A Norwegian farmer uncovered a Viking ship buried with two women

On a farm near Tønsberg, Norway, a routine look inside an old burial mound in 1903 uncovered something that had been hidden for centuries. Farmer Oskar Rom had been examining the mound on his property at Lille Oseberg when he came across what appeared to be pieces of an ancient ship. On August 8, he travelled to the capital to tell archaeologist Gabriel Gustafson what he had found. Gustafson quickly recognised that the remains could be far more significant than an ordinary burial.Within days, he was investigating the site himself. What lay beneath the mound would eventually include a Viking ship, the remains of two women and hundreds of objects, giving archaeologists an unusually detailed glimpse into life, craftsmanship and burial practices during the Viking Age.A farmer’s discovery leads archaeologists to a Viking ship graveOn August 8, 1903, Rom arrived in the capital with news from his property at Lille Oseberg in Slagen, Vestfold. He had been examining a large mound and had come across remains that suggested a ship was buried inside it.Gustafson, who oversaw the University’s Collection of National Antiquities, did not wait long before visiting the site. Within days, he had beg...