During a fishing trip in 2012, Gøran Olsen discovered something between stones at Haukeli. The find is now at the University Museum, and appeared to be a single-edged Viking sword with an estimated date in the first half of the Viking Age (c.800-950). The find spot is located in the mountains, along an old route between Eastern and Western Norway. Viking Age single-edged swords area particularly frequent in Western Norway, most often in graves, but this example is particularly well preserved. Viking Age graves in the mountains are rare, especially in this area, although one of the most numerous Iron Age grave fields is located not far away, in Røldal. Viking Age graves would normally be located closer to the farm. The sword will be treated by the University Museum for a few months and eventually displayed in the Viking Age exhibitions. The find spot will be further investigated, hopefully to reveal some of the history behind its rare location and to find out if it came from a grave or not. This will provide information on the exploitation of this mountain area in the Viking Age. The investigations will probably take place during 2016, when the snow is gone.
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Viking Age, Bergen, Hordaland, Norway, Norge, Haukeli