As archaeologists recently excavated Oslo’s former harbor in Norway, one of their metal detectors started to ping. It turned out that the detector had picked up on a tiny piece of metal — connected to what archaeologists say is an impression left by a deteriorated medieval gauntlet made of iron.
This metal glove — once worn by a knight to protect his hand and wrist — was all but gone, its outline crusted into the seabed. But the find stands as a rare one, and tells a fascinating story about the history of Oslo.
The Medieval Gauntlet Found In Norway’s Oslo Harbor
According to Science Norway, archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) discovered the medieval gauntlet during an excavation of an area in Oslo that used to be the city’s harbor. After a metal detector started to beep, they uncovered a “clear” imprint of the gauntlet, seemingly preserved in the mud for centuries.
Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage ResearchArchaeologists could make out a clear impression of the gauntlet, even if most of the object had deteriorated over the centuries.
The find struck archaeologists as extremely rare and unusual. Gauntlets were used starting in the 14th century, but because they are made of metal — and because metal objects were routinely melted down and reused during the Middle Ages — very few examples have been found. In recent years, one was found in Switzerland, and this likewise came as an unexpectedly exciting find.
So how did this gauntlet end up in Oslo’s medieval harbor?
“The gauntlet would never have been left lying in the streets in medieval Oslo,” NIKU archaeologist Håvard Hegdal told Science Norway. “This is an extremely expensive object. An ordinary person would never own something like this. The only way you can find things like this is if they’re buried or lost in some way. On the seabed, no one could have gotten hold of it.”
Vilde Aardahl AasThough the gauntlet’s imprint on the solidified seabed is virtually all that remains, experts can still see its exquisite detail and note that it would have been an “extremely expensive object.”
Indeed, archaeologists have some theories as to how the gauntlet ended up encased in mud on the Oslo waterfront.
The Gauntlet’s Journey To The Bottom Of Oslo Harbor
Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage ResearchArchaeologists excavating an area in Oslo which, until 1624, was the city’s harbor.
Why would a gauntlet be lost in Oslo harbor? Archaeologists suspect that it may have had to do with customs laws in medieval Norway.
“One hypothesis is that it might have something to do with customs,” Hegdal told Science Norway. He added: “Weapons confiscations have happened in other parts of Europe. Customs officers have thrown weapons into the sea or even destroyed weapons over a certain length.”
As such, it’s possible that the gauntlet was seized from its owner and disposed of. Indeed, archaeologists have found a number of other weapons in the area that support this theory, including daggers, swords, and axes.
This appears to be a more likely theory than one suggesting that the gauntlet was lost in battle. It would be hard for a knight to lose a gauntlet by accident. And because there was no arm inside the gauntlet, it doesn’t appear that its owner suffered a horrific injury.
Vilde Aardahl AasThe gauntlet may have been thrown into the harbor during a customs control check.
But archaeologists doubt they’ll ever know the full story of the gauntlet for certain. Many medieval documents from this period of Oslo’s history have been lost, and archaeologists didn’t find any other clues about the gauntlet in the immediate area surrounding it.
As such, it stands as a curious historical mystery. Was the gauntlet unceremoniously disposed of by a customs official doing his job? Or is there more to the story? For now, it seems we may never know.