Posted on 03/05/2004 9:47:03 PM PST by quantim
ARCHAEOLOGISTS today said they found the remains of a harbour complex built by the Vikings 1000 years ago, the first of its kind discovered in Norway.
"This is very special," said district archaeologist Lars Forseth. "Archaeologically, it is a sensation."
The Vikings were renowned for daring voyages as far as North America in their open longboats which also provided essential transport along this northern country's long coast and required the construction of port facilities.
The ancient harbour complex at Faanestangen, near the west coast city of Trondheim and some 400km north of Oslo, was discovered when a local landowner started work on a small boat dock on the same spot selected by his ancestors a millennium earlier.
Local history buffs noticed the stumps of at least 10 pilings sticking out from the water around the site but believed they were from as recently as the 1880s, Forseth said.
However, they took a sample of the wood and sent it to a laboratory for dating. It turned out to be 1000 years old.
"We haven't found anything like this in our country, as far as I know. In the entire Nordic region, there are only a few such facilities with wharf constructions," said Oyvind Oedegaard, of the national Museum of Natural History and Archaeology.
Experts quickly reasoned that the Vikings would need a major harbour at just that location because it is a short distance from Frostating, a site where Vikings gathered for huge decision-making assemblies and festivals.
"To get to Frostating, it is overwhelmingly likely that people from the ... region would arrive via a harbour, so we think there is a connection," said Forseth.
Archaeologists will study the area before it is covered over as part of a modern harbour development.
You knew there was a catch...
Pining for the fjords?
Sort of like travelling in Tennessee....everywhere you go, no matter how far you drive, every bridge you drive on is crossing the Harpeth River.
I'm having trouble with this. What kind of wooden piling, exposed to air and water, can last 1000 years?
'nothing changes; everything changes'. . .
Fran Tarkenton still rules when it comes to scrambling in unfriendly territory.
Does this mean it has not yet been lost ?
I have it on the best authority that when the Vikings got together, they enjoyed Spam.
Every frickin bridge in Tennessee is named after someone. I'm not sure why but I find that really irritating.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.