2025/02/03 by Steinar Solheim, Kristel Zilmer, Judyta Zawalska +4 · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · #Linguistics and language evolution #Historical and Archaeological Studies #Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies
paper · doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.225
The development of runic writing (the early Germanic alphabetic script) and the practice of inscribing runes on stone are difficult to trace, particularly as rune-stone inscriptions are rarely found in original and/or datable contexts. The discovery of several inscribed sandstone fragments at the grave field at Svingerud, Norway, with associated radiocarbon dates of 50 BC–AD 275, now provide the earliest known context for a runestone. An unusual mixture of runes and other markings are revealed as the fragments are reconstructed into a single standing stone, suggesting multiple episodes of inscription and providing insight into early runic writing practices in Iron Age Scandinavia.