Tools have been used by mankind for thousands of years, and archaeology presents us with amazing examples of what was used in times long past.
Recent archaeological excavations in Denmark have unearthed a true treasure: a Viking Toolbox.
The dig at the Viking ring fortress of Borgring has excavated the box which contains fourteen unique tools, all made of iron and dating back one thousand years.
Scientists and researchers believe the toolbox belonged to residents of the fortress, and it was a very exciting discovery for all involved.
After the box was unearthed, still encased within layers of hard soil, it was transferred to a local hospital to be scanned with a CT scanner to identify exactly what it was. Researchers were able to see the tools (the box itself, made of wood, had rotted away over the centuries). Due to replacement of the box with soil, however, the tools remained in place as they would have been when the box was buried.
Iron tools were very rare a thousand years ago, and this collection of tools would have been a very precious and valuable thing to its Viking owner. Most others from the time would have been found and melted down to reuse the iron.
Further analysis will hopefully demonstrate exactly what kind of craftsman the owner was. Tools in the boxed collection include spoon drills, pliers or tweezers, and drawplate, which suggest the owner may have been a carpenter or jewelry maker.
Near the location the box was found, archaeologists also found evidence of a room that may have been a craftsman’s workshop.
The fortress experienced a fire in the tenth century AD, in the region of the box and the room and by the gate to the fortress. Archaeologists believe the box may have been buried when the gate collapsed.
Going forward, researchers hope to X-ray the tools for complete identification before they are conserved and, it’s hoped, publicly displayed in 2017.
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