Now, scientists in Norway are working to reassemble the ancient puzzle, a process that’s starting to shed light on who carved the mysterious runic writing and what the words mean. Runes were the ...

The sandstone fragments analysed in the study were unearthed during excavations at a grave site in Svingerud, Norway, from 2021 to 2023. The fragments, found in separate graves, were dated to between ...

The same passage also appears to reference the act of rune-carving, and could therefore indicate that the runes were produced by this female scribe. If confirmed, this would represent the earliest ...

Archaeologists in Hole, Norway, unearthed 12 fragments of a carved standing stone, identified as the world’s oldest rune stone, a study said. Photo from the Museum of Cultural History While ...

In one common rune-casting technique, the diviner carved runes on pieces of bark, then flung the pieces on the ground, picked three at random, and used the symbols inscribed on them to answer his ...

The fragments, found in separate graves, were dated to between 50BC and 275AD, providing the earliest known context for rune writings. The carvings, an “unusual mixture of runes and other ...