PREVIEW

WORDS: Mark Worgan
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She has lain at rest for centuries, two delicate scallop shells cupped about her mouth.
And though her elaborate burial may evoke mermaids in fairytales, archaeologists believe it could shed new light on the realities of death - and life - in the age of the Vikings.
The grave at Trøndelag, on Norway’s wild and rugged coast, is believed to date from the 9th century and was discovered after metal detectorist Roy Søreng came across a distinctive piece of Viking jewellery earlier this year.
He reported his find, an oval shaped brooch known as a bowl or cup buckle, to the authorities and it sparked the interest of archaeologists.
A full investigation by NTNU Science Museum and Trøndelag County Council began at the site in Val, Bjugn. The team excavated in secret because of the potential importance of the find.
They initially discovered two more bowl buckles, usually worn in pairs to pin the straps of a woman’s dress, as well as a small ring buckle which would close the neckline of an undershirt.
Then came the skeleton and the scallops. Small bird bones, likely to be wing bones, were also found in the grave.
The dig was led by Raymond Sauvage, a senior engineer from the museum’s department of archaeology and cultural history, who believes that the woman had been buried with “typical Viking Age clothing and jewellery from the 9th century.”
“This suggests that she was a free and probably married woman, perhaps a housewife on the farm,” he said.
“The most striking thing is two scallops placed at the mouth of the deceased. This is a practice that is not previously known from pre-Christian graves in Norway. We do not yet know what the symbolism means.”
The shells were placed curved side up and partially covered the woman’s mouth, an arrangement that has echoes in Hans Christian Anderson’s Danish fairytale, published a millennium later. In it, the title character gives up her voice in the hope of gaining a human soul.
Viking-Age burials were ritualistic ceremonies in which jewellery, clothing and grave goods signalled status and identity. Although scallop shells took on Christian associations in the Middle Ages, they are seldom seen in pre-Christian graves.
The newly discovered grave was found just in time, as it was at risk of destruction from nearby agricultural work.
“During the inspection, we quickly realised that we were facing a new skeleton grave that was in acute danger of being damaged by the next ploughing,” senior engineer and field manager Hanne Bryn, from the Department of Archaeology and Cultural History, said.
Hanna Geiran, Norway’s minister of cultural heritage, said: “This is an incredibly exciting discovery. It is very unusual to find such a well-preserved skeleton in old graves.
“This discovery has great cultural heritage value and knowledge potential. The Viking Age is of interest to many, and we now look forward to learning more after further research at the NTNU Science Museum.”
Researchers will now carry out detailed analysis of the skeleton and other items recovered from the site, including DNA analysis and dating.