Piecing together the puzzle of the world’s earliest datable rune stone

Piecing together fragments of the world’s earliest known rune stone shows they fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and may have been separated intentionally, shedding light on the varied pragmatic and ritual aspects of early Germanic rune stones.

Runes were the letters used to write Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet, the oldest of which were in use until about AD 700. However, how these runes originated and were used is unclear.

“The development of runic writing and the practice of inscribing runes on stone are difficult to trace,” says Dr. Kristel Zilmer, professor in runology at the University of Oslo, and member of the research team behind a new publication in Antiquity.

Thus, the discovery of several sandstone fragments inscribed with runes at the grave field of Svingerud, Norway, is exciting, as they shed light on early use of runic writing on stone and feature multiple intriguing sequences of runes alongside other puzzling markings. The archaeological contexts of the finds provide excellent opportunities for dating the rune stone by radiocarbon dates.

The pieces of stone were found in separate graves. Through meticulous archaeological investigations over three field seasons and analysis of the fragments in the lab, the research team found that they fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. By piecing together the fragments, the team were able to detect several runic inscriptions.

Some fragments were carved with several runic sequences, some containing ambiguous markings. They may have been engraved at different times by multiple people.

This suggests that the original, large stone was intentionally fragmented, scattered and incorporated into later burials. Perhaps the stone was initially intended to mark one grave, but was fragmented to commemorate subsequent burials.

“Rune stones likely had both ceremonial and practical intentions,” states Dr. Zilmer. “The grave field and the original raised stone suggest a commemorative and dedicatory intent, while subsequent use in a separate burial illuminates later pragmatic and symbolic expressions.”

Importantly, as Svingerud is a grave field, the cremated human remains and charcoal at the site can be radiocarbon dated, giving a firm date range for the contexts in which the rune stone fragments were found.

Radiocarbon dating revealed yet another surprise: The contexts date between 50 BC and AD 275, indicating that the rune stone fragments are the oldest examples discovered to date.

This invites a different perspective on the rune stone: could some of the unidentified symbols bridge the gap between ornamental script and early writing? Was the fragmentation and scattering of rune stones a means to connect different graves across the grave field?

“This is a rare example of finding runic fragments in well-preserved, datable archaeological contexts. It is of great importance for discussions on early Scandinavian rune stones and it also serves as a reminder for archaeologists to thoroughly investigate stone fragments found in grave contexts and search for potential inscriptions. We will see more research on this site and the rune stone fragments in the years to come,” Dr. Solheim concludes.