
Archaeologists Discover—and Start to Decode—Rare Medieval Runes
by Nora McGreevy/Smithsonianmag.com
Late last year, archaeologists in Norway made a pair of stunning discoveries only days apart, unearthing two rare sets of runes in separate sections of Oslo’s Medieval Park.
Solveig Thorkildsen and Ingeborg Hornkjøl of the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) found the objects—a bone featuring a Norse inscription and a rune stick with both Latin and Norse text—during ongoing excavations at the site. According to a statement, the rune bone is the first of its kind found in Norway’s capital in more than 30 years.
The team was wrapping up work for the day when Thorkildsen spotted a large bone lying on the ground. “Look, there’s a rune letter!” she joked to her colleagues, per Google Translate.
When the researcher picked the bone up and turned it over, she was shocked to find that someone had, in fact, scratched 14 runes onto the object’s surface.
“My heart was pounding,” recalls Thorkildsen in the statement, per a translation by Anders Moen Kaste of Science Norway. Read More:

Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
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