Africa-Press – Lesotho. The find made near a much-sailed trading route may open a new chapter in the history of early Viking rulers. A spectacular ancient Viking find has been made at one of the burial mounds in Karmoy in western Norway.
A 20-meter-long Viking ship has been discovered using georadar technology to analyze the soil beneath a mound previously believed to be empty. This contrasts to others located close by, where over decades of excavations, numerous artifacts have been found, including ships, swords, spear, gold bangles and glass board games.
Archeologists thought nothing more was to be unearthed, until a surprising discovery was made. The ship was discovered along with parts of a smaller boat under a drawbridge that was built later. The discovery has been celebrated as the first sailing ship of its kind in Norway.
The ancient vessel has been preliminarily dated to the 8th century, which is half a century older than the famous Oseberg ship, a well-preserved Viking vessel also found in a large burial mound and commonly acknowledged to be among the finer artifacts to have survived from the Viking Era.
That one was previously seen as Norway’s first sailing ship, which may now be reconsidered. The findings further strengthen the theory of a local kingdom ruled from Avaldsnes before the times of Harald Fairhair, who is universally seen as the first king of Norway.
Avaldsnes on the island of Karmoy, located a few kilometers from the site of the discovery, was a center of power in the Viking Age. For hundreds of years, powerful rulers sat here and controlled the maritime traffic through the Karmsund strait.
This shipping route was once called Nordvegen and is said to have given Norway its name. Along the Karmsund, kings were buried together with their ships.
With this most recent find, Karmoy, can now boast of three Viking ships. The two previous ones are the Storhaug ship, which dates back to 770, and the Gronhaug ship, to 780.
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