Norwegian archaeologists discover late Iron Age longhouses

Norwegian archaeologists mentioned Monday they’ve discovered a cluster of longhouses, together with one of many largest in Scandinavia, utilizing ground-penetrating radar within the southeastern a part of the nation — in an space that researchers imagine was a central place within the late Nordic Iron Age.
The longhouses — lengthy and slim, single-room buildings — have been present in Gjellestad, 86 kilometers (53 miles) southeast of Oslo close to the place a Viking-era ship was present in 2018 near the Swedish border.

“We have found several buildings, all typical Iron Age longhouses, north of the Gjellestad ship. The most striking discovery is a 60-meter (197-foot) long and 15-meter (49-foot) wide longhouse, a size that makes it one of the largest we know of in Scandinavia,” archaeologist Lars Gustavsen at Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research mentioned in an announcement.
The significance of Gjellestad throughout that point interval wasn’t instantly identified. But the physique, identified by its Norwegian acronym NIKU, mentioned it was engaged on discovering that out.
This autumn, archaeologists lined 40 hectares (about 100 acres) south, east and north of the place the Gjellestad ship was discovered with the radar system, and one of many subsequent steps are archaeological excavations, NIKU mentioned.

The surveys are the primary a part of a analysis venture referred to as “Viking Nativity: Gjellestad Across Borders” the place archaeologists, historians and Viking age specialists have examined the event of the world in the course of the Nordic Iron Age that started at round 500 B.C. and lasted till roughly A.D. 800 and the start of the Viking Age.
“We do not know how old the houses are or what function they had. Archaeological excavations and dating will help us get an answer to this,” mentioned Sigrid Mannsaaker Gundersen, one other archaeologist.
They have additionally discovered a number of ploughed-out burial mounds in close by fields.
“We are not surprised to have found these burial mounds, as we already know there are several others in the surrounding area,” Gustavsen mentioned. “ Still, these are important to know about to get a more complete picture of Gjellestad and its surroundings.”