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Many interesting archeological finds mostly from before the onset of the Viking Age in recent years in and near Trondheim, Norway. Many of those finds are made by amateurs using metal detectors.
The most spectacular gold find: 450 grams of pure gold from what we call the Roman Iron Age, approx 300 AD. Found in late August 2016 in Skaun, near Trondheim. Classified by archeologist as «pay-gold» used by the Romans. Largest such find in Norway. Imaging holding that much gold in your hand and knowing you are probably the first human to look at this for more than 1,500 years…
How did that gold end up there, far from the Roman Empire?? We know Romans loved amber, which was transported from the Baltics and Poland to be sold in the empire. What could have been sold from far away central Norway? My theory: We now know that suddenly, after year 0, the production of bog iron increased sharply, hundreds of furnaces have been found, so iron was produced on a nearly industrial scale. Could some of this gold in some way be sold to the romans?? Was society, in those «dark centuries» more organised and capable than previously believed?
Another find: Gold ring from the Roman Iron Age between year 1 and year 400 AD found by amateur using metal detector in September 2014 in Melhus, just south of Trondheim. According to archeologist, it might be part of the payment to a local man after serving many years in the Roman Army (Auxilia).
Credit: https://www.nrk.no/trondelag/fant-16...ing-1.11920886
Also recent finds from a much older period, the Bronze Age:
Reported in local media in November 2016, found late Sep 2016: Amateur with metal detector found tutulus from the early Bronze Age in Orkdal, west of Trondheim. 3,500 – 3,800 years old, made from bronze.
Archeology in the closet: Man in Verdal (ca 90 km N of Trondheim) found 1,600 year old fibula (brooch) in his closet. He had actually found it at a mound in a field near his home 1 year before.
Archeological excavation summer 2015 in Ørland, at the mouth of Trondheimsfjord where the new main air force base is being built, documentet a 2,000 year old settlement, including a glass pearl https://www.nrk.no/trondelag/fant-20...sen-1.12459806
The largest media coverage recently – November 2016: Archeologist believe they have found the altar and the church where St Olav (St Olaf), the patron saint of Norway, was placed for 25 years after he was killed in the Battle at Stiklestad (N of Trondheim) in year 1030 .He tried by force to christen his people, made to flee the country and then trying to return, but getting slain in battle. According to old written material, he was first buried near the site of the battle, but one year after the battle his coffin was dug up and the remains of the king was moved to Klemenskirken in Nidaros. The find might reveal where the first urban settlement in Trondheim was located (from 997) – it might have been a little further up the river than believed untill now.
According to myth, the king looked like he was sleeping and his hear and nails had grown Рsuch myths about saints where pretty common in Europe at that time. The start of the St Olaf Рkult. - Her l̴ Olav den hellige i 25 ̴r -adressa.no
Saga description of 800 year body probably verified: Another find reported in media recently, June 2016: According to Sverres Saga, in the year 1197: During the civil war in Norway, the Baglers attacked King Sverres castle in Trondheim and, after capturing the castle (but not the king) and tearing it almost down, the Baglers took a dead man (a Birkebeiner, one of King Sverres men) and threw the body in the well so as the well could not be used by King Sverre. They then threw a lot of stones on top of the dead man in the well, again according to the saga.
The find actually was perfectly in line with the saga. Extremely rare that a saga of such old events can be confirmed and even the body (skeleton) recovered. Her hentes birkebeinerens hodeskalle opp fra brønnen -adressa.no
Very interesting! Thanks for posting. Is it only fairly recently that archaological digs have been done around Trondheim? One would think that would be a very logical place to look, as it was a known center of Viking activity, so to say.
No, digs are not new in Trondheim. And you are right about the viking age center, then also known as Nidaros.
There have however been two high-profile digs which did find what the archeologists hoped for, as mentioned in my post.
And all those people with metal detectors have resulted in many exciting items found.
No, digs are not new in Trondheim. And you are right about the viking age center, then also known as Nidaros.
There have however been two high-profile digs which did find what the archeologists hoped for, as mentioned in my post.
And all those people with metal detectors have resulted in many exciting items found.
