Photographs show that archaeologists in Oslo have discovered the ruins of a massive wooden pier structure, probably a royal wharf, on the clay seabed.
Photo from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research
As excavators dug into the gray-tinged clay of the seabed along the coast of Norway, a massive structure began to reemerge.
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Archaeologists knew from preliminary surveys that there was something buried at a port in Oslo, the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research said in a Thursday, March 2, news release. When excavations began, they found the remains of a medieval wharf.
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The wooden ruins were a pier structure about 26 feet long, archaeologists said. The pier consisted of huge logs lashed together to form bulwarks. The logs were dotted with impressions of barnacles and mussels, signs of having once been exposed to the sea.
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The pier was likely built in the early 14th century and, over the last 700 years, sunk into the clay seabed under its own weight, the release said.
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Based on the structure’s location and estimated age, archaeologists think this wharf was probably the king’s. Another nearby dock is known to have been used by royalty from the 11th to 13th century, the release said.
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Around the massive logs, archaeologists unearthed layers of food waste, fish bones, dung and peat in the clay. They don’t know how these materials ended up around the pier.
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Researchers will cut a portion of the wood off the pier and send it to a lab to be more specifically dated, the release said. Excavations are ongoing.
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Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research.
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