Rune in Norway dates to 400 AD

The first rune stone discovered in Norway since 1947 dates to about 400 AD and may contain a grave, archaeologists in the city of Mandal said.

The rune discovered last week in a garden in Mandal has several lines cut into the stone’s face, but the style of writing appears slightly different from previous finds and is more difficult to decipher, The Norway Post reported Friday.

One sentence beginning Ek Naudigastir — I Naudagistr — is believed to be a man’s name. A larger stone under the rune may be a grave. Another grave from the same period was discovered on the same property years ago, the Post reported.

The rune stone tradition began in the fourth century and lasted into the 12th century, with most rune stones dating from the late Viking Age as memorials to deceased men, archaeologists said.