A team of researchers has found fragments of the oldest rune stone in the world in the Svingerud burial field, Norway. These pieces, which have been assembled like a puzzle, offer a unique insight into the early uses of runic writing on stone and its possible ceremonial and practical meanings. Runes were the writing system […]
Runes
Posted inCulture, Middle Ages
Siglas Poveiras: The Unusual Proto-Writing Left by Vikings to Portuguese Fishermen
Porto is one of the typical destinations for a vacation or tourist visit in Portugal. However, for those who are already familiar with the city or seek something beyond the usual, a trip to Póvoa de Varzim is highly recommended. This town, located about 30 kilometers away, boasts two particularly special spots not to be […]
Posted inAncient Greece, Art
The Lion of Piraeus, the Sculpture that Guarded the Entrance to the Port of Athens and is Engraved with Norse Runes
One of the most representative symbols of the city of Athens is known as the “Lion of Piraeus”. It is an imposing marble sculpture in the shape of a lion, standing over three meters tall, which for centuries has guarded the entrance to the port of Piraeus. However, the current one is a copy of […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Denmark’s Oldest Runic Inscription Found on a 2,000-year-old Knife Blade
Archaeologists from the Odense Museum have found the oldest runic inscription in Denmark, carved on the blade of a nearly 2000-year-old knife. The knife was discovered beneath the remains of an urn grave in a small cemetery east of Odense and dates back to the year 150 AD. The museum’s curator, archaeologist Jakob Bonde, states: […]
Posted inCulture, Modern Era
Dalrunes, the Nordic runes that were used until the 20th century in a region of Sweden
Runes are the letters used to write by some Germanic peoples during Antiquity and the Middle Ages, mainly in Scandinavia but also in other areas where these peoples settled. The oldest known runes date back to the 2nd century AD. The first chronologically would be the comb inscription found on the Danish island of Funen, […]
