George Alexis Pantos
After all, the stone of Svingud is not alone: it is part of a larger whole, with more inscriptions – and may have been carved by a woman.
The oldest runic stone in the world was
Now new evidence suggests that this inscription was part of a set: a great Stone plate with 2 thousand yearsaccording to the.
Runes are the oldest known Germanic writing system, and the oldest emerged in Scandinavia in the early centuries of the oldest we know, the stone of Swingerudit is not, after all, alone: more fragments of sandstone in the place (an old cemetery) were found, with similar inscriptions: They will have been a whole, and fit perfectly.
The way the stone was departed suggests that it has been deliberately shattered and distributed by several burials over time. The authors of this month in Antiquity They believe it can be a ritual.
“It is likely that the runic stones have had ceremonial and practical intentions. The grave field and the original (unique) stone suggest a commemorative and dedicatory intention, while subsequent use in a separate funeral illuminates pragmatic and symbolic expressions and symbolic, ”says researcher Kristel Zilmer.
The expert adds that these pieces “have a remarkable mix of multiple inscriptions and other brands – unlike everything previously found in stones with runic inscriptions.”
The most accurate inscription is found in hole 3, “The text starts with the word ‘Eu’followed by the applicant’s name, then a verb that indicates the activity (‘wrote’) and finally the word ‘Runa’, which refers to the inscription as a whole, ”says Zilmer.
And in hole 2, “the name of the rune sculptor is difficult to detect due to the fresh and ambiguous runes and the surfaces worn over time,” he added.
“We proposed some possible readings. The most intriguing characteristics is the ending in -U, which suggests that this could have been a woman’s name. If so, this would be the oldest known record of a rune -writing woman“.
In hole 2, one stands out a single word, or name: idiberug. Researchers cannot find exact meaning, so they believe it is a person’s name, possibly a woman.
“Carbon-14 dating from the stone of Svingud is between 50 BC and 275 AD, which covers a very large time interval, but which fits perfectly with the older inscriptions we know from other types of materials and objects: brooches, weapons and other personal equipment ”, comments the researcher Lisbeth immer.
“Singrad’s Appeder was sculpted with runes, then destroyed, then sculpted with a new inscription, etc.,” explains Imer.
“So, perhaps we should not see it as a rock stone, but as something completely different. There are still mysteries to solve here ”concludes.
