GJELLESTAD, NORWAY — Experts from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research found a complex Viking ship burial site at Gjellestad in southeastern Norway. <br /><br />What makes the discovery even more interesting, is the fact that the archaeological team did not need to dig down to find the site and study its many parts. <br /><br />According to a research article the team published in the journal Antiquity, the researchers used a giant ground-penetrating radar to analyze the ground deep under the surface of a field. <br /><br />This radar pulses an electromagnetic energy signal that can penetrate deep into soil. The radar antenna has a transmitter that sends out the signal, and a receiver that receives the energy waves that bounce back. <br /><br />A processing unit then analyzes the physics of the bounce-back signal to create a clear image of the types of materials that are located under the ground. <br /><br />In this way, researchers have found that the undisturbed site contains many buildings and a longboat — buried long ago as part of the funeral of a tribal leader, to ensure "safe passage into the afterlife".
