Archaeology breakthrough: ‘Incredible’ boat find unearths Viking VIP’s final resting spot

Øyesletta and the surrounding municipality of Kvinesdal were already known to contain a number of similar burial grounds, but this is the first time one had been found with a ship.

In fact, the boat grave — which was detected using ground-penetrating radar — lies in close proximity to the sites of several smaller burial mounds, the archaeologists said.

None of the burial mounds in the region have survived to the present day as a result of agricultural developments.

The find was exciting, Mr Causevic explained, in part because it shows “how the use of georadar gives us the opportunity to explore and document cultural history through new and exciting methods.”

Boat graves tend to be associated with both the Late Iron Age — which ended in Scandinavia in around 800 AD — and the subsequent Viking Age.

According to the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, boat graves typically represent some of the most lavishly-adorned Viking burials.

They added that the Øyesletta burial grounds were active between 2,000 and 1,500 years ago.

READ MORE: Archaeologists stunned by 700-year-old ship

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1599576/archaeology-breakthrough-viking-vip-resting-place-found-boat-find-norway