Carvings on a 2,000-year-old knife may be the oldest runes discovered in Denmark | Smart News

Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old iron knife inscribed with what may be the oldest known runes in Denmark. The following is written on the 3-inch blade: Hirirameans “little sword” in Old Norse.

Jacob Bonde, curator and archaeologist at Denmark’s Odense Museum, who discovered the knife, didn’t initially notice the inscription on the knife. Only after the restorer cleaned it did he learn that the artifact was something special.

“It’s like receiving a note from beyond, from the past. This is an extraordinary discovery for us and tells us something about the development of the oldest Scandinavian languages,” he said. guardianMiranda Bryant. “And for me personally, it’s wonderful to have made this discovery.”

Bonde found the knife in a burial site on the island of Funen, east of the city of Odense.He and his team say it could date back to 150 AD

“The knife itself is not remarkable,” Bondet told Agence France-Presse. “There are five runes on the blade, which is amazing in itself, but the age of the runes is even more amazing, because they are actually the oldest ones we got from Denmark. I haven’t written anything before this.”

According to the Odense Museum, the runes on this knife are about 800 years older than the famous Jelling runestones, one of which is so closely associated with the founding of Denmark that it has been named the “Danish Birth Certificate.” It is known as.

There is only one other known runic artifact that could be comparable to the age of this knife. In 1865, archaeologists discovered a small bone comb in Funen, west of Odense, inscribed with the words: Harja— probably meaning “warrior” or “comb” — was written. The ancient comb is on display at the National Museum of Denmark.

Lisbeth Immer, a linguist at the National Museum, is excited about the discovery, which could shed new light on Denmark’s early writing.

“It is very rare to find runes as old as the ones on this knife, and this gives us much more insight into Denmark’s oldest written language, and thereby the language that was actually spoken in the Iron Age. It offers a unique opportunity to gain knowledge,” she said in a translated statement from the museum.

Since literacy was not common at the time, being able to read and write was associated with higher status, Imel added. The knife’s owner may have been part of a “small intellectual elite.”

The knife, along with other artifacts excavated from the site, will be exhibited at the Odense Museum on February 2.

“It is surprising that the oldest runes were discovered within a few kilometers of the island of Funen,” Bonde said in a statement, adding: “It is too early to tell if there is a connection, but archaeologists “This shows how rare it is for scientists to make such discoveries.” ”

He added, “It can be rightly said that the discovery of the ‘Small Sword’ is a once-in-a-century event.”