14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this week, a hiker in Norway happened upon a Viking sword that researchers say dates back to about 1,200 years ago.
It is understood that the man, Gøran Olsen, found the centuries-old weapon buried under some rocks by the side of a walking route in a region named Haukeli, in Norway's Vinje municipality.
The hiker stopped to get some rest, and while looking around him, he happened to spot the sword sticking from under a pile of rocks.
The weapon is made of iron. It measures about 77 centimeters (roughly 30 inches) in length, and considering its age and the fact that it spent centuries buried, it is in surprisingly good condition.
“The sword was found in very good condition. It is very special to get into a sword that is merely lacking its grip,” an archaeologist named Jostein Aksdal told the press in an interview.
Once researchers are done examining it, the Viking weapon will be sent to the University Museum of Bergen for conservation.
Since it's not all that often that Viking swords pop out of the ground, archaeologists plan to return to the area where it was found sometime next spring and do some digging, just in case other artifacts are lurking nearby, waiting to be discovered.
“When the snow has gone in spring, we will check the place where the sword was found. If we find several objects, or a tomb, perhaps we can find the story behind the sword,” said researcher Jostein Aksdal in a statement, as cited by The Local.
