The discovery of the oldest inscribed stone in the world reveals the symbols of an ancient language
Archaeologists in Norway have unearthed the world's oldest stone, with inscriptions 2,000 years old dating back to the early days of the mysterious history of runic writing, a set of letters used to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet.
The Museum of Cultural History in Oslo stated that the flat square block of brown sandstone that was found had carved scribbles on it, which may be the oldest example of words recorded in Scandinavian writing.
The museum added that the inscriptions are among the oldest runic inscriptions ever found, and it is the oldest dated stone in the world.
He continued: “This discovery will give us a lot of knowledge about the use of runes in the early Iron Age. This may be one of the first attempts to use runes in Norway and Scandinavia.”
The limestone was discovered in late 2021 during the excavation of a grave near Tyreford, west of Oslo, in an area known for several mega-archaeological finds.
The items found indicate that the runes were likely inscribed between the first and second years AD.
The stone measures 31 cm x 32 cm, and contains several types of inscriptions, not all of which carry linguistic meaning.
There is still much research to be done on the stone, and it will serve as valuable knowledge about the early history of runic writing.
The stone will be displayed for a month, starting from January 21, at the Museum of Cultural History, which houses Norway's largest collection of historical artifacts, from the Stone Age to the modern era.
Source: websites