8-year-old picks up rock at schoolyard — and finds 3,700-year-old artifact in Norway

Aspen Pflughoeft
·1 min read
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While playing at her schoolyard in Norway, an 8-year-old girl liked the look of a small rock — and unintentionally picked up a 3,700-year-old artifact.

Elise found the nice-looking rock among some large boulders at her school in Vestland, the Vestland County Municipality said in a May 2 news release. She showed the stone to her teachers who immediately realized it was not an ordinary stone.

The rocky area of the schoolyard where Elise was playing.
The rocky area of the schoolyard where Elise was playing.

The teachers contacted local archaeological authorities to take a closer look, the release said.

Archaeologist Louise Bjerre Petersen identified the object as a Stone Age dagger from about 3,700 years ago. He described it as a unique and very rare find.

Photos show the dagger is about 5 inches long. It has a gray-brown coloring, distinct sharpened edges and looks like it has been struck repeatedly.

The Stone Age dagger found by Elise.
The Stone Age dagger found by Elise.

Archaeologists excavated the area where the dagger was found, but uncovered no other traces of the Stone Age, the release said.

The stone dagger was given to the University Museum in Bergen for safekeeping, the release said.

Archaeologists excavate part of the schoolyard.
Archaeologists excavate part of the schoolyard.

Vestland is a region along the northwestern coast of Norway, about 265 miles northwest of Oslo.

Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Vestland County Municipality.

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