Bronze Age Axe Discovered off Norway's East Coast

Archaeologists from the Norwegian Maritime Museum have unearthed an ancient Bronze Age axe in the Skagerrak strait, situated off the coast of Arendal. The Skagerrak strait acts as a connection between the North Sea and the Kattegat Sea, bordered by the Danish Jutland Peninsula, the east coast of Norway, and the west coast of Sweden.

During a routine survey conducted by the Norwegian Coastal Administration, the axe was found resting on the seabed at a depth of 12 meters. It was nestled among a collection of beach-rolled flint lumps and identified as a hollow, bronze axe dating back to 1100 BC. These ax-heads, known as "celts," were a prevalent axe type during the Nordic Bronze Age, spanning from 1800 to 500 BC.

Characteristic of hollow axes, the discovered artifact featured an angle-bent wooden shaft inserted into the fall opening at its end. Measuring 118 millimeters in length and weighing approximately 327 grams, this Skagerrak strait find offers valuable insights into the craftsmanship of the era.

Unraveling the mystery of how the ancient axe made its way to the Skagerrak strait has led to two prevailing theories. The first suggests that it may have originated from a shipwreck that occurred over 3,000 years ago, while the other proposes that it was discarded ballast. If the latter theory holds true, it arises the possibility that the axe and flint were jettisoned by a ship passing through the area en route to the port of Arendal during the sailing age.

Further research and excavation at the discovery site are planned by the archaeologists to ascertain whether the axe is indeed linked to a 3,000-year-old shipwreck. The confirmation of this hypothesis would mark the first known Bronze Age shipwreck site in Norway, shedding new light on the maritime history of the region.