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– Basically it’s a bit late to dig. There is little light, cold and frost here in the north, says Arctic University Museum of Norway archaeologist Anja Roth Niemi.
He has led the excavation project for the find that was carried out in Gimsøya earlier this fall.
The case is also covered by NRK Nordland.
Was found by chance
It was during a Nordland County Township inspection that what appeared to be a grave was found.
– It turned out that the find was well preserved, but it was very shallow, with about 20 cm of sand and earth above it, so time was short to preserve the find, he says.
Although archaeologists suddenly had a hard time dealing with the find, they were lucky. It was by no means obvious that he should have been left alone in all these years.
– The area where the discovery was made is an old plowed field. We were able to see plow tracks just a meter from the skull. it was luck and coincidence that made him discover, says Roth Niemi.
Because we will be writing November on the calendar soon, the weather had to be ready for the dig, and construction began this week.
– It was difficult to plan. We’ve been following the weather forecast closely and won’t go much further north until there’s fresh snow, he says.
Roth Niemi says that if the snow had settled on Gimsøya, they would have had to use infrastructure to excavate the discovery in a good way.
– You cannot know in advance how complex the find is, and you have to treat it with care, says the archaeologist.
EXCAVATION: Here archaeologists are investigating the find at Gimsøya. Photo: Museum of the Arctic University of Norway
– I was terribly excited
And when the discovery was made, archaeologists weren’t sure what to find.
– We were very excited. We knew there was a skull in the grave, but we didn’t know if there were various body parts and other objects there, says Roth Niemi.
So when they saw what was there, they were very surprised.
– The entire upper body was very well preserved. The person was in a kind of fetal position. It is incredibly special to be so close to those who have lived before us. A human being lying there with his face and hands, she says.
Archaeologists are estimated to believe the tomb is from the late Iron Age, and the working hypothesis is that it is a large man. The bone structure of the person found is quite strong. All the teeth also seem to be in place.
LOFOTEN: On Friday morning, the archaeologists finished the excavation. Photo: Museum of the Arctic University of Norway
To be investigated further
The remains will now be thoroughly examined by experts.
– We are very interested in knowing this individual and what life he has had, what type of diet he has had and what nutritional state he was in, he says.
Upon closer examination, much can be discovered about the person, even though many hundreds of years have passed since the person was placed in the grave.
– We will find out if the person has lived in good or bad conditions, and if they have injuries. We will also find out more about the person’s height, posture, age and gender, says the archaeologist.
The ax awakens amazement
In the remains of the person there was an ax. The so-called narrow onion. Now we will investigate why it is located as it does.
– The ax was right next to the lower jaw. There was simply contact between the lower jaw and the ax, says Roth Niemi.
She also has a theory why the ax got thrown like this.
– What could have happened is that the skull has moved over the years, but the ax got stuck in the lower jaw. We must look more closely at the cause, says the archaeologist.
AX: One may wonder how the person ended up with an ax to his chin. Photo: Museum of the Arctic University of Norway
– Strong theory
The find archaeologists unearthed this week is not the first discovery made at Gimsøya in Lofoten.
– Here are many cultural monuments from before. Many discoveries have been made on a farm called Hov and on the island in general. Not far from the site in question, there are several clear burial mounds, says Roth Niemi.
The archaeologist says it is a theory related to the Hov farm.
There is a strong theory that the Hov farm was a kind of powerful center of power in the area.
