Ancient stone circles, hidden under Norwegian farmland, reveal a multi-millennia burial site from the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Stone circles uncovered in Norway
Under cultivated fields in Hunn, Norway, several ancient stone circles have been discovered. These structures, dating back thousands of years, were revealed during an agricultural drainage project in the autumn of 2026 in Østfold county.Archaeologists use ground radar
The discovery was made by archaeologists from the Kulturhistorisk Museum in Oslo, who were alerted by Østfold county services. They used ground radar from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research to detect the hidden structures beneath the soil.New circles expand known burial site
The newly found stone circles are located in the western part of the Hunn field, near an area already known for its nine stone rings. These circles date to the Bronze and Iron Ages, extending the known history of the burial site to several millennia.Structures show signs of disturbance
The rings vary in size from ten to twenty meters in diameter, with individual stones weighing hundreds of kilograms. Many stones have been removed over time, likely for other construction projects, leaving only small heaps as markers. One circle had fifteen dislodged blocks, and the builders consistently used an odd number of stones, a mystery to researchers.Evidence of long-term human presence
Early excavations uncovered cooking hearths and remnants of structures, suggesting long-term human activity in the area. Some nearby tombs date back to the Roman period, and as early as the 1920s, archaeologist Helge Gjessing noted unusual stones and fire traces, though their significance was not recognized at the time.New interpretation of the circles
Previously thought to be gathering places or sites of justice, the circles are now believed to be funerary monuments. Archaeologist Anne Lene Melheim from the Kulturhistorisk Museum suggests they were built to surround and honor the dead. The team led by Jakob Jan Edvin Kile-Vesik has found several tombs around the structures and plans further analysis to determine their age and the identities of those buried there.
