Archaeologists discover Iron Age royal house in Oslo: may rewrite the history of the region

Archaeologists have discovered a unique Iron Age structure that could change the way we think about the history of the region. The long house they discovered, which dates back to the second century AD, may have been the residence of a ruler who lived 700 years before Harald the Beautiful, the first king of Norway.

Excavations near Oslo, the capital of Norway, have opened up a new perspective on the ancient settlements and socio-political structures of the time. The find discovered in Semi is significantly larger than other similar buildings found in Scandinavia. Its width was 16 meters, and the central nave between the support columns reached 9 meters. Initial assumptions dated the building to the XV century, but radiocarbon analysis confirmed its much older origin - the second century AD. Arkeonews reports.

Project manager, associate professor at the Museum of Cultural History, Jes Martens, noted that such houses were usually 5-7 meters wide, and they could all fit inside the found building. This discovery challenges previous ideas about architecture and power in the region.

Further research has shown that this structure could have been a royal hall. The location in a region rich in natural resources, with a mild climate and easy access for ships, indicates the strategic importance of this place.

Martens suggests that if royalty existed here in the Iron Age, then traditional ideas about the formation of the Norwegian monarchy will have to be revised. Additional finds, such as thousands of weapons in Denmark and a unique Roman cameo vase found in a nearby marsh, confirm that this place played an important role in shaping regional power.

Scholars suggest that the royal residence could have been a center that united southern Scandinavia during the Roman Empire. Archaeological research is ongoing, and further excavations may provide new clues to understanding the social and political life of this period.

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