The oldest known runestone in the world was found in Norway. Archaeologists discovered it in a cemetery near Oslo.
The inscriptions date back to the beginnings of the mysterious runic script, providing the earliest examples of recorded written words in Scandinavia. Deciphering the message on the sandstone block, which is a good 12 by 12 inches in size, is now every runologist’s dream.
“This runestone is therefore one of the earliest examples of recorded written words in Scandinavia,” according to the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo. Sometime between 1800 and 2000 years ago, someone stood near the Tyrifjord and carved runes into the 31 by 32 cm block of sandstone.
According to the museum, deciphering the stone’s message is not an easy task. Eight runes on the front mean “idiberug” converted into Latin letters. “The text could refer to a woman called Idibera and the inscription could mean ‘To Idibera,'” suspects runologist Kristel Zilmer.
Runic script was used by the Germans and is the oldest known form of writing in Scandinavia. Runic writing was used from the beginning of the era, through the Viking Age to the end of the Middle Ages.