Kensington Runestone
The Kensington Runestone is a slab of greywacke stone covered in runes that was discovered in central Minnesota, United States, in 1898. Olof Ohman, a Swedish immigrant, reported that he unearthed it from a field in the largely rural township of Solem in Douglas County. It was later named after the nearest settlement, Kensington.
| Kensington Runestone | |
|---|---|
The stone on display in the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and Runestone Museum | |
| Created | 19th century |
| Discovered | 1898 CE Originally Kensington; currently located at Alexandria, Minnesota, United States |
| Discovered by | Olof Öhman |
| Runemaster | Disputed |
| Text – Native | |
| Swedish dialects 8 : göter : ok : 22 : norrmen : po : | |
| Translation | |
| (word-for-word): Eight Götalanders and 22 Northmen on (this?) exploration journey from Vinland far to the west. We had a camp by two (shelters?) one day's journey north from this stone. We were fishing one day. After we came home, found 10 men red from blood and dead. Ave Maria save from evil. (side of stone) There are 10 men by the inland sea to look after our ships fourteen days journey from this peninsula (or island). Year 1362 | |
| Part of a series on the |
| Norse colonization of North America |
|---|
The inscription purports to be a record left behind by Scandinavian explorers in the 14th century (internally dated to the year 1362). There has been a drawn-out debate regarding the stone's authenticity, but since the first scientific examination in 1910, the scholarly consensus has classified it as a 19th-century hoax, with some critics directly charging Ohman with fabrication. Nevertheless, there remains a community convinced of the stone's authenticity.