Metal-detecting sounds like a potentially very productive hobby in parts of Norway!
I used metal detectors years ago, and the real frontier between a site and a normal place is very tenous. I have found many coins, buttons, straps on heavely toiled soil....and entire cities have appeared under heavely toiled soil. Does not have much to do, as artifacts are usually deeper...only some do appear ocassionally during heavy rains - peasants called them "rain coins".
As to gold in Scandinavia, Roman recruited a large number of "hyperborians" and they also were minor pirates during the last 3000 years. All the romantic fuzz about Vikings have buried the fact that western Europe have received pirates from Hyperboria since preroman times.
And yes, Iron, of course.
As to Scandinavian Mythology, sounds tremendously similar to Greek mithology and I'm sorry about the St.Olaf alter, Christian were vermins that destroyed all ancient legacy.
How did that gold end up there, far from the Roman Empire?? We know Romans loved amber, which was transported from the Baltics and Poland to be sold in the empire. What could have been sold from far away central Norway? My theory: We now know that suddenly, after year 0, the production of bog iron increased sharply, hundreds of furnaces have been found, so iron was produced on a nearly industrial scale. Could some of this gold in some way be sold to the romans?? Was society, in those «dark centuries» more organised and capable than previously believed?
When the Roman Empire collapsed and the great migration period started, sacked Roman gold, silver and other valuables started to spread all over Europe. Gold was as valuable then as it is today, and changed hands frequently.
For example that 450 gram gold find doesn't in any way mean that a Roman would've came to central Norway to hand over the gold, or a Norseman down to Rome to collect it. And if the gold is from 300 AD, neither does that mean that the gold has been in Norway since 300 AD. It most likely travelled hundreds of years between different tribes, and ultimately sold for example fur. Or, as it's found around Nidaros, the gold might be Viking loot from England or Normandy, which I personally believe.
The Roman items found in Finland from the actual Roman era are mostly glass, copper and bronze items. Roman gold, coins and jewelry starts to appear only during the Viking era, as they are mostly found with other coins and items from the 800's to 1000's.
According to finds, there has been fur trade from the Nordics to the Roman Empire during Pax Romana, but at least from Finland the most common theory is that Finns have sold them to Germanic tribes in the Southern Baltic, who have sold them further to actual Romans. Roman spearheads and gladius-type swords found aren't actually Roman, they are copies made in Germania. The other route is along with the amber road, when the furs changed hands even more times.
Huge finds of money like one found in May this year are from the 1000's. 300 Germanic and Anglosaxon coins plus a couple Byzantic ones suggest that something has been sold on an industrial scale, most likely fur. The Byzantic coins have travelled with Swedish vikings and maybe sold for supplies on the south coast of Finland before the vikings heading back to Birka.
The Roman coins from the Roman era found are very few, and you find maybe one coin, which indicates small transactions.
Therefore I believe that unless there is something deeply obscure industrial-scale manufacturing or centralised item collecting near Trondheim during that time, the gold has arrived in Norway far later than during the actual Roman era.
Some of the 300 coins found this year:
Actual Roman era coins:
Top right: Nero, down centre: Hadrian. The top left one is a fake, and the down right was found with items far younger.
Entire city sites have been ploughed from centuries! Take the example of Emerita Augusta, it was a place were sheep grazed once century ago. Metal detectors are ravaging sites and should only be used only by archeologists even in countries with not many sites. Yes, most coins you find are fakes - medieval fakes, roman fakes, fake denari.
Last edited by mensaguy; 12-27-2016 at 02:40 PM..
Reason: Closed quote tag
Entire city sites have been ploughed from centuries! Take the example of Emerita Augusta, it was a place were sheep grazed once century ago. Metal detectors are ravaging sites and should only be used only by archeologists even in countries with not many sites. Yes, most coins you find are fakes - medieval fakes, roman fakes, fake denari.
That may be so, but I will make it clear that the finds I have mentioned here have been examined by the official archeologist before being mentioned here, and that all finds older than the Reformation must be delivered to the state, and can be seen in museums etc.
Last edited by mensaguy; 12-27-2016 at 02:41 PM..
Reason: fixed quote
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