1,100-year-old stone-carved female genitalia unearthed from Viking burial site
Maria Mocerino
Mon, December 30, 2024
Archaeologists uncovered “an unusually rich treasure trove” inside the graves of three wealthy women from the Viking Age, offering a window into their lives and activities in the 9th century.
At a “remarkable burial ground” in Norway believed to house up to 20 graves, three have been excavated thus far, archaeologists found so many items of luxury that they ran out of time to explore the third fully.
Among the belongings buried with these high-status women were mosaic glass beads that even came from foreign territory, coin jewelry, one of which is extremely rare, and, interestingly enough, a stone in the shape of a vulva.
Though the graves don’t reveal anything new about Viking burials in the 9th century, they do provide a clear but increasingly intriguing snapshot of the Viking world at a time of transition through a female lens.
The three graves excavated in Skumsnes, Fitar / University Museum of Bergen via Science Norway
Women could get rich in the 9th century
The burial site sat on a “strategic farm," lead archaeologist Soren Diinhoff explained to Science Norway. In the 9th century, local kings would have these surrounding grounds, which might begin to reveal why these graves appeared particularly affluent.
Situated along the coast in Fitar, Norway, they might have been able to generate additional income by providing sailing travelers shelter. Furthermore, textile production on these farms was “prestigious,” Diinhoff said.
Thus, the most opulent grave with stones arranged in the shape of a boat, remarkably, also held a plentiful supply of tools to make textiles. This grave, in other words, belonged to a woman of a notably high class who might have been responsible for that operation. Wool shears, a hetchel, a spindle whorl, and a weaving sword were found along a bronze key, which signifies that she was the head of a household.
“Through textile work, women could accumulate wealth during the early Viking Age,” archaeologist Unn Pedersen continued, an expert. All signs point to this farm being well-endowed.
All the graves brimmed over with costume jewelry and broaches that they used to fasten their apron dresses, according to Science Norway. Some of these goods even originated from England and Ireland, suggesting these women had contacts abroad. However, the most impressive burial and artifacts came from the “head of household.”
Stones in the shape of a 13-foot boat surrounded it. Inside the stones were boat rivets. Archaeologists uncovered 46 colorful glass beads from around the world, as they were sold in Viking shops in the “big cities” or towns. They confirmed that the amount was “a lot.”
The burial site sat on a “strategic farm," lead archaeologist Soren Diinhoff explained to Science Norway. In the 9th century, local kings would have these surrounding grounds, which might begin to reveal why these graves appeared particularly affluent.
Situated along the coast in Fitar, Norway, they might have been able to generate additional income by providing sailing travelers shelter. Furthermore, textile production on these farms was “prestigious,” Diinhoff said.
Thus, the most opulent grave with stones arranged in the shape of a boat, remarkably, also held a plentiful supply of tools to make textiles. This grave, in other words, belonged to a woman of a notably high class who might have been responsible for that operation. Wool shears, a hetchel, a spindle whorl, and a weaving sword were found along a bronze key, which signifies that she was the head of a household.
“Through textile work, women could accumulate wealth during the early Viking Age,” archaeologist Unn Pedersen continued, an expert. All signs point to this farm being well-endowed.
All the graves brimmed over with costume jewelry and broaches that they used to fasten their apron dresses, according to Science Norway. Some of these goods even originated from England and Ireland, suggesting these women had contacts abroad. However, the most impressive burial and artifacts came from the “head of household.”
Stones in the shape of a 13-foot boat surrounded it. Inside the stones were boat rivets. Archaeologists uncovered 46 colorful glass beads from around the world, as they were sold in Viking shops in the “big cities” or towns. They confirmed that the amount was “a lot.”
A triangular brooch with glass mosaic and gold enamel / University Museum of Bergen via Science Norway
A rare coin found
The “most remarkable find,” Diinhoff says, was a rare silver coin from the town of Ribe or Hedeby. “A silver coin like this on a bead necklace shows that the Viking Age was a time of transition,” an expert explained to Science Norway.
Similarly to the Viking jewelry, the coins also reflect a variety of origins, reflecting their international contacts. But the Hedeby coin, once upon a time clasped to a bead necklace, indicates that a “new form of trade was emerging.” It speaks to the larger network that these women belonged, and they might not have even been from the area.
“Both of these women had contacts outside Norway. It's probably no coincidence. Perhaps they came from abroad and married into the local community,” Diinhoff suspects, as per Science Norway.
Archaeologists couldn't finish the dig, too many treasures
Archaeologists didn’t find any human remains, as they naturally disintegrate in the acidic Norwegian soil, so that wasn’t out of the ordinary.
However, some jewelry appeared to be stored in a leather satchel, which didn’t survive either. But it would have been unusual that she wouldn’t have worn it, leading archaeologists to wonder whether these Viking graves were actually memorials.
Strikingly, a stone in the shape of a vulva, or female genitalia, was placed at the mast of the boat in the head of the household’s grave, leading them to further deduce that they might not have been buried there.
With such a successful discovery on their hands, archaeologists couldn’t even finish investigating the third grave. And there appears to be many more where they came from.
