Viking Age woman found buried with scallop shells on her mouth, and archaeologists are mystified
A metal detector in central Norway recently discovered a Viking Age metal brooch. But when he led archaeologists to the site, they discovered much more: a burial with evidence of an unusual ritual they had never seen before.
“The tomb contains what we believe to be a woman, buried in typical Viking-era attire and jewelry dating back to the 9th century,” Raymond Sauvagechief engineer of the University Museum of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and project leader, said in a translated version statement. “The most striking element is the presence of two scallop shells placed near the mouth of the deceased, a practice previously unknown in pre-Christian graves in Norway.”
The burial was discovered earlier this year when detectorist Roy Søreng was searching a coastal field owned by Arve Innstrand in Trøndelag County. Søreng struck an oval-shaped metal brooch typical of Viking Age jewelry. Innstrand and Søreng alerted archaeologists, who dug further and found a tomb filled with artifacts, bird bones and a human skeleton covered in shells.
“It is very unusual to have such a well-preserved skeleton in old tombs,” Hanna Geirandirector general of the Norwegian Directorate of Cultural Heritage, said in the release. “This discovery has great cultural heritage value.”
The Viking Age woman appeared to have been buried in an outer robe tied near her shoulders with two oval brooches, according to archaeologists. A small ring-shaped brooch closed the neck opening of her inner dress, which resembled a slip. The woman’s jewelry and clothing suggest “she was a free and probably married woman, perhaps the mistress of the farm,” Sauvage said.
Although brooches are typical clothing accessories of the Viking Age, shells and bird bones have surprised archaeologists.
Two large scallop shells were placed over the woman’s mouth, the curved side outward and the straight edge up, partially covering her jaw. It’s unclear whether the scallops were part of an artifact, Sauvage said in an email to Live Science, because “we have not yet seen marks such as holes.” Further analysis could reveal additional clues.
Sea scallops are common in the northeast Atlantic Ocean, in places like Trøndelag. Sauvage told Live Science that the scallops are likely of local origin. “These areas of Norway are excellent grounds for harvesting scallops,” he said. “However, you have to dive to catch them, so it is not certain whether they were caught while snorkeling or are dead shells collected from the beach.”
The symbolic meaning of the scallops and bird bones in the burial is currently unknown.
Scallop motifs found on 4th century object Roman coffin They were thought to represent life after death, while in the Middle Ages, which followed the Viking Age, scallops were linked to the Christian cult of St. James as a symbol of pilgrimage.
“It is likely that the scallops had a symbolic meaning intended to be communicated to witnesses to the burial; unfortunately, it is difficult to guess what that meaning might have been,” Sauvage said.
Earlier this year, archaeologists discovered a second skeleton in the same field, but it likely dates from the 8th century, several generations before the woman was buried with the scallops. Further work is needed to determine who these people were and why they were buried in close proximity to each other.
“We will examine the skeleton, preserve the objects and collect samples for dating and DNA analysis,” Sauvage said in the release. “The goal is to learn more about the person and, if possible, any relationship to the previous discovery at the same site.”
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