Couple notice something unusual in rocky riverbed — and find 4,000-year-old artifact
While walking along a riverbed in Norway, a couple spotted something unusual. The U-shaped object turned out to be a rare 4,000-year-old tool.
Odd Svensson and Liv Karlsholm went for a walk along a river near Kleive last week. As they walked, they kicked some pebbles from the riverbed and noticed an old-looking item, they told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp.
Archaeologists identified the artifact as a rare bone fish hook from over 4,000 years ago, the Møre og Romsdal County Municipality said in a May 30 news release.
The ancient fish hook measures just over an inch long and has a similar shape to modern fish hooks, officials said.
A photo shows the tan-brown object. On one side, the hook comes to a sharp point. On the other side, the curved bone has four notches used to attach it to a string.
Based on the shape of the hook, archaeologists dated it to the Stone Age in the middle or late Mesolithic period, officials said.
County archaeologist Agathe Smørholm told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp. that the fish hook is extremely rare and very exciting.
Svensson described the fish hook as a once-in-a-lifetime find but still plans to look very closely at the riverbed in the future, the outlet reported.
Kleive is in the coastal region of Møre og Romsdal and a roughly 330-mile drive northwest from Oslo.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Møre og Romsdal County Municipality and article from Norwegian Broadcasting Corp.
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Couple notice something unusual in rocky riverbed — and find 4,000-year-old artifact."
