• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Archaeology News
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum
Archaeology News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Archaeology

Archaeologists in Norway found a medieval shipwreck

Dario Radley by Dario Radley
November 19, 2022
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Linkedin.Share on RedditShare on Whatsapp

Marine archaeologists surveying the bottom of Norway’s largest lake believe they have discovered the wreckage of a ship, the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment stated earlier this month.

Archaeologists in Norway found a medieval shipwreck
Sonar pictures show the wooden ship’s hull at a depth of about 1,350 feet (410 meters) beneath the surface of Lake Mjøsa. Credit: FFI/NTNU

They believe the ship was built between 1300 and 1850. Sonar pictures show the wooden ship’s hull at a depth of about 1,350 feet (410 meters) beneath the surface of Lake Mjøsa, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of the Norwegian capital.

Since at least the Viking Age (the eighth to 11th centuries), the lake has also served as a vital trade route between wealthy communities.

Based on the fact that the stern of the ship was distinct from the bow, archaeologists believe the ship was built after 1300. Viking ships are much more likely to be similar on both ends and to date before 1300. Other features distinguishing this ship from a Viking one include it having a central rudder, whereas a Viking ship’s rudder or steering oar would most likely be on the starboard side of the hull.

“Because this is a freshwater lake, the wood in such a ship is preserved,” Øyvind Ødegård, a maritime archaeologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, told Science Norway. “The metal may rust, and the ship may lose its structure, but the wood is intact. A similar ship to the one we now found would not have survived for more than a few decades if it had gone down on the coast,” he added.

RelatedStories

Lighthouse of Alexandria rises again as 22 massive blocks resurface from the seafloor after 2,000 years

Lighthouse of Alexandria rises again as 22 massive blocks resurface from the seafloor after 2,000 years

July 7, 2025
Shipwreck Salvage. Credit: rawpixel.com / Public Domain

2,000-year-old shipwreck discovered off Turkish coast with remarkably preserved stacked ceramics

July 2, 2025

Ødegård is part of a project led by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) and NTNU to find and map hundreds of tons of surplus ammunition dumped in Lake Mjøsa from the 1940s to the 1970s.

“Finding the wreck was almost a byproduct of the original mission to map dumped munitions,” he said. “I expected to find some things — that’s why I was participating in the project.

The two-week mapping only covered about 40 square kilometers of the lake’s 360 square kilometers. More ships may be discovered in the coming days as the researchers analyze more of the data collected, or during the next field trip in the spring.

“Finding the wreck was almost a byproduct of the original mission to map dumped munitions,” Ødegård tells Live Science’s Tom Metcalfe. “I expected to find some things—that’s why I was participating in the project.”

“If we are going to find a Viking shipwreck in Norway, then Mjøsa is probably the place with the most potential for such a find,” he said.

ShareTweetShareShareSend

You May Also Like...

Rare medieval knight tombstone discovered in heart of Gdańsk
Archaeology

Rare medieval knight tombstone discovered in heart of Gdańsk

July 7, 2025
Lighthouse of Alexandria rises again as 22 massive blocks resurface from the seafloor after 2,000 years
Archaeology

Lighthouse of Alexandria rises again as 22 massive blocks resurface from the seafloor after 2,000 years

July 7, 2025
Roman cavalry swords lead to discovery of Iron Age settlement and possible Roman villa in Gloucestershire. Credit: James Haris
Archaeology

Roman cavalry swords lead to discovery of Iron Age settlement and possible Roman villa in Gloucestershire

July 7, 2025
Copper Age infant discovered in Italian well reveals rare genetic origins
Anthropology

Copper Age infant discovered in Italian well reveals rare genetic origins

July 6, 2025
A complete earlier medieval (probably circa 12th century) iron sword. Credit: Suffolk County Council, Dr Anna Booth / CC BY 2.0
Archaeology

Fisherman uncovers remarkably preserved medieval sword in Warsaw’s Vistula River

July 5, 2025
Ancient sloth bone from Uruguay shows signs of possible human-inflicted trauma 33,000 years ago
Archaeology

Ancient sloth bone from Uruguay shows signs of possible human-inflicted trauma 33,000 years ago

July 5, 2025

Follow us


Instagram
247K

Facebook
110K

Threads
43K

LinkedIn
12K

Twitter
6K

YouTube
1K
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Shipwreck Salvage. Credit: rawpixel.com / Public Domain

2,000-year-old shipwreck discovered off Turkish coast with remarkably preserved stacked ceramics

July 2, 2025
Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

May 18, 2025
Neanderthals operated prehistoric “fat factory” 125,000 years ago on German lakeshore, study finds

Neanderthals operated prehistoric “fat factory” 125,000 years ago on German lakeshore

July 3, 2025
Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

July 3, 2025
Genetic study reveals the origin and diversity of the Huns

European Huns were not of Turkic origin but had ancient Siberian roots, linguistic study reveals

June 24, 2025
$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

A 21-year-old student successfully deciphered the first word from the Herculaneum scrolls, charred during Mount Vesuvius' eruption

A 21-year-old student successfully deciphered the first word from the Herculaneum scrolls, charred during Mount Vesuvius’ eruption

New evidence reveals the source of mercury in the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor

New evidence reveals the source of mercury in the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor

Oldest US firearm discovered in Arizona: a 500-year-old relic of Coronado's expedition

Oldest US firearm discovered in Arizona: a 500-year-old relic of Coronado’s expedition

Rare medieval knight tombstone discovered in heart of Gdańsk

Rare medieval knight tombstone discovered in heart of Gdańsk

July 7, 2025
Lighthouse of Alexandria rises again as 22 massive blocks resurface from the seafloor after 2,000 years

Lighthouse of Alexandria rises again as 22 massive blocks resurface from the seafloor after 2,000 years

July 7, 2025
Roman cavalry swords lead to discovery of Iron Age settlement and possible Roman villa in Gloucestershire. Credit: James Haris

Roman cavalry swords lead to discovery of Iron Age settlement and possible Roman villa in Gloucestershire

July 7, 2025
Copper Age infant discovered in Italian well reveals rare genetic origins

Copper Age infant discovered in Italian well reveals rare genetic origins

July 6, 2025
A complete earlier medieval (probably circa 12th century) iron sword. Credit: Suffolk County Council, Dr Anna Booth / CC BY 2.0

Fisherman uncovers remarkably preserved medieval sword in Warsaw’s Vistula River

July 5, 2025

Archaeology News online magazine

Archaeology News is an international online magazine that covers all aspects of archaeology.











Categories

  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • Download
  • Game
  • News
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Paleontology
  • Quiz
  • Tours

Subscribe to our newsletter

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum

About  .  Contact  .  Donation

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to improve your experience and enable functionality and security of this site. Further detail is available in our Privacy Policy. By accepting all cookies, you consent to our use of cookies and use of data.