Archaeologists unearth message in bottle at Viking burial site in Norway

Archaeologists have recently unearthed a 140-year-old message in a bottle while excavating a Viking burial mound in Norway. 

When archaeologists revisited a Viking burial mound in Norway, they expected to be retracing the steps of a pioneering researcher. However, what they didn’t anticipate was that this researcher had left behind a note over 140 years ago. The Myklebust Ship, one of the largest Viking ships ever discovered in Norway, originally measured about 100 feet in length. In 1874, archaeologist Anders Lorange uncovered the ship, which was found in a large burial mound in Nordfjordeid, according to the Sagastad Viking Center, dedicated to the discovery, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

This monumental, treasure-filled grave — believed to belong to a Viking king — had been "only halfway excavated" before being filled in again, the museum reported. A recent team of archaeologists, determined to finish the job, began digging at the famous mound, as shared by the University of Bergen in a news release on November 12. During their excavation, the team uncovered a brown bottle, which appeared much newer than the 11th-century Viking era. Inside the bottle were some papers and five coins. Among the papers was a business card from Lorange, identifying him as an archaeologist with the Bergen Museum.

Another name, Emma Gade, was also noted at the bottom, as seen in a photograph. The second paper contained a letter from Lorange, roughly translated as follows: "This Mound was excavated Anno Domino 1874. Of Anders Lorange, Antiqvarius Norvegiæ. The mound is built over fallen Men. They were burned in their ship with their weapons and decorations. Of Skjold (shield) bulges were 26 - of Swords 2 - an ax and many Arrows - in addition to many other Old Saws. The find is handed over to Bergens Museum." Archaeologists soon identified an inaccuracy in Lorange’s letter. While he claimed to have found 26 shield bulges, the mound actually contained 44 of these artifacts, according to the university. Lorange’s note failed to mention some of the more fascinating discoveries from the Myklebust Ship. 

The errors and omissions in Lorange’s letter suggest that he wasn't the one who actually carried out the excavation, said Morten Ramstad, the archaeologist leading the current dig, in the release. It seems that the majority of the excavation work was likely carried out by farm workers instead. A photograph shows Lorange's letter, most of which is written in Norwegian, with an unusual line at the very bottom. Archaeologists initially believed this line might be in runes, but experts could not decipher it, according to the university. Eventually, researchers discovered that Lorange did not know runes and had instead written the Norwegian phrase “Emma Gade my girlfriend” using a runic alphabet, Ramstad explained. 

The two later married. The 140-year-old message in a bottle is the second such discovery connected to Lorange, as the university pointed out. A similar time capsule — containing a declaration of love to a different woman — was found in the 1930s. The university plans to display this remarkable find and continue excavations at the Myklebust Ship mound in Nordfjordeid, a small town on Norway’s southwestern coast, approximately a 320-mile drive northwest of Oslo.

By Naila Huseynova