Archeologists working at the Fjörður excavation site in the Icelandic town of Seyðisfjörður have discovered a toy animal believed to date from the Viking Age.
The discovery was made on Monday, August 12, and is just the latest in a series of finds at this remarkable site.
The Viking Herald speaks to lead archeologist Ragnheidur Traustadottir about the new development and how work has been progressing this year to date.
Pig, bear, or Icelandic dog?
Ragnheidur's team has been working at Fjörður for the last five years, unearthing thousands of objects from the Viking Age and many other treasures from later eras.
Yet when they pulled out a genuine Viking toy earlier this week, the excitement in the air was tangible.
"It was found on Monday by Indriði Skarphéðinsson in the floor of the old longhouse," Ragnheidur tells us.
"We just thought it was great – we were waving our hands in the air!" The artifact is made of stone, is about 5 cm in length and 2.7 cm in height, and clearly depicts an animal of some kind."
"There remains, however, some doubt as to what animal it is, exactly."
"When Indriði held it up, everyone thought it looked like a pig, so this was the first impression from the Icelanders on the scene," Ragnheidur admits.
"But we have one expert from Norway who said that no, it's definitely a bear. Then some people on Facebook think it's an Icelandic dog."
The Fjörður excavation in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, has been ongoing for five years and has uncovered more than 4,000 artifacts. Source: Seydisfjord Archaeological Research
Five years of careful research
The archeological work at Seyðisfjörður, situated in the far east of Iceland, began as part of a project to construct protective walls for the town against avalanches.
Ragnheiður worked on the initial digs and test trenches in 2020 before medieval structures were uncovered beneath the farm buildings in 2021.
In the same year, the archeologists then found four burials dating to the Viking period. In 2022, the team uncovered a longhouse with a weaving room, animal houses, and a farm midden dating to the 11th–13th century.
The longhouse and other buildings had been partially crushed by a landslide in the 10th century, and it appears that many of the items inside were swiftly abandoned.
Today, in part thanks to this unfortunate event, many of the finds are in superb condition, and the team has been able to unearth an incredible number of artifacts that span 1,000 years of Icelandic history.
Ragnheiður tells us that among the finds, there are gaming pieces whose handiwork is strikingly similar to the toy. "The toy is made of the same Icelandic stone," Ragnheiður says.
"We can imagine them sitting in the dark winter months with not much to do, carving all these pieces. It seems they also made toys for children, too. There may even be more toys somewhere in the ground, but we haven't found them yet."
- READ MORE: The Viking history of Iceland - A primer
The Viking toy, discovered on August 12 in Seydisfjordur, is made of Icelandic stone, measuring about 5 cm long and 2.7 cm high. Source: Seydisfjord Archaeological Research
A rare insight into Viking life
Ragnheiður also notes that the toy is just one of many interesting finds this year. "We also found a silver coin a week ago that is remarkable, as we have very few silver artifacts in Iceland from this period," Ragnheiður informs us.
"This will have to go to the National Museum to be cleaned, and then we will be able to say what it is."
Although the full excavation will come to a close on September 1, there are plans to maintain the site so that people can continue to visit in future years.
"There are over 4,000 finds," Ragnheiður says, mentioning a series of textiles that have been preserved, as well as around 60 spindle whorls.
"Many of the artifacts are quite unique. There are so many things inside the house that tell you what people were doing. You can imagine them weaving and the children playing around – you can see so much activity!"
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