Ancient runestone found in Norway is world’s oldest
A 2,000 year old runestone unearthed in Norway is the world’s oldest such stone – and contains .
The inscription on the rune says the unknown word “idiberug” – which may be a reference to the person lying in the grave.
The sandstone rune could date from the time of Jesus Christ, according to Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History.
Professor Kristel Zilmer of the University of Oslo said, “This find will give us a lot of knowledge about the use of runes in the early Iron Age. This may be one of the first attempts to use runes in Norway and Scandinavia on stone.”
Someone stood between 1800 and 2000 BC near Tyrifjorden, and carved runes onto the 31×32 cm block reddish-brown Ringerike Sandstone.
According to experts, the person spoke an earlier form of the ancient Nordic tongue that is the ancestor language in modern Nordic languages.
Zilmer states, “Having such an unusual runic find fall into your lap is a rare experience and the dream for all runologists.” For me, this is a highlight, because it is a unique find that differs from other preserved rune stones.”
Professor Zilmer said, “The text possibly refers to a woman called Idibera and the inscription could mean, ‘For Idibera’. Another possibility is that idiberug could be the rendering of a name like Idibergu/Idiberga or the kin name Idiberung.
“The stone has several kinds of inscriptions. Some lines form a grid pattern, while others have small zigzag numbers and other interesting features.
“Not all inscriptions have a linguistic meaning. It’s possible that someone has imitated, explored or played with the writing. Maybe someone was learning how to carve runes.”
Some older runes were found on other objects, but not stone.
The runestone was found in autumn 2021 in an excavation of a grave located near Tyrifjord (west of Oslo), in a region that is well-known for its monumental archaeological finds.
Items in the cremation pit — burnt bones and charcoal — indicate that the runes likely were inscribed between A.D. 1 and 250.
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