Sword of Reinheimen facts for kids
The Sword of Reinheimen is an amazing old sword found in Norway in 2017. It was discovered in a mountainous area called Oppland county. Experts believe this sword is over 1000 years old, likely from the Viking Age, sometime between 800 A.D. and the early 900s.
This ancient sword was found very high up in the mountains, about 1640 meters (that's over a mile!) above sea level. It was in surprisingly good condition! This is because it was found in a scree, which is a pile of loose rocks. Being surrounded by rocks instead of wet soil helped protect the sword from rust and decay over many centuries.
A reindeer hunter found the sword while he was out hunting in the Oppland mountains. People quickly started calling it a "Viking sword" because of its age and where it was found.
On September 4, 2017, archaeologists were taken to the exact spot where the sword was discovered. News about this exciting find spread quickly through the media that week.
Studying the Ancient Sword
On September 4, 2017, right after it was found, archaeologists from Lillehammer carefully examined the sword. They wanted to learn as much as possible about it. The sword was later taken to the Museum of Cultural History, Oslo where it could be studied even more closely and preserved for the future.
How Did the Sword Get There?
Archaeologists have some ideas about how this ancient sword ended up so high in the mountains:
- It might have belonged to someone who died outside, perhaps during a journey or a hunt.
- Someone could have been traveling across snow and accidentally lost the sword. Snow can hide things very well!
- The area where the sword was found has been used for hunting reindeer for a very long time. Reindeer hunters often try to sneak up on their prey. Sometimes, they might leave their belongings somewhere while they are trying to be quiet, and then those items can be hard to find again, especially if snow covers them.
