Viking Ship Burial in Norway Reveals Bronze Age Grave

A Viking ship grave on Norway’s western coast sat undisturbed for more than a century. When archaeologists finally reopened it, the most interesting discovery wasn’t the ship at all.

Reopening a Grave Sealed Since 1902

The Grønhaug mound sits on the island of Karmøy in Rogaland, among a cluster of large burial mounds spanning several historical periods. Archaeologist Haakon Schetelig first excavated it in 1902 and confirmed a ship, likely around 15 meters long, was buried inside. Since then, the mound had remained closed. This August, Marie Ødegaard and Håkon Reiersen of the University of Stavanger’s Museum of Archaeology reopened roughly the same trench, working on behalf of the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Rogaland County Municipality.

Rivets, Bark, and Leaves From the Viking Age

The team recovered a few iron rivets, likely from the ship itself, along with wooden fragments that Schetelig had discarded during the original dig. A layer of birch bark inside the mound has puzzled researchers for years. It was once thought to relate to grave robbing that took place centuries ago, or to some ritual purpose, but Ødegaard now suspects it may simply have been part of how the mound was built. The most striking find was organic: blueberry and heather plants preserved well enough that their leaves were still attached, evidence the mound was raised over living vegetation sometime in summer.

An Older Grave Underneath

Digging further, the team reached the original ground surface from the Viking Age and found something beneath it. A man-made stone cairn, ringed by a kerb of arranged stones, sat under the Viking layer. Ødegaard says this structure is probably a Bronze Age mound, though more samples still need dating to confirm it. If correct, the older mound may have served as a platform the Vikings deliberately built their ship burial on top of.

Dating a Contested Ship

Grønhaug’s own age has been debated for years. Earlier estimates placed the ship around 780 CE. More recent dendrochronological and radiocarbon analysis points to around 864 CE instead, placing the burial firmly within the Viking Age, similar in date to the well-known Oseberg ship, which dates to 820 CE.

Sources

This report draws on an original interview by Science Norway with archaeologist Marie Ødegaard of the University of Stavanger.