A sword dating back to the 9th or 10th century has been discovered in Dysnes by Eyjafjörður in northern Iceland, reports Mbl.
Found in an ancient boat at the banks of the Atlantic, archeologists claim it was only a matter of time before the sword was washed to sea and lost for ever. It is in very poor condition, but the find is thought to be immensely valuable.
“It was incredibly fortunate that we were able to safe it,” archaeologist Rúnar Leifsson told MBl. He believes that the sword was owned by a wealthy viking—as such items were a rarity at the time. It is likely that the sword also had wooden or leather parts, which have dissolved through the ages. Many more relics from Iceland’s glorious Viking age are thought to be in the area.
So much old crap
Rúnar claims that the biggest challenge facing archeologists is land erosion caused by the ocean and that The Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland has requested that a thorough evaluation of the coast line be made to estimate the condition of items found there.
The Grapevine reported last month that the oldest houses in Icelandic history had potentially been found. This pleases us, as it is a little known fact that many at the Grapevine are hobby archeologists.
The interns’ search for treasures
Most of our bonding trips involve a lot of digging and hard work. But we are also incredibly lazy (journalists, am I right?), which is why we have interns. So, before each trip we put on a talent show where they compete for our favour, and the one spot available in the loafing and drinking group—the losers have to do manual labour in the search for buried treasures.
The interns have yet to find anything valuable, but our dream is to close down the paper and open up the Grapevine Hall of Artefacts. We just need to find the right interns first.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
