Langeid

Langeid is a village in Bygland municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The village is located in the northern part of the municipality, along the river Otra and the Norwegian National Road 9, about halfway between the villages of Tveit (in Bygland) and Besteland (in neighboring Valle).

Langeid
Village
Langeid
Location of the village
Langeid
Langeid (Norway)
Coordinates: 58.9892°N 07.5380°E / 58.9892; 07.5380
CountryNorway
RegionSouthern Norway
CountyAust-Agder
DistrictSetesdal
MunicipalityBygland
Elevation223 m (732 ft)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code
4745 Bygland

Archaeology

In 2011, during road construction on Highway 9, an elaborately decorated Viking sword was excavated. The sword is decorated with gold-leaf and silver thread. The weapon appears to feature both ancient runic symbols as well as Latin characters and Christian symbols. Archaeologists have yet to decipher the meaning of the mixed characters. The sword was found buried next to a battle axe and several ancient silver coins.[2]

The sword likely belonged to a wealthy Viking who was both a farmer and a warrior who sailed to the British Isles with King Cnut the Great. The finding prompted further archaeological study in Langeid, as it may have been a wealthy Viking-era town involved in ironwork weapons production.[3]

References
  1. "Langeid, Bygland (Aust-Agder)". yr.no. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
  2. "Langeidsverdet" (in Norwegian). SetesdalsWiki.no. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
  3. "Vikingsverd fra Sørlandet vekker internasjonal oppsikt". Retrieved 2015-09-23.



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.