9 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Family Looking for Lost Gold Earring Finds Viking Age Artifacts in Their Garden on the Island Of Jomfruland

A family in Norway was searching for a lost gold earring in their yard on the island of Jomfruland when they discovered treasure much more valuable than the jewelry: Viking-era artifacts dating back more than 1,000 years.

The Aasvik family was searching for the lost jewelry at their home in Jomfruland, but as soon as they turned on the metal detector, they stumbled upon a bowl-shaped buckle and another item that appear to be part of a Viking-era burial, according to a Facebook post this week by the Cultural Heritage of Vestfold and Telemark County Council.

The council said they believe a woman’s grave had been unknowingly preserved under a large tree in the Aasvik family’s garden. The artifacts are thought to date from around 800 AD.

The Aasvik family immediately contacted local authorities to report their find.

Jomfruland is a small island off the south coast of Norway. The find is significant to the history of the region. It was previously assumed people lived on the island in Kragerø during the Viking Age, but scientists have been unable to confirm it until now. This is thought to be the first Viking-era find on the island.

Photo: Cultural Heritage of Vestfold and Telemark County Council.
Photo: Cultural Heritage of Vestfold and Telemark County Council.

Archaeologist Vibeke Lia in Vestfold and Telemark County Municipality, who has seen the buckles, says it is an incredible find, and 1,200-year-old artifacts are in good condition.

“As far as I know, it is the first secure find we have from the Viking Age on Jomfruland,” Lia told the NRK Vestfoldogtelemark, adding this is an exciting archaeological find.

Lia believes there may be more objects in the ground at the site but says digging for more is inappropriate.

“If it is a grave, it is protected. We will rather try to find out more in other ways,” she said.

The Aasvik family are not the only people to make a discovery from Viking times in Norway this month. Another treasure was recently found, which archaeologists described as the find of the century.

Amateur archeologist Erlend Bore was using his newly purchased metal detector and dug up nine pendants, three rings, and 10 gold pearls, believed to be from around AD 500.

Cover Photo: Cultural Heritage of Vestfold and Telemark County Council.

Related Articles

‘Proof of biblical kings’, Israel deciphers 8th century BC Hezekiah inscription after a decade of research

17 December 2022

17 December 2022

Israeli archeologists have deciphered an 8th-century BC inscription discovered on a palm-sized stone tablet after a decade of research.  The...

Restoration of the Duomo of Florence has revealed original polychrome paint

1 December 2022

1 December 2022

During the restoration of the Porta dei Cornacchini and the marble cladding of the northern side of Florence’s Duomo, extensive...

Spectacular ancient mosaic found in Paphos, Cyprus

21 July 2021

21 July 2021

During the excavations carried out on Fabrika Hill in Kato Paphos, Cyprus, an ancient mosaic floor belonging to the Hellenistic...

Export barred on roundel manuscript gifted to Queen Elizabeth I by Archbishop

12 September 2022

12 September 2022

A rare presentation manuscript that Archbishop of Canterbury Matthew Parker gave to Queen Elizabeth I in 1573 has been sold...

The colored skeletons of Çatalhöyük provide insight into the burial rituals of a fascinating society that lived 9000 years ago

18 March 2022

18 March 2022

New research provides new insights into how the inhabitants of the “oldest city in the world” in Çatalhöyük (Turkey) buried...

First Major Iron Age Cemetery Discovered in the UAE: A 3,000-Year-Old Burial Site in Al Ain Region

22 April 2025

22 April 2025

A groundbreaking archaeological discovery has emerged from the Al Ain Region of the United Arab Emirates, revealing a 3,000-year-old necropolis...

Archaeologists discover 7,000-year-old tiger shark-tooth knives in Indonesia

29 October 2023

29 October 2023

Excavations on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi have yielded an incredible find: two tiger shark teeth that were fashioned into...

“Cardiff’s earliest house” unearthed during an archaeological dig may shed light on the city’s earliest inhabitants

15 July 2022

15 July 2022

Archaeological excavation in a city park in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, has uncovered what is believed to be the...

Archaeologists Find 11 Sealed Middle Kingdom Burials Full of Jewelry in Luxor, Egypt

4 November 2024

4 November 2024

The South Asasif Conservation Project, an Egyptian-American mission working under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, has...

Evidence found of Goose domestication in Neolithic China 7,000 years ago

8 March 2022

8 March 2022

Geese may have been domesticated in what is now China as early as 7,000 years ago, according to a study...

Secrets of the Ancient Walls: 1,700-Year-Old Roman Altar Unearthed at Vuçak Castle in Kosovo

19 April 2025

19 April 2025

Excavations at Vuçak Castle in the Kosovo countryside have led to a remarkable discovery: a Roman altar dating back to...

Rare and Unusual Fossil Shows Small Mammal Attacking Larger Dinosaur

20 July 2023

20 July 2023

An unusual fossil from about 125 million years ago that depicts a dramatic event when a carnivorous mammal attacked a...

A rare medieval Christogram Tattoo from Ghazali, Sudan

22 October 2023

22 October 2023

A Polish-Sudanese research team investigating the medieval African monastery of Ghazali discovered a rare medieval religious tattoo in a tomb...

The oldest trace of human activity discovered in North America dates back 23,000 years

26 September 2021

26 September 2021

A recent fossil footprint found in New Mexico, the United States, indicates that humans existed in North America about 23,000...

Iraq’s historic Arch of Ctesiphon undergoes restoration work

28 November 2021

28 November 2021

Iraq’s Arch of Ctesiphon, the world’s largest brick-built arch, is having restoration work to return it to its former splendour,...