| Gokstad Ship |
Website Links For Ship |
Information AboutGokstad Ship |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT GOKSTAD SHIP | |
| viking age | |
| archaeological sites in norway | |
| sandefjord | |
| ships preserved in museums | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
|
THE SHIP The Gokstad ship is of clinker construction and is built largely of Oak . The ship is 24 m long and 5m wide. It is the largest in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo . The ship was built to support 32 oarsmen, and the oar holes could be hatched down when the ship was under sail. It utilized a square sail of c.110 square meters, which could propel the ship to over 12 knots. Whilst the ship was traveling in shallow water, the rudder could be raised. Dendrochronolgical dating suggests that the ship was built around 890 AD. The ship is considered very seaworthy. A Replica of the ship sailed the Atlantic from Bergen to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Another replica, the ''Gaia'', currently has Sandefjord as its home port. THE SKELETAL REMAINS During the excavations, the Skeleton of a male aged between 50-70 years, was recovered. The skeleton was found in a bed in a timber built Burial Chamber . Although the identity of the person buried is unknown, it has been suggested that it is that of Olaf Geirstad-Alf , a petty king of Vestfold. He was of the House Of Yngling , and died about this time according to the Heimskringla . THE GRAVE GOODS The grave was furnished with grave goods, which, apart from the ship, consisted of three small boats, a tent, a sledge and riding equipment. It is believed that the mound was plundered in ancient times. The excavation in 1880 showed that valuables of gold and silver had been removed. In the Viking period, weapons were considered an important part of a man's grave goods. In the case of the Gokstad ship, any such weapons were probably taken by grave robbers. Currently, the ship, the burial chamber, two of the small boats and two tent boards from the burial chamber are displayed in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo . Some other artifacts that survived the plundering are also on display in the museum. SEE ALSO REFERENCE Christensen, A.E. Ingstad, A.S. and Myhre, B. (1992) "Osebergdronningens Grav", Oslo EXTERNAL LINKS
|