Latest news with #RyanPrimrose
New York Times
27-06-2025
- General
- New York Times
A Runestone That May Be North America's Oldest Turns Up in a Canada Forest
Two trees fell in the forest. Whether or not anyone heard, the fall eventually revealed runes below. A stone carved with 255 runes had lain beneath the trees, long hidden by soil, moss and roots in a densely forested corner of Canadian wilderness. On the same stone, someone had carved an image of a boat with passengers. Who carved it? When? Why? First a historian was summoned, then an archaeologist, and then an expert in runes. Finally, this month, they told the public about the discovery. The runestone was found on private property in 2015, after the trees' collapse exposed it again to the elements of northern Ontario. The carvings quickly raised the specter of Vikings — there is only one confirmed Viking settlement in North America, in Newfoundland — but investigation soon knocked that idea down. Nor was the stone a forgery, researchers said, like the Kensington Runestone of Minnesota, which scholars found to be a 19th-century hoax. The Ontario runestone is 'a remarkable find,' said Kristel Zilmer, a runologist at the University of Oslo who was not involved in the project. The stone, she said, 'shows how such knowledge sometimes traveled with people, occasionally leaving behind finds like this one in rather unexpected places.' Ryan Primrose, the archaeologist called to the site, near the town of Wawa, was among the surprised. 'I had never expected to encounter a runestone during my career,' he said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mysterious 200-Year-Old Runes Found in Canadian Wilderness
Deep in the northern Ontario bush, there is a stone covered in strange markings. No one knew it existed until a tree fell over and exposed it. Carved into the slab of rock are a series of ancient runes that archaeologists have been trying to decipher for years. The stone was found in 2018, and pictures of it were quickly sent to Ryan Primrose, the director of the Ontario Centre of Archaeological Education. 'It's certainly among the least expected finds that I think I've encountered during my career. It's absolutely fascinating," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Primrose was worried people would assume that the markings on the stone slab were created by Vikings, so he has been quietly working on the mystery for seven years. "We didn't want to release information publicly until we had done as much as we could at the time to understand exactly what it was," he said. The stone slab, about the size of a small tabletop, is half-buried in the rocky ground. From a distance, it looks as though it is covered in scratches. It is actually a series of 255 runes alongside an illustration of a boat and 16 further runic symbols that have been purposefully carved into the rock. Primrose decided to bring in runology expert Henrik Williams. He flew over from Sweden and sat under a tarpaulin for three hours with a flashlight, looking at the runes. He realized the symbols were Futhark alphabet runes, which were originally used in Scandinavia. Etched into the bedrock is an early Swedish rune version of The Lord's Prayer. The prayer can be traced back to 1611. This initially caused confusion. There were no Swedes in the region at that time, so who could possibly have carved this into the rock? But the prayer was republished in the 19th century, and at that time, the Hudson's Bay Company did employ some Swedes. They had a trading post in Michipicoten, which is relatively close to the runes. There is no way to know exactly how the carvings came to be, but Primrose and William reasonably think that someone working for the Hudson's Bay Company is responsible. Etching all 255 runes into the rock is a task that would have taken days or weeks. Once created, they believe it might have been a central point for religious prayer or for Swedes to come together. This timeline means that the stone is much newer than many would assume. Researchers estimate that it was carved around 1800. The team admitted they were a little disappointed to discover that the runes were not older.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mysterious carving found in northern Ontario wilderness
Seven years ago, a tree fell over in the northern Ontario bush and exposed an archeological mystery that researchers are still trying to understand. Found carved into the bedrock, not far from the town of Wawa, were 255 symbols arranged in a square about 1.2 metres by 1.5 metres, and next to it, there is carved a picture of a boat with 16 people on it, as well as 14 Xs. Photos of the discovery made their way to Ryan Primrose, an archeologist based in New Liskeard and the director of the Ontario Centre for Archeological Education. "Well it's certainly among the least expected finds that I think I've encountered during my career. It's absolutely fascinating," he said. Primrose has been working on the carvings since 2018 and is now talking about it publicly for the first time. "We didn't want to release information publicly until we had done as much as we could at the time to understand exactly what it was," he said. Primrose quickly realized the 255 characters were Nordic runes, part of an alphabet known as Futhark that was used in Scandinavia in centuries past. He was worried some would jump to conclusions that these were carved by Vikings more than a millennium ago. That's why he sought the help of Henrik Williams, an emeritus professor at Uppsala University in Sweden and a leading expert in runology. He came to analyze the well-worn carvings on a drizzly cold October day several years ago. "I was under a tarpaulin for three