Ruins of Eighth-Century Pagan Temple Found in Norway
The structure—built to honor Norse gods like Thor and Odin—is the first of its kind discovered in the country
A digital reconstruction of the newly unearthed Norse godhouse (Courtesy of the University Museum of Bergen)
By Livia Gershon
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM
OCTOBER 16, 2020
Archaeologists from Norway’s University Museum of Bergen have unearthed the remains of an eighth-century “godhouse,” or temple dedicated to the gods of the Norse pantheon, in the village of Ose.
The researchers discovered the structure’s ruins while conducting excavations ahead of construction of a housing development. Based on the placement of postholes and other artifacts, they were able to determine how the godhouse would have looked in its prime.
As Sissel Beate Brunstad and Olaug Bjørneset report for Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the building’s layout is almost identical to late Iron Age godhouses found at Uppåkra in southern Sweden and Tissø in Denmark. But this is the first temple of its kind identified in Norway.
“We have discovered the most perfectly shaped godhouse of all the finds so far—I know of no other Scandinavian buildings in which the house construction is as clear as it is here,” Bergen University Museum architect Søren Diinhoff, who helped lead the excavation, tells Syfy Wire’s Elizabeth Rayne. “I think our building is central to document and verify this very special architecture.”
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/norse-godhouse-site-found-norway-180976075/
= new reply since forum marked as read
