The Svingerud Runestone is a sandstone object featuring Elder Futhark inscriptions found in a grave west of Oslo , Norway . Radiocarbon dating indicates that the grave and the runestone date to between 1 and 250 CE, during the Roman Iron Age , making it the oldest datable runestone known in the world, and potentially the oldest known runic inscription. The discovery is additionally notable for the content of its inscriptions.
7-616: Archaeologists from the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, discovered the stone in the autumn of 2021 while investigating a gravefield near Tyrifjorden . The runes, recording words of an early form of the Proto-Norse language (a northern development of Proto-Germanic ), were carved, possibly with the tip of a needle or a knife, in a block of reddish-brown Ringerike sandstone measuring 31x32 cm (12.2 in by 12.6 in). Runologist Kristel Zilmer, Professor of Written Culture and Iconography at
14-472: Is the nation's fifth largest lake with an area of 138.56 km . It has a volume of 13 km , is 295 meters deep at its deepest, and lies 63 meters above sea level. The lake's primary source is the Begna river, which discharges into Tyrifjorden at Hønefoss where the river forms the waterfall of Hønefossen. Its primary outlet is at Vikersund near the lake's southwest corner, where Tyrifjorden discharges into
21-458: Is the rendering of a name such as Idibergu, or perhaps the kin name Idiberung. And there are other possible interpretations – as common with early runic inscriptions." The University of Oslo placed the stone on public exhibition from January 2023 until late February 2023. Tyrifjorden Tyrifjorden ( Lake Tyri ) is a lake in Norway . It lies 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Oslo and
28-527: The Drammenselva river. Tyrifjorden is located in the county of Buskerud and borders the municipalities of Hole , Lier , Modum , and Ringerike . Tyrifjorden is a landlocked fjord . It consists of a main body, Storfjorden, along with the Holsfjorden, Nordfjorden, and Steinsfjorden branches. The Old Norse form of the name was just Tyri (or Tyrvi ). This uncompounded name is also the first element in
35-600: The Museum of Cultural History, worked on interpreting the inscriptions on the rune stone throughout 2022. Zilmer said, "Having such a runic find fall into our lap is a unique experience and the dream of all runologists. For me, this is a highlight, because it is a unique find that differs from other preserved rune stones." The stone is named after the site where it was found (Svingerud, a tiny settlement North of Oslo) and has generally been referred to as Svingerudsteinen ('the Svingerud Stone') to date. The first three runes of
42-496: The name Tyristrand . The name is derived from the word tyri meaning "old/dead pine (wood)", referring specifically to the woods of the western side of the lake. The last element -fjorden (the definite form of fjord ) is a later addition. On 22 July 2011, an island in the lake, Utøya , was the site of a shooting spree during a youth camp held by the Norwegian Labour Party . This Buskerud location article
49-436: The runic alphabet, ᚠ (f), ᚢ (u) and ᚦ (th), are found in one place on the stone, making this the earliest known occurrence of this sequence. Eight runes are more legible than its other inscriptions; transliterated into Roman letters they spell either idiberug or idiberun . According to Zilmer, "The text may refer to a woman called Idibera and the inscription could mean 'For Idibera'. Other possibilities are that idiberug
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