Teen metal detectorist scouring field with mom finds Viking

Nov 20, 2023

Armed with metal detectors, a mother and teenage daughter set out across a field in northern Norway. They weren't searching for anything in particular but still stumbled on a Viking-era artifact.

The junior high student, Eline Hauge, and her mother, Hanna, were exploring an area of Bolsøya alongside professional archaeologists, the Møre og Romsdal County Municipality said in a May 24 news release.

Eline's metal detector began to beep, alerting her to something buried below. Digging into the soil, she unearthed a tarnished iron fragment, the release said. Photos show the brown rectangular artifact.

Archaeologists identified the item as part of a Viking-era hollow ax. The fragment's age is unknown, and it may have been made more recently, the release said.

Eline described it as a dream day to officials, according to the release. She also told officials that she was pleased to be part of the excavation.

Archaeologists are excavating the site to dig a trench and lay a power cable, the release said. So far, rusty nails, rivets, an almost 150-year-old Swedish coin and an 18th or 19th century musket ball have been found.

Bolsøya is a small island in the Møre og Romsdal region and about 290 miles northeast of Oslo.

Google Translate was used to translate the Møre og Romsdal County Municipality's news release.

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