Runestone that may be world’s oldest discovered in Norway

Runestones claimed to be the world’s oldest, with inscriptions dating back 2,000 years, have been found in Norway, archaeologists said on Tuesday.

The flat, square brown sandstone has carved scribbles, which may be the earliest examples of written words in Scandinavia, the Cultural History Museum in Oslo said. They say it is “the oldest runic inscription found” and “the oldest datable runestone in the world.”

“This find will provide a lot of knowledge about the use of runes in the early Iron Age. This may be one of the first attempts to use runes in Norway and Scandinavia on stone,” Kristel Zilmer, professor at the University of Oslo, which is part of the museum, told The Associated Press.

Old runes have been found on other items, but not on stones. The earliest runic find is on a bone comb found in Denmark. Zilmer says the tip of a knife or needle is used to carve the runes.

The runestone was discovered in the autumn of 2021 during the excavation of a cemetery near Tyrifjorden, west of Oslo, in an area known for several monumental archaeological discoveries. Items in the cremation pit – burnt bones and charcoal – indicate that the runes date back to between 1 and 250 AD.

“We need time to analyze and date the runestone,” he said to explain why the find was first announced on Tuesday.

‘Sensational’ discovery

Measuring 31 centimeters and 32 centimeters, the stone has several types of inscriptions and not all of them have linguistic meaning. The eight runes on the front of the stone read “idiberug” – which could be the name of a woman, man or family.

Zilmer called the discovery “the most sensational thing that I, as an academic, have ever had.”

There is still much research to be done on the stone, which is called the Svingerud stone after the site where it was discovered.

“Without a doubt, we will gain valuable knowledge about the early history of runic writing,” Zilmer said.

The runestone will be on display for a month, starting January 21, at the Museum of Cultural History, which has Norway’s largest collection of historical artefacts, from the Stone Age to modern times.