The custom of burying nobles in barrows is very ancient. And it was very widespread. So on the lands of Scandinavia, there are thousands of burial mounds. However, the mound and the mound are different. There are small ones that were plowed a long time ago, and there are those that proudly rise above the fields to this day.
Reconstruction of the Gokstad ship Hugin (named after one of the two ravens of the god Odin), built in Denmark. In 1949, it crossed the North Sea. Today it is located on a pedestal at Pegwell Cove in Kent.
One of these mounds survived until the 19th century in Gotstad, near the Oslofjord, in Norway, and survived because it was very large - about 50 meters in diameter. True, by the end of the century its height had decreased to some 4.5 m, but still it was an impressive mound, which for some reason was always called the Royal Mound on the local farm. And not without reason! There was a local legend or tradition that an ancient king was buried in it, and with him all his treasures. And it is all the more strange and incomprehensible that, knowing about this, none of the local residents tried to excavate it.
Images of ancient boats, carved on stones, are found in many places in Scandinavia and date back to the Bronze Age.
Only in 1880 did the sons of the farmer, on whose land this mound stood, nevertheless decided to show curiosity and began to excavate it, although they had no idea how exactly this should be done. Fortunately, the well-known archaeologist and head of the Society of Antiquities in Oslo, Nicholas Nikolaysen, found out about this in time, who managed to arrive at the place to stop them, and began to excavate the mound correctly, that is, dug a horizontal trench in the hillside. On the second day of excavations, under a thick layer of blue clay, he managed to find the bow of a large ship.
"Ship from Tuna" (Viking Ship Museum, Oslo)
Before that, one such find had already been made. It was a funeral boat found at the Haugen farm in the village of Wrolvsey in Thune, Ostfold, also in Norway. It was possible to find out that the "Tyun ship" was built around 900 AD. e., and its paneling is made of overlapping oak. True, the ship was only partially preserved, and one can only assume that it was 22 meters long and 11 or 12 oars on each side. The width of the vessel is about 4.35 meters, the length of the keel is 14 meters. A characteristic feature of the find was its massive construction with frames, carved and naturally curved tree trunks, and thick beams. However, little remained of the ship, and here it was obvious that the found ship was much better preserved.
Excavation of a ship from Gokstad.
Of course, the archaeologist was very pleased with this discovery, but at the same time he felt a great responsibility, because his find was truly unique, and it was very easy to destroy it. The point is, blue clay is an excellent preservative. But now, as the ship cleared, its wood began to dry out and warp! Therefore, Nikolaysen and his assistants regularly doused the ship with water and carefully sheltered the ship from the sun with spruce branches.
Transportation of the ship from Gokstad.
Finally, they fully discovered a beautiful ship 23 meters long, excellent in general preservation, with well-preserved casing and funerary equipment, which turned out to be quite enough to date the find, despite the fact that already in ancient times the grave was robbed and the most valuable things from it were robbers carried away.
Installation of the ship in the boathouse of the museum.
In each side of the ship, 16 oar holes, 32 oars, as well as fragments of 32 shields with a diameter of about 90 cm were found. Based on these data, Nikolaysen suggested that the crew of the "ship from Gokstad" - and now this is what they began to call this historical find, could consist of 79 people, and they rowed in turn.
Theoretical view of the Gokstad ship.
On the whole, it was a wonderful sailing and rowing ship, just the same as the Viking ships were presented to scientists from the ancient sagas. The keel was hewn from solid oak, and in such a way that its main weight was in the middle of the ship, and its pointed ends allowed the ship to glide easily over the waves. The frames were also made of oak and had a natural curvature, and were expertly matched to the shape of the keel. The ship's planking was made of an inch (2.54 mm) thick oak planks attached to frames made of ropes woven from spruce roots. All this made it possible to obtain a fast and maneuverable ship, which was ideal for sudden forays into foreign lands and an equally rapid retreat. But on top of that, it was also a real work of art for the Viking shipbuilders, a stunning example of their skill.
This is how this ship looks today at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo.
Later, in the 20s of the twentieth century, scientists from the University of Oslo managed, as they believe, to find out that King Olaf Goodrodson was buried in this ship, about whom it was known that he suffered from gout and was the son of King Goodrod Westwold.
