By Brian Dillon
An archaeologist was shocked when he discovered a message in a bottle from over 150 years ago when digging at an old Viking graveyard.
Norwegian historian Jacob Bredesen captured the moment the bottle was found, which had been left by Anders Lorange in 1874 during a dig on the site.
“We haven’t opened a Viking grave in Norway for the past 100 years,” Bredesen told Newsweek. “It’s quite spectacular that they have opened it at all.”
“The main reason they’ve done that is because this specific grave mound was excavated originally in 1874 by the archaeologist who left that message. Now, the Norwegian Ministry for Cultural Heritage wants to nominate this grave to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“That requires more detailed excavations than what was done back then,” Bredesen said.
A video shared to Instagram by him shows a team digging up the bottle and unveiling the message that had been left inside. The container was found buried in the grave of King Audbjørn, who himself was buried with the world’s largest Viking ship.
A follow-up video shows staff at the University of Bergen in Norway carefully removing the note; two coins from the time had been left with it, along with a business card of Lorange’s and a letter.
Translated from Norwegian, the letter reads: “This Mound was excavated Anno Domino 1874. Of Anders Lorange, Antiqvarius Norvegiæ. The mound is built over fallen Men. They were burned in their ship with their weapons and decorations. Of Skjold (shield) bulges were 26—of Swords 2—an axe and many arrows—in addition to many other Old Saws. The find is handed over to Bergens Museum.”
The Vikings were groups of seafaring warriors from Scandinavia (modern-day Norway and Sweden) who traveled and raided coastal settlements between A.D. 800 to the 11th century.
Originating from Northern mainland Europe, Vikings settled in places such as Britain, Ireland, Iceland, and Greenland. Some scholars say that Vikings could have also been the first Europeans to discover North America.
The original video showing the find got quite the reaction, with over 26.1 million views and over 1,000 comments.
This article was originally posted in Newsweek on November 28, 2024.
