Researchers announced the discovery of the world's oldest known rune stone in Norway.
Archaeologists discovered it in the autumn of 2021 during investigations at a burial ground in Hole on the Tyrifjord near Oslo, the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo announced on Tuesday.
The inscriptions are up to 2,000 years old and date from the earliest days of the mysterious history of runic writing, it said.
"This rune stone is thus one of the very earliest examples of words recorded in writing in Scandinavia," the museum's statement said.
Some time between 1,800 and 2,000 years ago, someone had stood near the fjord and carved runes into the 31 by 32-centimeter sandstone block. The museum described the find as "the dream of all runologists."
The Svingerud Stone, named after the site where it was found, is now scheduled to go on display in a museum exhibition for five weeks from Saturday.
Deciphering the message on the stone is no easy task, according to the museum. Eight runes on the front read "idiberug" when converted into Latin letters. "The text possibly refers to a woman named Idibera and the inscription could mean 'For Idibera,'" said runologist Kristel Zilmer. However, she added that there is still a lot of research to be done.
Runic writing was used by the Germanic tribes and is the oldest known form of writing in Scandinavia. They were used extensively from the beginning of the era through the Viking Age to the late Middle Ages.
