AVM Runestone
Encyclopedia
The AVM Runestone was discovered on May 13, 2001, near Kensington, Minnesota, not far from the site where the famous Kensington Runestone
was found in 1898.
, were making a systematic survey of stones in the vicinity of the Kensington Runestone Park, for the Research Team set up to further understanding of the famous runestone. Investigating a small island in a lake on the farm of Arlen and Ruby Sabolik, about 400 metres (1/4 mile) from the 1898 find site, in the late-afternoon sunlight on May 13, Janey found the carved letters "AVM" on a lichen-covered, pinkish-brown granite gneiss boulder (about 110 cm or 43 inches long, weighing perhaps a tonne) which they had inspected previously in different light conditions. They took photographs, and reported their find. Two weeks later, they returned to the site with Minneapolis geologist Scott Wolter, and carefully removed lichen to reveal more inscribed characters: the date 1363 in the same pentadic numerals as seen on the Kensington Runestone, and a second line of three runes, possibly "ASU", "XSU" or "XSV". Although the symbols of the top line were similar to those on the stone found in 1898, those in the second line were not.
In June, the Runestone Museum in Alexandria established a Special Committee to investigate the new discovery, and contacted archaeologists. On June 9, by agreement, the site was carefully mapped and documented, then on July 11, the stone was removed for safekeeping, wrapped in quilts, old rugs and shrinkwrap and carried through the shallow water of the lake on an old car hood. Three archaeologists from Minnesota institutions then conducted a preliminary dig of nine test-holes at and around the site, on July 25, finding no evidence of Norse presence, but a few Native American artifacts, including two quartz flakes, probably waste from arrowhead production.
The discovery was announced in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on August 11, 2001, Westin pre-empting accusations by making it very clear that she had not carved the stone herself. The team suggested that the stone might have been made as a grave marker for some of the Norse explorers. After a public display and press conference at Kensington, the stone was taken to Wolter's St. Paul laboratory for detailed photography and analysis of the weathering of stone and carving. The state archaeologist, Mark Dudzik, was skeptical about it, maintaining the position that it was "just not logical" to believe that Scandinavian explorers, who, he argued, specialized in exploiting resources along coastlines, had penetrated to Minnesota in the 1360s. Russell Fridley, a former director of the Minnesota Historical Society, expressed a similar view, but with the observation that "It's a great testimony to Scandinavian humor on the frontier."
Immediately after the announcement, local Norse enthusiast Bob Berg came forward to report that he had found the stone while undertaking a similar survey in late 1994 and reported on it in April 1995 to the Viking research group of which he was a member. Their firm conclusion had been that it was a hoax, not worth further effort.
" (a pagan magical invocation) in an older style of runes, but the chisel had slipped.
Breaking the news on November 5, on behalf of the Special Committee, Scott Wolter, who had found "specific points that bothered me" during his scientific investigation, accepted the confession, saying "I give them credit for coming forward and admitting it." Janey Westin was less forgiving, as she had paid for transportation of the stone to its initial safe storage, and had devoted time and energy to it which could have gone "into my work, where it belonged." Gade stated that the confession was made specifically because "We saw that people were being asked to make financial contributions to have the rock tested ... we didn't feel it would be right to carry this further." However, she also said "I'm sorry that people spent their time and money on the stone, but it was clearly a fake."
Local researcher Barry Hanson, in a book he was then writing about the original Kensington Runestone, explained the main concerns that had emerged before the confession. The scientific testing had quickly shown that the carved surfaces had too much iron pyrite, which ought long ago to have oxidized to ferrous sulfate if the carving was genuinely ancient. Also, the site, though an island in 2001, ought to have been underwater in 1363.
Kensington Runestone
The Kensington Runestone is a 200-pound slab of greywacke covered in runes on its face and side which, if genuine, would suggest that Scandinavian explorers reached the middle of North America in the 14th century. It was found in 1898 in the largely rural township of Solem, Douglas County,...
was found in 1898.
