Viking women’s gravesites unearthed to find jewelry, coins, and a ‘vulva stone’

Archeologists recently uncovered a massive cache of jewelry, silver coins, and other relics at ancient gravesites in western Norway. At least three of them appear to belong to a trio of highly respected and wealthy Viking women. But don’t expect archeologists to find their bones—or any other human remains—in the estimated 17 other nearby burial locations.

Last year, artifact hunters wielding a metal detector discovered an ancient coin and brooch near the town of Fitjar. The finds soon prompted a team of archeologists to travel to the site, known as Skumsnes, for further investigation. According to researchers, their early results indicate the existence of as many as 20 graves dating back to the early 9th century CE. The location is so laden with relics, in fact, that experts only had enough time to examine the initial three women’s graves.

“From a research perspective, this is a small treasure trove,” Søren Diinhoff, an archeologist at the University Museum of Bergen, told Science Norway on December 17th.

Diinhoff said that Skumsnes likely also served as a lucrative port of harbor for travellers. Such strategically located farms often belonged to local kings or chieftains, and generated additional income for the royal estate. This would help explain why the women buried there possessed valuable costume jewelry, including glass beads, silver coins, and oval brooches.

These graves weren’t typical modern burials, however. One woman, for example, was interred in a natural rock crevice overlaid with stones—common Viking regional practice at the time. Another, higher ranking woman’s grave featured stones arranged in the shape of a roughly 13 foot long boat intended to accompany her into the afterlife. Along with her ship, the Viking was also buried with multiple tools associated with textile weaving, indicating the woman’s respected profession at Skumsnes.

“Textile production was prestigious. Farms that made fine clothing held high status,” Diinhoff explained, who added that the inclusion of a bronze key also represented her role as a household head.

Diinhoff also believes one coin is the “most remarkable find” at Skumsnes—a rare variant from the Danish Viking town of either Hedeby or Ribe. This, along with what appear to be other silver Carolingian coins from the Frankish Empire, suggest the women had ties to continental Europe. One theory is that they came from abroad and married into the Skumsnes community.

Despite each grave’s wealth of jewelry and personal belongings, none contain any bones from the Viking women themselves. One possible reason has to do with the environmental conditions of Skumsnes.

“That’s the problem with western Norway. The soil here consumes the bone remains,” Diinhoff said.

But some evidence hints at another theory: At least the stone ship woman may have never been buried in her tomb in the first place. In this grave, archeologists discovered a grouping of coins and glass beads on a mass of decaying organic matter, which they think may have been a leather pouch. This would imply the woman wasn’t wearing them at the time of her internment, which doesn’t match Viking burial practices. If true, then the grave may have functioned as a memorial marker known as a cenotaph. 

Diinhoff added that one small, “insanely interesting” detail lends further support to this theory: a “vulva stone” arranged in place of the stone ship’s mast.

“That the stone resembles [genitalia] is no coincidence. It’s so obvious,” Diinhoff said.

While no evidence currently explains where the woman’s body ultimately resided at the time of her death, Diinhoff’s team theorizes that the vulva stone may have served as a marker for her. This would also help explain the lack of any human remains.

Regardless of the mystery’s resolution, the Skumsnes graves are prime examples highlighting the important roles women often played in ancient Viking culture, as well as the care given to them ahead of their journeys into the afterlife.