November 08-2013
Archaeologists say silk textiles found buried in Norway more than 100 years ago are Iranian in origin and a further example of Viking trade across Russia and the Caspian with Iran.
The textiles are about 1,200 years old.
They were found in a burial mound aboard a Viking ship buried near Tonsberg, Norway, in 834 CE. The vessel, known as the Oseberg ship, was dug up in 1904-05 and is still under study. It is considered one of the best preserved of ancient ships.
More than one hundred small silk strips were discovered in the old ship. They carry Persian motifs, in particular, Zoroastrian symbols.
The symbols display parts of special birds associated with Persian mythology, combined with cloverleaf axes. One of the depicted birds is known as Shahrokh.
The experts suggest that the textiles, cut into thin strips, were used for adornment on clothing.
“The Norwegian Vikings maintained trade connections with Persia and the Byzantine Empire through a network of traders from a variety of places and cultures who brought the silk to the Nordic countries,” said Marianne Vedeler, associate professor at the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo.
Previously, the experts thought the Oseberg silks had been looted from churches and monasteries in England and Ireland and no one had conceived of them being imported from Persia.
The Viking trade with Persia has long been known. A few years ago a collection of Persian coins was dug up in Norway.
