Large Iron Age houses discovered in Norway

Archaeologists from the science museum in Trondheim have located the foundations of two large houses from the Iron Age, close to one of the biggest burial grounds in Hallem, near Stiklestad in Trøndelag.

The Lofotr Viking Museum in Borg

"This rarely happens in Norway, and it is completely unexpected" says archaeologist Marte Mokkelbost. The archaeologists have discovered two so-called "long houses" that confirm that Stiklestad was an area inhabited by people who were both wealthy and in power during the iron age.

The burial grounds at Stiklestad is one of the largest collection of cemeteries in Norway. The houses were found very close by, and one of the houses is more than 50 meters long and eight meters wide.

Professor in archaeology at the University in Trondheim, Lars Stenvik, explains that the houses may have functioned as halls, and not merely used as residences. "We think that this has been an important center for the chiefs in the iron age, and maybe all the way back to nativity," Stenvik tells NRK.

The archaeologists are now using metal detectors to search the premises, and hope to find artifacts that may have belonged to the people who lived here. Already, they have seen signs that part of the flooring in the house is still intact.