(ORDO NEWS) — The history of Iceland begins with Ingolfur Arnarson, a representative of a noble family in Norway, who, as a result of civil strife, was forced to leave his possessions forever and go to sea in search of a new land.
This is how the city of Reykjavik appeared on the map of the island in 874. However, a new discovery by archaeologists may push this beautiful legend into the background.
The ancient houses that the researchers found indicate that the island was inhabited 70 years earlier.
Two ancient longhouses have been discovered near a village outside the Stedvarfjordur fjord, one of which was built almost 75 years before the official Viking settlement of the country.
Dating back to around 800 AD, the house is at least 40 meters long and was used by early colonizers as a seasonal hunting camp to track down walruses in the area.
Numerous decorative artifacts have been found along with the wooden structure, including Roman and Middle Eastern coins, beads, rings, and tiny fragments of gold.
These buildings were discovered by an archaeological team led by Bjarni F. Einarsson. Scientists have been working in the area since 2015.
The researchers say the discovered structures could provide new insights into how the Vikings founded the farming settlement.
“We still don’t have a complete picture, first of all we have to complete the excavation of the house that was built later, and then we can explore the old structure,” commented Einarsson.
So now scientists can only make assumptions.
They believe that the found ancient house was used as a seasonal hunting camp, and was under the control of the Norwegian leader, who hunted walruses in order to bring them to Norway.
Such longhouses were used as public houses during the Viking Age. The buildings were divided into rooms, which allowed several families to live at once.
Also, after sifting the earth, the team found valuable artifacts, among which were decorative beads, silver and ancient coins.
Experts say these items were most likely acquired through trade. The Vikings were able to sell local resources such as skins and meat from whales and walruses.
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