Assembling two pieces of Viking sword after 1,200 years of separation

The ancient sword was missing a blade but had an ornate hilt with intricate carvings and details in gold and silver.

The hilt of the Viking sword is ornate.

Experts have assembled two pieces of an exquisite Viking sword that has been split for about 1,200 years, Live Science reported on June 10. Amateur treasure hunters in Norway discovered them one year at a time.

The first piece was found by a metal detectorist on Stavanger, on the west coast of Norway, while scouring a farm. The man gave this small and strange piece of metal to the local archeology museum. This spring, this person's friend dug up the remaining piece nearby.

"The sword is of a rare type, originating in Scandinavia but also found in Western Europe (present-day France, Great Britain, Ireland) and Eastern Europe, for example Hungary," said Ann Zanette Glorstad, archaeologist ancient at the University of Oslo, said.

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The sword lacks a blade, but the hilt is ornate with intricate carvings and details in gold and silver. Each end of the hilt (the barrier between the blade and the hilt) is shaped like an unidentified animal.

The two ends of the hilt depict the head of an unidentified animal.

Based on the decoration, Glorstad suggests that the sword was probably forged in the Franks or English empire around 800. However, it is also possible that a skilled Norwegian blacksmith made it with weapon inspiration. of the Frankish Empire. Of the approximately 3,000 Viking swords found in Norway, only about 20 are similar to the newly discovered weapon. Its owner is also a mystery.

"We can only guess to whom the sword belongs. It is such an impressive and ornate sword that it must belong to someone who can afford it, someone who wants to prove one's social status. myself," Glorstad said.

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Swords from this era sometimes have their owner's name engraved on the blade, according to the Art Institute of Chicago. However, the blade of the sword in Stavanger is lost, so archaeologists will have to rely on other clues to find out the identity of its owner.

In 1883, not far from where the sword was discovered, the tomb of a wealthy Viking queen was unearthed. "We knew the area was of special importance, but finding such a sword was still a surprise," said Hakon Reiersen, an expert at the Stavanger Archaeological Museum. The sword is now in the museum's collection, scheduled to go on display after careful restoration.