Discovery and investigation
In the spring of 2001, stone carving expert Janey Westin, of Minneapolis, and her father, Robert G. Johnson, an adjunct professor in the geology department of the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, were making a systematic survey of stones in the vicinity of the Kensington Runestone Park, for the Research Team set up to further understanding of the famous runestone. Investigating a small island in a lake on the farm of Arlen and Ruby Sabolik, about 400 metres (1/4 mile) from the 1898 find site, in the late-afternoon sunlight on May 13, Janey found the carved letters "AVM" on a lichen-covered, pinkish-brown granite gneiss boulder (about 110 cm or 43 inches long, weighing perhaps a tonne) which they had inspected previously in different light conditions. They took photographs, and reported their find. Two weeks later, they returned to the site with Minneapolis geologist Scott Wolter, and carefully removed lichen to reveal more inscribed characters: the date 1363 in the same pentadic numerals as seen on the Kensington Runestone, and a second line of three runes, possibly "ASU", "XSU" or "XSV". Although the symbols of the top line were similar to those on the stone found in 1898, those in the second line were not.
In June, the Runestone Museum in Alexandria established a Special Committee to investigate the new discovery, and contacted archaeologists. On June 9, by agreement, the site was carefully mapped and documented, then on July 11, the stone was removed for safekeeping, wrapped in quilts, old rugs and shrinkwrap and carried through the shallow water of the lake on an old car hood. Three archaeologists from Minnesota institutions then conducted a preliminary dig of nine test-holes at and around the site, on July 25, finding no evidence of Norse presence, but a few Native American artifacts, including two quartz flakes, probably waste from arrowhead production.
The discovery was announced in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on August 11, 2001, Westin pre-empting accusations by making it very clear that she had not carved the stone herself. The team suggested that the stone might have been made as a grave marker for some of the Norse explorers. After a public display and press conference at Kensington, the stone was taken to Wolter's St. Paul laboratory for detailed photography and analysis of the weathering of stone and carving. The state archaeologist, Mark Dudzik, was skeptical about it, maintaining the position that it was "just not logical" to believe that Scandinavian explorers, who, he argued, specialized in exploiting resources along coastlines, had penetrated to Minnesota in the 1360s. Russell Fridley, a former director of the Minnesota Historical Society, expressed a similar view, but with the observation that "It's a great testimony to Scandinavian humor on the frontier."
Immediately after the announcement, local Norse enthusiast Bob Berg came forward to report that he had found the stone while undertaking a similar survey in late 1994 and reported on it in April 1995 to the Viking research group of which he was a member. Their firm conclusion had been that it was a hoax, not worth further effort.
Confession and explanation
On September 5, 2001, Kari Ellen Gade, then chair of the Department of Germanic Studies at Indiana University, and Jana K. Schulman, associate professor in English at Southeastern Louisiana University, wrote a letter to the Minnesota Historical Society. They explained that in June 1985, when they were both students at the University of Minnesota, they and three friends, who chose to remain anonymous, had carved the AVM stone with a hammer and chisel, as a test of willingness to believe in mystery artifacts (and "for fun"). They also revealed that the odd runes on the second line were supposed to read "ALUAlu (runic)
Alu is a Germanic charm word appearing on numerous Elder Futhark found in Central and Northern Europe dating from between 200 and 800 CE. The word – the most common of the early runic charm words – usually appears either alone or as part of an apparent formula...
" (a pagan magical invocation) in an older style of runes, but the chisel had slipped.
Breaking the news on November 5, on behalf of the Special Committee, Scott Wolter, who had found "specific points that bothered me" during his scientific investigation, accepted the confession, saying "I give them credit for coming forward and admitting it." Janey Westin was less forgiving, as she had paid for transportation of the stone to its initial safe storage, and had devoted time and energy to it which could have gone "into my work, where it belonged." Gade stated that the confession was made specifically because "We saw that people were being asked to make financial contributions to have the rock tested ... we didn't feel it would be right to carry this further." However, she also said "I'm sorry that people spent their time and money on the stone, but it was clearly a fake."
Local researcher Barry Hanson, in a book he was then writing about the original Kensington Runestone, explained the main concerns that had emerged before the confession. The scientific testing had quickly shown that the carved surfaces had too much iron pyrite, which ought long ago to have oxidized to ferrous sulfate if the carving was genuinely ancient. Also, the site, though an island in 2001, ought to have been underwater in 1363.