Dismantled and reassembled (many original iron pins were used), the restored Gokstad ship found its home in the hall of the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. It seems that he is almost ready to launch. In the middle of the deck, the so-called "fish" is visible - a massive oak beam that served as anchorage to the mast; to the right of it one can distinguish ribbed gangways, and to the left - tubs and several oars.
In this photo on the side, 16 rows of sheathing boards are clearly visible, overlapped and curved along the lines of the frames.
As you know, both good and bad examples are contagious. However, if you think that after this find all the landowners in Norway and Sweden began to excavate the burial mounds that belonged to them, then you are very much mistaken in this.
The bow of the ship from Oseberg during excavations.
It took another 25 years after the excavations in Gokstad, until no more than 10 miles from this place - in the town of Oseberg, another farmer also decided to study a large mound that lay on his land. He almost immediately stumbled upon some kind of wooden structure, continued digging and eventually found part of an ancient ship. Well, and even when he dug up the remnants of the mast and the roof of the superstructure made on the deck, common sense prompted him to turn to specialists. Professor Gabriel Gustafson, director of the Museum of Antiquities at the University of Oslo, joined the work and began to excavate the mound as it should be and made sure that another large ship belonging to the Viking Age was found.
View of the ship excavation from Oseberg.
The next year, 1904, he continued to work with a detachment of qualified specialists. Almost immediately, the sternpost of a large ship was found - a large piece of perfectly preserved oak wood covered with exquisite carvings, even more elaborate than those found at Gokstad.
Sample of carving on a ship from Oseberg. (Viking Ship Museum, Oslo)
True, the tomb here was also plundered. But fortunately for archaeologists (and for all of us!), For some reason the robbers dropped some of their loot, but did not collect it. As a result, both jewelry and various valuables were scattered throughout the ship. The skeletons of the deceased were also found, the remains of two women, about 50 and 30 years old. Moreover, the skeleton of an older woman was missing the right arm and wrists, as well as the shoulder and fingers on the left hand. The archaeologists concluded that the robbers most likely coveted the precious rings and bracelets that adorned them, and since they could not remove them, they simply took them with them.
A boat from Oseberg is being taken to the museum.
The ship had a length of 21 meters, and since it was in a mound of peat and blue clay, it was extremely well preserved. And not only the ship itself, but the numerous household items put into it. For example, a wooden chest bound with iron stripes, the remains of a small four-wheeled cart, four sledges and even four beds. All of them were covered with fine carvings, painted with bright colors, but under the influence of air after excavations, they quickly faded.
And this is how it looks today at the Viking Museum in Oslo.
In the bow of the vessel, archaeologists, having excavated a thick layer of stones, discovered broken ceramic vessels for water, as well as an anchor. A set of oars and rigging lay behind the mast.
These sleds were included in the set of burial implements. (Viking Ship Museum, Oslo)
It is interesting that the robbers got inside the ship precisely through the bow, and, although they carried away all the objects made of precious metals, they in turn left 14 wooden shovels and three stretchers to archaeologists. For some reason, they did not get to the stern of the ship. There Professor Gustavson found not only a well-equipped galley with two boilers for cooking food, but also pans, spoons, knives, axes and an intact hand mill for grinding grain. There were also found such purely feminine objects as, for example, a large spinning machine and two small ones suitable for making ribbons, fragments of hollowed out wooden boxes and buckets, as well as remnants of woolen fabric, silk ribbons and even carpet!
"Saga of Oseberg" is a remake ship - an exact copy of an ancient ship.
The significance of the find in all respects was difficult to exaggerate. Another burial ship was found, almost the same size as in Gokstad, but at the same time it was lighter and less durable, which gave the impression that it was built some time before shipbuilders learned to build ships with the most perfect enclosures. But the finish impressed with the skill of woodcarving. In general, although it did not have the same good seaworthiness as the Gokstad ship, and was too richly decorated, it was another ship from the same era and made with the same technology. It can be assumed that there was a ceremonial ship or "pleasure yacht" used by one of the buried. It is possible that it was Queen Asa - the stepmother of the king of the already known to us Olaf Goodrodson and the grandmother of the powerful king and famous unifier of Norway, Harald Horfager (or Harald the Fair-haired).
"Viking Buddha" - Celtic figurine, finished with colored enamel; with the help of two such figures, its handle was attached to a bucket made in the 8th century in Ireland or in Scotland. In all likelihood, she somehow attracted the Viking robber, and he took the bucket with him on the ship, since archaeologists found it on a ship from Oseberg in 1904.
