Monday 11 June 2012

Monumental effort to save the threatened Viking treasures of Oseberg




The wood fibers of the richly decorated ceremonial wagon are disintegrated because of the preservation method. Credit: © Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo / Eirik Irgens Johnsen

Researchers from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, working closely with Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, have been studying ancient wooden Viking artefacts at the synchrotron radiation source BESSY II. The conservators expect this non-destructive method will yield crucial insights into the degradation of these unique works of art. The wooden artefacts come from a Viking grave found in 1904 at Oseberg near the Oslo fjords.