hours with a flash light, looking at the runes and the others were sitting outside freezing," Williams said. "And I came out with this reading." He realized that the runic writing spelled out the words of The Lord's Prayer in Swedish and traced it back to a 1611 runic version of the prayer, which was republished in the 19th century. "It must have taken days and days of work. They are really deeply carved into the rock. Someone must have spent a couple of weeks carving this thing," Williams said. "And this must have been a Swede. Were there any Swedes at all here?" Primrose said subsequent research has shown that the Hudson's Bay Company did hire Swedes in the 1800s to work at trading posts in the Canadian wilderness, including the Michipicoten post, not too far from where the carving was found. He says his going theory, based on how worn the carving is, is that it was likely made in the early to mid-1800s. Williams admits to being "a little disappointed" that it's only about 200 years old, but says "the mystery around it doesn't decrease just because it's slightly younger than we hoped it was." "Anybody has to start wondering 'Why on Earth did they carve it here and why did they choose that text?' And there's no answers," he said. "But mysteries, they do tend to attract people and this one will certainly do that." Primrose speculates this carving could have been a spot for religious worship, perhaps a gathering place for Swedes who worked at the trading post, or the solitary work of one person. He says the carving was found under several inches of soil and it was likely deliberately buried, but no other artifacts were found in the area which makes it "difficult to tell what's going on." Working with the property owner, Primrose has applied for a lease hold on the land and is hoping to get funding to develop the site into a historical tourist attraction, including a structure over the carving to protect it from further wear. He hopes to have those plans formalized by the end of the summer and then give the public a chance to ponder the mysterious carving in person.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mysterious carving found in northern Ontario wilderness
Seven years ago, a tree fell over in the northern Ontario bush and exposed an archeological mystery that researchers are still trying to understand. Found carved into the bedrock, not far from the town of Wawa, were 255 symbols arranged in a square about 1.2 metres by 1.5 metres, and next to it, there is carved a picture of a boat with 16 people on it, as well as 14 Xs. Photos of the discovery made their way to Ryan Primrose, an archeologist based in New Liskeard and the director of the Ontario Centre for Archeological Education. "Well it's certainly among the least expected finds that I think I've encountered during my career. It's absolutely fascinating," he said. Primrose has been working on the carvings since 2018 and is now talking about it publicly for the first time. "We didn't want to release information publicly until we had done as much as we could at the time to understand exactly what it was," he said. Primrose quickly realized the 255 characters were Nordic runes, part of an alphabet known as Futhark that was used in Scandinavia in centuries past. He was worried some would jump to conclusions that these were carved by Vikings more than a millennium ago. That's why he sought the help of Henrik Williams, an emeritus professor at Uppsala University in Sweden and a leading expert in runology. He came to analyze the well-worn carvings on a drizzly cold October day several years ago. "I was under a tarpaulin for three hours with a flash light, looking at the runes and the others were sitting outside freezing," Williams said. "And I came out with this reading." He realized that the runic writing spelled out the words of The Lord's Prayer in Swedish and traced it back to a 1611 runic version of the prayer, which was republished in the 19th century. "It must have taken days and days of work. They are really deeply carved into the rock. Someone must have spent a couple of weeks carving this thing," Williams said. "And this must have been a Swede. Were there any Swedes at all here?" Primrose said subsequent research has shown that the Hudson's Bay Company did hire Swedes in the 1800s to work at trading posts in the Canadian wilderness, including the Michipicoten post, not too far from where the carving was found. He says his going theory, based on how worn the carving is, is that it was likely made in the early to mid-1800s. Williams admits to being "a little disappointed" that it's only about 200 years old, but says "the mystery around it doesn't decrease just because it's slightly younger than we hoped it was." "Anybody has to start wondering 'Why on Earth did they carve it here and why did they choose that text?' And there's no answers," he said. "But mysteries, they do tend to attract people and this one will certainly do that." Primrose speculates this carving could have been a spot for religious worship, perhaps a gathering place for Swedes who worked at the trading post, or the solitary work of one person. He says the carving was found under several inches of soil and it was likely deliberately buried, but no other artifacts were found in the area which makes it "difficult to tell what's going on." Working with the property owner, Primrose has applied for a lease hold on the land and is hoping to get funding to develop the site into a historical tourist attraction, including a structure over the carving to protect it from further wear. He hopes to have those plans formalized by the end of the summer and then give the public a chance to ponder the mysterious carving in person.
