Archaeologists in Norway have uncovered what they believe is the world's oldest runestone.
The sandstone block contains inscriptions dating back 2,000 years -- the earliest known stone writing ever found in Scandinavia.
It's inscribed with the word "Idiberug," which could be the name of a person or family.
The stone was discovered in late 2021 when the archeologists at the Museum of Cultural History in Norway excavated an ancient burial ground in Ringerike near Lake Tyri, about 25 miles northwest of Oslo.
"Under one burial mound, the archaeologists found a runestone. The grave dates to between the year 1 and 250, which makes the stone the world's oldest runestone," the museum said in a Facebook post. "The runestone may have been set up as a grave support and marked the grave site. Perhaps it was a memorial stone, a dedication or a gift to the deceased."
The stone, measuring roughly 12x12 inches, has several types of engravings. The front of the stone is covered with runes (the oldest known form of writing in Scandinavia), rune-like characters and other drawings - some of which may resemble graffiti. Not all of the inscriptions make linguistic sense, according to the museum.
"Eight runes are particularly clear. Paraphrased in letters it says: idiberug. This is probably the name of a person, and may mean 'for Idibera.' It can also be a family name, Idiberung," the museum said.
The stone has been named after the place of discovery, and is called "Svingerudsteinen" or "the Svingerud stone."
Scandinavia has several thousand runestones from the Viking Age -- between 793 and 1066 AD -- but there is less evidence of runes from earlier times, with only about 30 believed to date from earlier than around 550 AD, CNN reported. The Svingerud stone is the first that dates to before 300 AD.
Kristel Zilmer, a professor at University of Oslo, called it a "sensational" discovery.
"This find will give us a lot of knowledge about the use of runes in the early Iron Age. This may be one of the first attempts to use runes in Norway and Scandinavia on stone," Zilmer told the Associated Press. "Without doubt, we will obtain valuable knowledge about the early history of runic writing."
The runestone will be on display at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo through February 26.
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