo] [08/29/2024]
• Traces of a Medieval Gauntlet Discovered in Norway [08/16/2024]
• 1290: Alv Erlingsson, the Last Viking [04/23/2024]
• Recycled Byzantine silver drove Europe's 7th century revival [04/13/2024]
• Metal detectorist finds "very rare" ancient gold coin in Norway -- over 1,600 miles away from its origin [12/05/2023]
• Melting ice near Norway's highest mountain reveals horse bridle that could stem from the Viking Age [09/27/2023]
• 1500-year-old gold treasure discovered by metal detectorist: "This is the gold find of the century in Norway" [09/08/2023]
• Rare Stone Age discovery in mid-Norway [08/25/2023]
• 7,000-year old fish traps excavated in Norwegian mountain lake -- a race against time as the water is coming in [06/26/2023]
• Medieval Pantry Stocked With Spices Found in 500-Year-Old Shipwreck [02/21/2023]
• Glacial Archaeologists Find Arrow In Melting Ice [08/21/2022]
• Melting glacier sheds light upon hidden Viking era artifacts in Norway dated back to 300 AD [03/15/2021]
• Melting glacier sheds light upon hidden Viking era artifacts in Norway dated back to 300 AD [12/17/2020]
• Archaeologists Race Melting Glaciers 2 Rescue Iron & Bronze Age Artifacts Exposed by Climate Change [01/24/2018]
• Melting [Norwegian] mountain ice reveals thousands of stunningly-preserved artefacts [01/23/2018]
• Items lost in the Stone Age are found in melting glaciers [01/17/2015]
• Viking gold discovered by amateur with metal detector in Co Down [06/27/2013]
• Danish teenager makes rare Viking-era find with metal detector [05/17/2013]

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for this link!

[SunkenCiv]

What? You don’t have a stone detector? ;^)

[ComputerGuy]

I use the Mark I Eyeball.

[marktwain]

I have a friend who found a fair number of arrowheads over the years...

Copper culture.

[small farm girl]

Lol. Find anything good recently? I have a lot of old buttons and such looking for points, better than when deyecting ;)

[SunkenCiv]

LOL

[Red Badger]

Medieval and Viking-Age artifacts discovered in Norway?

I’m shocked................They are usually found in Botswana............

[telescope115]

Wow, neat stuff!

[telescope115]

That Byzantine gold coin is amazing!

[ComputerGuy]

I haven’t hunted much lately. I’m too stiff.
It’s not the bending over that bothers me these days - it’s the straightening up again.

[SunkenCiv]

Definitely!

[Verginius Rufus]

I had a second cousin once removed who had a dairy farm in Arkansas. He showed me a large container full of arrowheads he had found on his property over the years.

[marktwain]

I have reconsidered what the points may have been used for.

Arrows were a late development in the New World. Bows and arrows did not come into use until about 500 years before Columbus.

There were 10-20 thousands of years of human habitation before that - so most of the points found are probably from atlatl darts.

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

Thanks, SunkenCiv.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Wake me when they find dome Viking artifacts in Heavener OK.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20221030-the-mysterious-viking-runes-found-in-a-landlocked-us-state