Buried deep within a well in a small Norwegian farm, researchers have discovered a wooden toy Viking boat.
The toy dates back around 1,000 years, and was probably played with by a child on the farm.
The finding gives an insight into the lifestyle of medieval children, and suggests that they were allowed to play, as well as help their parents on the farm.
A glimpse into the life of Iron Age children: 1,000-year-old wooden toy Viking boat is unearthed in Norway
The carved toy was discovered at the bottom of a well on a farm in Norway
It was whittled in a style resembling Viking longboats, with an uplifted prow
Researchers also discovered pieces of leather shoes in the well
Together, the findings suggest that the farm was not wealthy, but that children living there lived a happy life
By Shivali Best For Mailonline
31 March 2017
Buried deep within a well in a small Norwegian farm, researchers have discovered a wooden toy Viking boat.
The toy dates back around 1,000 years, and was probably played with by a child on the farm.
The finding gives an insight into the lifestyle of medieval children, and suggests that they were allowed to play, as well as help their parents on the farm.
Buried deep within a well in a small Norwegian farm, researchers have discovered a wooden toy Viking boat. The toy dates back around 1,000 years, and was probably played with by a child on the farm
The wooden boat was found in the coastal town of Orland, Norway, by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
It was whittled in a style resembling Viking longboats, with an uplifted prow, and a hole in the centre that probably held a mast for the sail.
Ulf Fransson, leader for the dig, said: 'This toy boat says something about the people who lived here.
'First of all, it is not so very common that you find something that probably had to do with a child.
'But it also shows that the children at this farm could play, that they had permission to do something other than work in the fields or help around the farm.'
Despite being 1,000 years old, the fragile toy boat was remarkably well-preserved, probably because of the high water table in the well where it was found.
In a drier location, it would probably have decomposed, the archaeologists said.
Alongside the toy boat, the archaeologists also found leather pieces that they believe piece together to form four shoes.
When the shoes were first discovered, the researchers thought they must be from more recent times than the Middle Ages.
But when the radiocarbon dating information came back, it was 'big news,' said Ingrid Ystgaard, project manager of the dig.
'We found shoes that are contemporaneous with Olav den Hellige,' who was king of Norway from 1015 to 1028.
Alongside the toy boat, the archaeologists also found leather pieces that they believe piece together to form four shoes
The farm in Orland is the seventh studied in the area by the researchers, who hope to piece together what these clustered homesteads might reveal about community life in the Middle Ages.
Ms Ystgaard said: 'This is one of the biggest questions we are studying. The development of farms in this area over a span of 1,500 years in the past. It is fantastic material.'
The Middle Age farm was far from big cities, and was not strategically placed for trade, which suggests that it was probably not the richest farm in the area.
One of the shoe pieces that was found was a heel piece from a large sole, with a hole worn through it. The researchers believe that the clean-cut front edge of the heel piece shows that the shoe was worn out and they did repair it
The farm in Orland is the seventh studied in the area by the researchers, who hope to piece together what these clustered homesteads might reveal about community life in the Middle Ages
Finding the shoes, which resemble moccasins, also indicates that the farm was not that wealthy.
Mr Fransson said: 'These were more of an ordinary shoe. Awork shoe that they wore every day.
'One of the shoe pieces that was found was a heel piece from a large sole, with a hole worn through it. The clean-cut front edge of the heel piece shows that the shoe was worn out and they did repair it.'
But because the researchers found much of a whole shoe, 'that tells me that they weren't that poor either, because they had the means to throw (a whole shoe) out,' Mr Fransson added.
The boat was whittled in a style resembling Viking longboats, with an uplifted prow, and a hole in the centre that probably held a mast for the sail
The wooden boat was found in the coastal town of Orland, Norway by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
The toy dates back around 1,000 years, and was probably played with by a child on the farm.
The finding gives an insight into the lifestyle of medieval children, and suggests that they were allowed to play, as well as help their parents on the farm.
A glimpse into the life of Iron Age children: 1,000-year-old wooden toy Viking boat is unearthed in Norway
The carved toy was discovered at the bottom of a well on a farm in Norway
It was whittled in a style resembling Viking longboats, with an uplifted prow
Researchers also discovered pieces of leather shoes in the well
Together, the findings suggest that the farm was not wealthy, but that children living there lived a happy life
By Shivali Best For Mailonline
31 March 2017
Buried deep within a well in a small Norwegian farm, researchers have discovered a wooden toy Viking boat.
The toy dates back around 1,000 years, and was probably played with by a child on the farm.
The finding gives an insight into the lifestyle of medieval children, and suggests that they were allowed to play, as well as help their parents on the farm.
Buried deep within a well in a small Norwegian farm, researchers have discovered a wooden toy Viking boat. The toy dates back around 1,000 years, and was probably played with by a child on the farm
The wooden boat was found in the coastal town of Orland, Norway, by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
It was whittled in a style resembling Viking longboats, with an uplifted prow, and a hole in the centre that probably held a mast for the sail.
Ulf Fransson, leader for the dig, said: 'This toy boat says something about the people who lived here.
'First of all, it is not so very common that you find something that probably had to do with a child.
'But it also shows that the children at this farm could play, that they had permission to do something other than work in the fields or help around the farm.'
Despite being 1,000 years old, the fragile toy boat was remarkably well-preserved, probably because of the high water table in the well where it was found.
In a drier location, it would probably have decomposed, the archaeologists said.
Alongside the toy boat, the archaeologists also found leather pieces that they believe piece together to form four shoes.
When the shoes were first discovered, the researchers thought they must be from more recent times than the Middle Ages.
But when the radiocarbon dating information came back, it was 'big news,' said Ingrid Ystgaard, project manager of the dig.
'We found shoes that are contemporaneous with Olav den Hellige,' who was king of Norway from 1015 to 1028.
Alongside the toy boat, the archaeologists also found leather pieces that they believe piece together to form four shoes
The farm in Orland is the seventh studied in the area by the researchers, who hope to piece together what these clustered homesteads might reveal about community life in the Middle Ages.
Ms Ystgaard said: 'This is one of the biggest questions we are studying. The development of farms in this area over a span of 1,500 years in the past. It is fantastic material.'
The Middle Age farm was far from big cities, and was not strategically placed for trade, which suggests that it was probably not the richest farm in the area.
One of the shoe pieces that was found was a heel piece from a large sole, with a hole worn through it. The researchers believe that the clean-cut front edge of the heel piece shows that the shoe was worn out and they did repair it
The farm in Orland is the seventh studied in the area by the researchers, who hope to piece together what these clustered homesteads might reveal about community life in the Middle Ages
Finding the shoes, which resemble moccasins, also indicates that the farm was not that wealthy.
Mr Fransson said: 'These were more of an ordinary shoe. Awork shoe that they wore every day.
'One of the shoe pieces that was found was a heel piece from a large sole, with a hole worn through it. The clean-cut front edge of the heel piece shows that the shoe was worn out and they did repair it.'
But because the researchers found much of a whole shoe, 'that tells me that they weren't that poor either, because they had the means to throw (a whole shoe) out,' Mr Fransson added.
The boat was whittled in a style resembling Viking longboats, with an uplifted prow, and a hole in the centre that probably held a mast for the sail
The wooden boat was found in the coastal town of Orland, Norway by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
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