. A large Viking settlement was located below Orland Airport, Norway. It is estimated that the site was 1 ,500 year old. The area covers nearly 13 football fields (91,000 metres and 979,515 sq feet. Archaeologists have found several items of jewelry and animal bones in the ancient land. Ingrid Ystgaard was the dig’s manager. She believes that the Viking settlement once belonged to a prosperous farming and fishing community. The area was a large Iron Age trash tip. It is called a “midden”. A fragment of a glass beaker that Dr. Ystgaard has found is likely made in Germany’s Rhine region, which today makes up the majority of Dr. Ystgaard’s collection. The speciment indicates that the settlement was wealthy and had easy access to commodities from Europe. (Image: gemini.no. Credit: Age Hojem NTNU University Museum. The midden (also known as the shell heap, kitchen midden or shell heap) was an ancient landfill for household waste that contained human excrement and animal bones, shells. Sherds, botanical material. Vermin were also present. The first Norwegian find of this kind. Materials of this age. Most of the finds so far have been found in good condition due to low levels of acidity in the soil. Archaeologists and historians have known for a long time that this area is rich in Viking artifacts. However, they were unable to excavate the site due to restrictions by government officials. Norwegian law states that archaeologists can’t just dig to find out if something is there. They must wait until an opportunity arises to excavate the area. The Norwegian Government’s plans to purchase 52 F -35 fighter planes and expand the airport was just in time. The Government’s announcement that it would expand Orland Airport, 2015, archaeologists was greeted with great joy. They got far more from the dig than they expected. These soil marks are part of larger finds that reveal three structures in the form of U. These large structures suggest that the owners of these buildings were well-off. (Image: gemini.no. Credit: Age Hojem University Museum. How did they live and what happened? Dr. Ystgaard, from the Department of Archaeology and Cultural History at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU – Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet), said: “This as a very strategic place. The area was protected along the Norwegian coast route that links southern Norway with the north shores. It was located at Trondheim Fjord’s mouth, which provided a crucial link to Sweden and other parts of mid-Norway. “None like this has ever been seen in Norway.” Our job now is to discover what has happened and how the people lived. Every day, we learn new things while out on the field. “It’s incredible.” From the sky, Orland – Norway’s Main Air Station- appears like a head of seahorse. Its nose is pointed to the south. Yellow is the excavation area, while green is the dry land that existed 1 ,500 year ago. (Image: gemini.no. Credit to Ingrid Ystgaard. Orland Airport lies in a region of Norway that has changed significantly since the beginning of the last Ice Age (about 11,500 year ago). Once, the entire region was covered in a thick, heavy layer of ice that pushed down Earth’s crust and caused it to sink below water level. A large portion of the region was left under water after the melting glaciers. This created an isolated bay that is now largely made up of dry land. This bay was home to the recently discovered Viking settlement. The site also contains pot shards and pieces of glass, as well as the remnants of an old cooking area. (Image: gemini.no. Illustration by Ingrid Ystgaard (NTNU). Dr. Ystgaard is hopeful that he will find graves and harbors as well as boathouses and other evidence. Dr. Ystgaard stated that there was a lot activity at the site. Our job now is to discover what took place here and how the people lived. Every day, we learn new things while out on the field. It’s amazing.”
