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Norwegian archaeologists have used ground-penetrating radar technology to discover an extremely rare ship in the Viking, which experts describe as a "sensational" discovery.
A team from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) used a high resolution georadar to locate the ship in Østfold County, in southeastern Norway. The 66-foot ship, which is located in a tumulus, is just under the topsoil at a depth of 1.6 feet.
"The data indicates that the lower part of the ship is still preserved," NIKU said in a statement, noting that the keel and the floor of the ship appeared to be visible.
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Dr. Knut Paasche, head of the Department of Digital Archeology at NIKU, described the discovery as "extremely exciting" in the statement, adding that only three well-preserved Viking ships were found in Norway.
The burial of the ship (circled) is part of a larger tumulus cemetery and a settlement site. (Illustration: Lars Gustavsen, NIKU)
"We are certain that there is a ship there, but it is hard to say how much it is preserved before continuing the investigation," said Morten Hanisch, county curator at Østfold.
Archaeologists have also identified on the site eight hitherto unknown funeral mounds. In addition, the georadar data revealed five long houses, some of which are "remarkably large".
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The Viking families lived in long houses without windows, which also served as a refuge for their cattle.
The viking ship was found by georadar in Viksletta, right next to the monumental Jelle Mound in Østfold. (Photo: Lars Gustavsen, NIKU)
The site is next to a monumental viking burial mound. The longship is therefore part of a cemetery clearly designed to display power and influence, according to NIKU project manager, Lars Gustavsen. "The burial of ships does not exist in isolation," he said in a statement.
Archaeologists are now considering digitally mapping the site, revealing more details about the ship without discovering it and exposing it to the elements. However, experts do not rule out the possibility of excavations in the future.
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The georadar used in the research project was developed by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Archaeological Exploration and Virtual Archeology (LBI ArchPro). The Institute's technology also uncovered a Roman gladiatorial school in Austria and highlighted the presence of additional structures in Stonehenge.
Georadar revealed the contours of the Viking ship. (NIKU)
The longship is only the last fascinating archaeological discovery of the time of the Vikings. An 8-year-old girl recently discovered a 1,500-year-old Viking sword in a Swedish lake.
Earlier this year, an incredible wealth of silver treasures linked to the time of the famous Viking king was discovered on an island in the Baltic Sea. Hundreds of 1000 year old silver coins, rings, pearls and silver bracelets have been found on the German island of Ruegen.
Last year, a reindeer hunter discovered an incredibly well preserved Viking sword on an isolated mountain in southern Norway. In 2016, archaeologists from Trondheim, Norway, unearthed the church where the Viking king Olaf Haraldsson was proclaimed saint.
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In addition, in 2016, a tiny Viking crucifix was discovered in Denmark.
Bradford Betz of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this article.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