Daily Mirror
17-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Mystery of 200-year-old runes found in Canada finally cracked
The runes, numbering 255 in total, were discovered in 2018 when a tree fell and exposed a carefully carved inscription in Ontario, Canada, just 155 miles from the US border Archaeologists have finally cracked a 200 year old code etched into a remote Canadian rock, leaving researchers gobsmacked. The 255 enigmatic symbols were unearthed in 2018 when a tree toppled over and revealed a meticulously carved inscription near the small town of Wawa in Ontario, just 155 miles from the US border in Michigan, according to MailOnline. Now, after years of scrutiny, archaeologist Ryan Primrose from the Ontario Centre for Archaeological Education has disclosed that the markings are actually the Lord's Prayer - penned entirely in Swedish using ancient Nordic runes. The religious message was an unexpected discovery in the Canadian wilderness. However, further probing unveiled that Swedish workers had once been enlisted by the Hudson's Bay Company to staff isolated trading posts in the 1800s - suggesting one of them as the probable author of the carving. With no other artefacts discovered at the site, experts reckon it may have served as a modest outdoor place of worship for the Scandinavian settlers, reports the Express. During the 19th century, the Hudson's Bay Company - a massive British fur trading network - was expanding swiftly across North America. To staff remote locations in Canada's interior and the Pacific Northwest, they frequently turned to recruits from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. What is the mysterious slab Mystery surrounds a stone slab found in Manitoba, Canada, featuring ancient carvings within a precise square border three feet by four. Accompanying the inscriptions is an image of a boat circled by 16 figures - thought to represent Swedes travelling to Canada long ago. Primrose shared with CBC that the slab seemed purposefully buried. "There were ruins covered by about six inches of soil," he recounted. Although the wear on the stone hints it might hail from several centuries past, evidence points to Swedish speakers in the area just two centuries ago. Henrik Williams, emeritus professor at Uppsala University, Sweden, highlighted the rarity of runic inscriptions: "Any runic inscription is rare. Someone put all this effort into this particular text and you wonder why. The mystery does not decrease just because of its age." Emphasising his caution, Primrose revealed his delay in announcing the find until the translation was certain. "This is certainly among the least expected finds I have encountered in my career," he conceded. What is The Lord's Prayer? The Lord's Prayer is familiar to Christians worldwide, found in the New Testament in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, summarising vital Christian teachings from begging for daily bread to the significance of pardon and eschewing sin. In the early Christian tradition, it was imparted to new converts and recited during worship. Over time, it became a central part of liturgy across all major branches of Christianity - Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant - earning itself the nickname of the perfect prayer. Translated into numerous languages, the version of the prayer found in Canada is in Swedish, reflecting both religious devotion and cultural identity. Although the Bible was translated into Swedish in 1541, scholars suggest that the use of runes in this inscription might have been a way to honour Scandinavia's linguistic heritage - a remarkable fusion of faith and history etched into stone, waiting to be discovered.
