A team of researchers from the University of Oslo uncovered fragments of runestones older than 2,000 years at the ancient cemetery in Svingerud, Norway. Dated between 50 BCE and 275 CE, the find represents the oldest known examples of runestones to date.
The findings were published in a study titled "Inscribed sandstone fragments of Hole, Norway: radiocarbon dates provide insight into rune-stone traditions" in the journal Antiquity.
The runestone fragments, now collectively known as the Holesteinen, were found in around 200 pieces distributed across several graves within the Svingerud burial field. Archaeologists discovered that these fragments fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, revealing runic inscriptions and ambiguous markings on what was once a larger sandstone slab. "Now we actually had to put together a puzzle," said Professor Kristel Zilmer, a runologist at the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo, as reported by Forskning.
Radiocarbon dating techniques applied to human remains and charcoal found at the site have placed the Holesteinen between 50 BCE and 275 CE. According to IFLScience [https://www.iflscience.com/worlds-oldest-runestone-may-have-been-carved-by-a-woman-77882], this is the first time researchers have used carbon-14 dating to date a runestone, making the Holesteinen the earliest known archaeologically dated runestone.
The discovery challenges previous understandings of early runic writing and funerary practices. The original stone is believed to have marked a grave, with the largest piece, called Hole 2, placed in a burial. Other fragments may have been scattered or incorporated into subsequent graves. "We don't know what has happened; the stone may have been broken intentionally," said archaeologist Steinar Solheim, according to Forskning.
Among the inscriptions, a series of runes mentioning "idiberug" stands out. Researchers suggest this could be a personal name, possibly of a woman. "It is remarkable if it is a female rune carver, of whom there are few traces otherwise," Professor Zilmer told Forskning.
The Holesteinen displays a mixture of runes and other unidentified markings, some of which are ornamental or stylized scripts. Michael Schulte, a professor of Nordic linguistics at the University of Agder, believes that the stone comes from a phase of experimentation with writing systems. "The engraver explores the potential of writing and attempts to master the script," he said.
Typically, runestones are dated based on other objects found nearby or stylistic analysis of the inscriptions. In this case, the Holesteinen was found in a grave with cremated human remains, providing a direct and accurate means of dating.
"It is a very exciting find," said Michael Lerche Nielsen, a Danish runologist and researcher at the University of Copenhagen, as quoted by Videnskab. Lisbeth M. Imer, a senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark and an expert in runes, called the discovery "fantastic," noting that it raises new questions about the nature of runic writing in its earliest stages.
The origins and exact uses of runes remain a subject of research and debate. Runes are the letters of an alphabetic script used to write Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet. The older runic alphabets, such as Elder Futhark, were in use until around 700 CE.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.