Norway Archaeologists Find ‘World’s Oldest Runestone’

OPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – Archaeologists in Norway have found a runestone which they claim is the world’s oldest.

They say the inscriptions are up to 2,000 years old and date back to the earliest days of the enigmatic history of runic writing.

The Museum of Cultural History in Oslo said Tuesday that the flat and square block of brownish sandstone may be the earliest example of words recorded in writing in Scandinavia.

The runestone was discovered in the fall of 2021 during an excavation west of Oslo.

Items in the grave where the runestone was found indicate that the runes likely were inscribed between A.D. 1 and 250.