🥇 BANNER Best find of the year, Viking age grave

Bard Gauden · Jan 3, 2014

Hi to you all. :hello:

On the 1. of January I did an amazing find, :headbang:

A find most detectorists will never get.

I found an early viking age sword! As soon as i realized what it was i carefully put it back in the hole and covered it back up.
Then I called my "state Archeologist" and told him about my find. He was very thrilled.

Today he came to excavate my find. (Third of January)
(You see, In Norway, all finds dating from before 1537 is automaticly protected by law)
And as he dug we found a complete sword (broken in 5 pices), 1 battle-ax and a scythe.
Even thou the person that was buried there is dissolved and not to be found, It is still most definetly a grave.

After he had removed the Items I checked the grave with my detector and there was still two pices left.
But they will be staying in the ground untill the summer. Then it will be a bigger excavation, as it might be more than one grave there.

Hope you like what I show you, and tell me if you want more pictures. EDIT; Check out page 5 for a lot more pics from the excavation

BVI Hunter · Jan 4, 2014

Bard Gauden said:
Thanks for the great response

I really hope I will be alowed to take part in the bigger excavation when the summer comes.

You should be LEADING the excavation!!!!
well done and so cool for "doing the right thing" too - a lesson to be learned for us all I think!!

Alida · Jan 4, 2014

Utrolig stilig funn!! Good job :-D Hadde ikke gjort meg noe å finne en sånn en!

matt092079 · Jan 4, 2014

We americans can only dream of finding that! Awesome recovery!

Bard Gauden · Jan 4, 2014

matt092079 said:
We americans can only dream of finding that! Awesome recovery!

True, but I hope you can enjoy this find.
I know there are a lot of Americans that have Norwegian ancestors. You know 800 000 Norwegians moved to USA in the 1800's to live the "American dream".

jewelerguy · Jan 4, 2014

very cool

Guest 1551 · Jan 4, 2014

MUD(S.W.A.T) said:
Very cool find, definitely banner worthy... However I don't think its a grave. Bones don't deteriorate very fast... It takes human bones millions of years to decompose without some kind of help, that's why we find them from Neanderthals... Why am I the only one who noticed this ??

cause you're the only one who believes in evolution. But i am also surprised that there are no bones.

Bard Gauden · Jan 4, 2014

MUD(S.W.A.T) said:
Very cool find, definitely banner worthy... However I don't think its a grave. Bones don't deteriorate very fast... It takes human bones millions of years to decompose without some kind of help,
that's why we find them from Neanderthals... Why am I the only one who noticed this ??

Keep @ it and HH !!

This is a very shallow grave, maybe 1/2 foot deep In a very wet climate. :mad:

The soil is very nice for farming, and no clay. Animals (cows and horses) and farming can have crushed the bones and speeded up the process.
It is most definetly a grave and possebly a part of an unknown grave site. As I got several similar Iron signals/targets close by.

But we did not excavate the entire grave, so we might find som bones when the bigger axcavation takes place :icon_thumleft:

dbag1969 · Jan 4, 2014

Wonderful find!! I salute you for your honesty and integrity. Judging by the loamy wet soil conditions I am surprised the iron artifacts hadn't completely corroded or rusted away long ago . A very good save indeed!! Congrats on the banner find!!

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Jan 4, 2014

If it was a shallow grave it was likely dug up at one point by wolves or something... Then erosion, farming and livestock reburied the items over time. Wild animals could smell it a mile away if it was that shallow. They would just dig a small hole that would easily refill naturally later, then pull the body out... Even if the bones got ground up you would see plenty of fragments and whole bones still. No way can cows and horses grind up bones under dirt into nothing, the farming may have done something with it but... I guarantee if a body was in there you would find evidence of its bones, fragments of clothing, armor and such. I guess I should not have said that it was not a grave... I guess I should have said, just no body in it... No need to make mad faces, just trying to put the puzzle together like you guys.... :icon_scratch:

Please keep us posted if you find any bones or signs of bones or signs of a body... I would love to see pictures of that stuff too !! You should see my skull collection... Trying to buy a human skull from a science donation place.... Not morbid or anything I just like skulls and bones, they fascinate me.... :dontknow:

Just like history and historical finds like everyone else here...

