Man discovers 'spectacular' Viking grave in backyard

A Norwegian man made the discovery of a lifetime, and it was in his own backyard.

Leif Arne Norberg of Sogndalsdalen, Norway, found a Viking grave while doing landscaping work in his backyard. Experts suspect the grave is from the Viking period in the eighth or ninth century C.E. The grave likely belonged to a blacksmith, because Norberg uncovered a pair of blacksmith's tongs.

Norberg has lived in his house since 1975, but he was shocked to discover the artifacts had been on his property for hundreds of years. After finding the blacksmith's tongs, Norberg also discovered a bent sword, an ax, and other metalwork pieces. Irish Archaeology calls the findings "spectacular."

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"When I found a sword sticking out of the ground, I realized that this was probably more than a couple hundred years old," Norberg told Norway's NRK. He notified the county of his findings, and archaeologists from the county's Cultural Department and Bergen University investigated the discovery. The team excavated the findings, and they will be displayed at the University Museum of Bergen after conservation. --Meghan DeMaria