Archaeologists' most exciting finds: Beneath all the remains of dismembered cats, a beautiful latticework of twigs was revealed
"The whole area was like a crazy time capsule back to a pretty filthy medieval town," says archaeologist.
"It wasn't sensational, but it was definitely the most interesting thing I've ever been part of digging up," says archaeologist Håvard Hegdal.(Photo: NIKU)
We have asked archaeologists to share their most exciting finds.
Summer is peak season for archaeological excavations, and this is when many significant discoveries are made.
Sometimes, years of planning and digging are required before something spectacular is uncovered; other times, they stumble upon treasures by sheer chance. Both types of discoveries are invaluable for our understanding of the past.
It was during one of the first excavations in the Bjørvika area in Oslo, in connection with the construction of the Follo Line railway, around 2014.
The area was called the archaeology pit.
"It's one of the richest areas we've ever excavated. It was located right in the middle of the medieval town. It was kind of like a backyard area between the farms that were there," says Håvard Hegdal.
After the Follo Line, excavations continued in Bispevika, once a harbour in medieval Oslo.
But the most exciting find – that happened right at the beginning.
"Preserved in incredible detail"
"It was a small area, but packed with strange things," Hegdal recalls.
He found a small comb made of antler, which looked pristine. As if someone had dropped it there yesterday.
A little further away, there was a rubbish heap with the skeleton of a dog. Its front legs had been torn off, and it lay beneath a pile of oyster shells.
"Everything was extremely well preserved, with an insane amount of detail. Everything was preserved in incredible detail," he says.
The skeleton of an abused dog, and lots of oysters.(Photo: NIKU)
A perfectly preserved comb.(Photo: NIKU)
Beneath all the cat remains lay what he remembers best
Someone had been running a small industry of skinning cats here, so there were large quantities of cat remains to excavate. Cat skulls and bones. Lots of kittens – their fur is the softest.
Most of the cat remains uncovered in medieval Oslo have been discarded, but a selection of bones has been collected for analysis. Here's some of the skulls from skinned cats.(Photo: NIKU)
"Almost all the cats we've found from the medieval town show signs of being skinned," says Hegdal. "You can see it clearly on the skull and jaw – knife marks where the fur lies closest to the bone. On the forehead, jawbone, and back of the head."
And then, beneath all the cat remains, came what Hegdal remembers most clearly.
"There was this beautiful woven twig fence, just flattened and lying there. It looked like it had toppled over yesterday," he says.
It took Håvard Hegdal and his colleague three days to carefully clean and reveal the twig fencing.(Photo: NIKU)
With cat remains.(Photo: NIKU)
Et voilà! A twig fence from medieval Oslo. As if it had been blown over just yesterday.(Photo: NIKU)
The twigs were woven in a herringbone pattern. Though well preserved, they were incredibly fragile. So delicate, in fact, that the surrounding soil was sturdier, says Hegdal.
"A guy named Stefan Bakke and I spent three full days lying on our stomachs on mats, painstakingly uncovering that fence. First, we had to remove all the remains of dismembered cats. Then we just lay there, brushing and cleaning. And it turned out so incredibly beautiful!" he says.
Annonse
Not sensational, but very special
Hegdal isn't quite sure what the fence once enclosed – maybe a pigsty? The posts were still upright in the ground, and the fence lay right where it had once toppled over.
"It was later covered by layers of clay. Or maybe pig manure, actually. That’s likely what helped preserve it so well," says Hegdal. "And after it had fallen, the local cat skinner came along and dumped cat remains all over it. The whole area was like a crazy time capsule back to a pretty filthy medieval town."
The twig fence was too delicate to preserve. But Hegdal notes that they took plenty of lovely photos and got solid dating results.
"It's not really a sensational find, but it's definitely the most interesting thing I've ever excavated. Lying on my stomach for three days, carefully uncovering a freshly toppled fence from the 1100s," he says.
