Archaeologists from the Arctic University Museum of Norway discovered a Viking-age boat burial on Senja Island containing the remains of a high-status woman and her pet dog, along with a collection of symbolic artifacts. The find offers valuable insights into Viking burial practices and the societal role of women during that period.
The woman was interred in a 5.4-meter (18-foot) sewn wooden ship, a burial method reserved for the elite in Viking society. The presence of ornate bronze brooches decorated with silver thread, beads made of amber or bone, a ring-shaped pendant, and what appears to be a weaving sword made of whale bone indicates her elevated status. These items suggest she was at the top of the social ladder, wielding influence locally and perhaps even across the region.
"Only the elite would receive a burial like this," said archaeologist Anja Roth Niemi, according to IFLScience. The grave goods reflect the woman's authority in household life and textile production, with personal items indicating her role and status within Viking society.
"The small canine appears to have been placed at the woman's feet with real care," observed Niemi about the inclusion of the dog in the burial. This detail recalls Iron Age burial traditions in Northern Norway, where animals were sometimes buried alongside humans as companions in the afterlife.
Archaeologist Håkon Reiersen from the University of Stavanger commented on the well-preserved remains. "Dogs are the animals most frequently found in these types of graves. They're often seen as companions in life and in the journey to the afterlife. But it's rare for the bones to be as well preserved as this find on Senja," he told IFLScience. "Northern Norway is known for particularly favorable conditions for preserving skeletal material."
Parts of the burial were well-preserved, such as the larger bones and the sections of ribs that were in contact with the brooches. However, smaller bones like fingers and toes were only recognizable as stains in the sand. The preservation of textile fragments from her clothing and other organic materials may provide rare glimpses into Viking funeral clothing and textile production. "The skeletal material can provide a wealth of information about the individual, but also about the society she lived in," Niemi added.
Future analysis aims to confirm the skeleton's sex and shed light on the individual's age, height, diet, and general health. "We'll learn about the kind of work she did, whether she went through periods of poor nutrition, and whether she lived in different places during childhood and adulthood," Niemi stated. DNA testing could potentially provide extra information on the woman's hair and eye color, though that hasn't been included in the research yet.
The grave was discovered using a metal detector, and the team has found another brooch just meters from the excavation site. They are eager to investigate further, with the possibility that this isn't the only Viking burial in the area. "The goal is to cover the surrounding areas, with the hopes of unlocking similar burials," according to the researchers.
During the discovery, the brooches and rib bones were collected with the soil still attached, providing additional data. Reiersen noted the exceptional condition of the find. "Often, brooches like these are found through metal detecting on ploughed land, and in those cases, the grave is usually completely destroyed and scattered by the plough. In this case, the grave was largely intact, and it's extremely important—and fortunate—that there was an opportunity to excavate and document it," he said.
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