A northern grave opens a quiet conversation.

Archaeologists in northern Norway are excavating a Viking Age boat burial with a woman and a small dog placed at her feet. The grave lies on the island of Senja, shallow in the soil yet rich in clues about status, travel, and companionship. Two oval brooches, beads, and textile tools frame the body, while the boat’s outline and iron fittings sketch the vessel that carried her into the ground. As each artifact is lifted and logged, the picture grows sharper and more human, turning a thousand years into a present tense story.