A "unique" prehistoric artifact has been found off the coast of southern Norway in a discovery that left one archaeologist "stunned".
The object in question appears to be a type of Bronze Age ax, which experts with the Norwegian Maritime Museum (NMM) believe dates to around 1300-1100 B.C. The museum researchers say the well-preserved bronze ax is the first metal artifact from prehistoric times found in Norwegian waters.
It was discovered off the coast of Arendal on the seabed in the strait of Tromøysund at a depth of approximately 40 feet, Jørgen Johannessen, a marine archaeologist at the NMM, told Newsweek.
But how the socketed ax, which measures almost 5 inches in length, ended up in the strait is something of a mystery. One intriguing possibility is that the artifact comes from a Bronze Age shipwreck dated to more than 3,000 years ago.
"However, there is only this find and no other artifacts or boat parts," Johannessen said.
If the shipwreck hypothesis turns out to be correct, the find would represent an unprecedented discovery in this region, according to Frode Kalvø, an archaeologist at the NMM and project leader.
"If that's the case, it would be the first Bronze Age shipwreck discovered in Norway," Kalvø told ScienceNorway.no.
If true, there may be more preserved artifacts from the shipwreck at the site, which further investigations must take into account, according to a press release from the museum.
The team's second hypothesis, and perhaps the more likely, is that the ax was used as ballast on a sailing ship at a much later date—a few hundred years ago at most—and was discarded.
"This might have happened in the 19th century. It could have been thrown overboard to make room for new cargo," Johannessen told ScienceNorway.no.
"The ax likely lay in a grave since the Bronze Age or was lost on the beach. When they were gathering ballast for the ship, they might have picked it up without noticing," Kalvø said.
Archaeologists discovered the ax during a routine investigation carried out on behalf of the Norwegian Coastal Administration.
"I was completely stunned by the discovery," Johannessen said. "I could hardly believe it."
"I immediately knew that it was something special, but the optical effects of the water can deceive you. When I came up and laid it on the boat deck, everyone went completely silent."
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