Keep @ it and HH !! :laughing7:

ossi · Jan 4, 2014

Naturally big congratulation banner . :hello2:

Zodiacdiverdave · Jan 4, 2014

Amazing discovery, well done BG. This is why the archaeologists on this side of the pond must learn to work with the Metal Detectorists rather then againts them.
Again well done and congrats on a Banner discovery.
ZDD

cudamark · Jan 4, 2014

You dug up this grave, in the middle of winter, in Norway, and the ground wasn't frozen? That's almost more amazing than the find! :notworthy:

Well, not really! :laughing7:

Great job! Let us know future developments.

CASPER-2 · Jan 4, 2014

Bard Gauden · Jan 4, 2014

MUD(S.W.A.T) said:
If it was a shallow grave it was likely dug up at one point by wolves or something... Then erosion, farming and livestock reburied the items over time. Wild animals could smell it a mile away if it was that shallow. They would just dig a small hole that would easily refill naturally later, then pull the body out... Even if the bones got ground up you would see plenty of fragments and whole bones still. No way can cows and horses grind up bones under dirt into nothing, the farming may have done something with it but... I guarantee if a body was in there you would find evidence of its bones, fragments of clothing, armor and such. I guess I should not have said that it was not a grave... I guess I should have said, just no body in it... No need to make mad faces, just trying to put the puzzle together like you guys.... Please keep us posted if you find any bones or signs of bones or signs of a body... I would love to see pictures of that stuff too !! You should see my skull collection... Trying to buy a human skull from a science donation place.... Not morbid or anything I just like skulls and bones, they fascinate me.... Just like history and historical finds like everyone else here...

I see your point, and I see I need to explain a few things.

First off, this site lays about 300 feets from a site belived to have been the living area for thousands of years.

The grave have most likely been covered by rocks, but removed later for farming reasons.

This was only a 3 hour emergancy excavation to remove the items I exposed to the air when I discovered them, so the soil was only checked for metal fragments. There is still a few Items left in the grave that I located with my detector after we were done.

You dug up this grave, in the middle of winter, in Norway, and the ground wasn't frozen? That's almost more amazing than the find! Well, not really! Great job! Let us know future developments.

We are lucky this year and have had a warm winter with a temprature a few degrees above the freezing point. :occasion14:

Irony · Jan 4, 2014

WOW!!! Who's going to be able to top that find? Huge congrats, and they better let you participate in the excavation. And hey, if you need another detectorist, I've got a EuroAce and not for nothing is my name Irony - I'm really, really good at finding big chunks of iron!! Send a plane ticket! LOL!! :-)

robfinds · Jan 4, 2014

Great find Bard :thumbsup:

.Will be nice to see the sword handle when cleaned up. I've had two Viking handle parts over the years, but never the blade.

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Jan 4, 2014

I was going to say, most viking graves have rocks on them... :icon_thumleft:

Then I thought they would have been moved for the farming... So maybe the bodies were taken out when they moved the rocks?? :dontknow:

Cause if it was only a foot deep or so, the plows would tear up/out the body in a minute.... Even a horse drawn plow.. :icon_scratch:

But I see animals dragging the body out way before it was ever farm or livestock land....

Keep @ it and HH !! :laughing7:

sponge · Jan 4, 2014

Irony said:
WOW!!! Who's going to be able to top that find? Huge congrats, and they better let you participate in the excavation. And hey, if you need another detectorist, I've got a EuroAce and not for nothing is my name Irony - I'm really, really good at finding big chunks of iron!! Send a plane ticket! LOL!! :-)

Dude I found Hoffa. Lol still in awe over the find. Be cool if they find alot more. The Vikings were the true explorers. Alot of innovation from that time period was a result of them.

Findersweepers · Jan 4, 2014

yes, I want more pics and of other items you found near the grave site. :thumbsup:

You sir have set the bar high for the rest of us. way to go!!!!

Bard Gauden · Jan 4, 2014

Findersweepers said:
yes, I want more pics and of other items you found near the grave site.
You sir have set the bar high for the rest of us. way to go!!!!

Found this german viking age coin 500 feet from the grave 15 days ago :icon_thumleft:

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