 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Gokstadskipet |
| Completed | 9th century |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Karve |
| Length | 23.80 metres (78.1 ft) |
| Beam | 5.10 m (16.7 ft) |
The Gokstad ship is a 9th-century Viking ship found in a burial mound at Gokstad in Sandar, Sandefjord, Vestfold, Norway. It is displayed at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. [1] It is the largest preserved Viking ship in Norway. [2] [3] [4]
The site where the boat was discovered, situated on arable land, had long been named Gokstadhaugen or Kongshaugen (from the Old Norse words konungr meaning king and haugr meaning mound), although the relevance of its name had been discounted as folklore, as other sites in Norway bear similar names. In 1880, sons of the owner of Gokstad farm, having heard of the legends surrounding the site, uncovered the bow of a boat while digging in the still frozen ground. [5] As word of the find got out, Nicolay Nicolaysen, then President of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments, reached the site during February 1880. Having ascertained that the find was indeed that of an ancient artifact, he liaised for the digging to be stopped. Nicolaysen later returned and established that the mound still measured 50 metres by 43 metres, although its height had been diminished down to 5 metres by constant years of ploughing. [5] With his team, he began excavating the mound from the side rather than from the top down, and on the second day of digging found the bow of the ship. [6]
The Gokstad ship is clinker-built and constructed largely of oak. The ship was intended for warfare, trade, transportation of people and cargo. The ship is 23.80 metres (78.1 ft) long and 5.10 m (16.7 ft) wide. It is the largest in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. The ship was steered by a quarter rudder fastened to a large block of wood attached to the outside of the hull and supported by an extra stout rib. The block is known as the wart, and is fastened by osiers, bent willow shoots on the outside passed through both the rudder and wart to be firmly anchored in the ship. [7] [8]
There are 16 tapered planks per side. The garboard planks are near vertical where they attach to the keel. The garboard planks are narrow and remain only slightly wider to take the turn of the bilge. The topside planks are progressively wider. Each oak plank is slightly tapered in cross section to allow it to overlap about 30mm the plank above and below in normal clinker (lapstrake) style. Iron rivets are about 180 mm apart where the planks lie straight and about 125 mm apart where the planks turn. [9]
At the bow, all of the planks taper to butt the stem. The stem is carved from a single curved oak log to form the cutwater and has one land for each plank. The inside of the stem is hollowed into a v shape so the inside of the rivets can be reached during construction or repair. Each of the crossbeams has a ledge cut about 25 mm wide and deep to take a removable section of decking. Sea chests were placed on top of the decking to use when rowing. Most likely on longer voyages sea chests were secured below decks to act as ballast when sailing. The centre section of the keel has little rocker and together with flat midships transverse section the hull shape is suited to medium to flat water sailing. When sailing downwind in strong winds and waves, directional control would be poor, so it is likely that some reefing system was used to reduce sail area. In such conditions the ship would take water aboard at an alarming rate if sailed at high speed. [10]
The method of fastening the planking to the frames above the waterline is by iron rivets in the form of iron nails driven from outside and then turned over a cinch plate on the inside. [11] The lowest nine planks on each side of the keel up to the around the waterline are held to the frames by the archaic method of tying using withies. These nine bottom planks are also thinner than elsewhere being about 2.5 cm in thickness compared with a thickness of about 3 to 4 cm for the upper planks. The thinner bottom planks are formed with cleats projecting from their inner face to allow the planks and frames to be tied together using withies. The overall effect of this construction is to make the bottom of the ship lighter and more flexible. The 1893 'Viking' replica of the Gokstad ship reproduced this form of construction. The Viking's captain, Magnus Andersen, reported that the lightness and flexibility allowed the bottom to rise and fall up to 18 mm in heavy seas without leaking and the gunwale could twist up to 15 cm out of line. Speeds of around 10 or 11 knots were recorded. [12]
The ship was built to carry 32 oarsmen, and the oar holes could be hatched down when the ship was under sail. It utilized a square sail of approximately 110 square metres (1,200 sq ft), which, it is estimated, could propel the ship to over 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). The mast could be raised and lowered. While the ship was traveling in shallow water, the rudder could be raised very quickly by undoing the fastening. Dendrochronological dating suggests that the ship was built of timber that was felled around 890 AD. This period is the height of Norse expansion in Dublin, Ireland and York, England. The Gokstad ship was commissioned at the end of the 9th century during the reign of King Harald Fairhair. The ship could carry a crew of between forty and seventy men. The ship's design has been demonstrated to be very seaworthy. [13] [14]
During the excavations, a human skeleton was found in a bed inside a timber-built burial chamber. The skeleton was that of a man aged approximately forty to fifty years old, of powerful build [15] and between 181 and 183 cm (5’11" to 6') tall; his identity is unknown. The bones of twelve horses, six dogs, and one peacock were found laid out around the man's body. [15] [15] In the 1920s Professor Anton Willem Brogger of the University of Oslo asserted that the man was King Olaf Gudrodson, gout-ridden son of the elderly king Gudrod of Vestfold. But this has not been sufficiently proven.
The grave was furnished with grave goods in addition to the ship itself: three small boats, a tent, a sledge, and riding equipment. Other grave goods were probably plundered in ancient times: [15] the excavation in 1880 found no gold or silver. In the Viking period, weapons were considered an important part of a man's grave goods, but again, none were found in the Gokstad ship. [16]
The ship, the reconstructed burial chamber, two of the small boats and two tent boards from the burial chamber are displayed in the Viking Ship Museum located on Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo, Norway. Some other artifacts that survived the plundering are also on display in the museum. After thirteen years of debate regarding a possible relocation, Education Minister Kristin Halvorsen stated on May 3, 2012, that the ship would not be moved from Bygdøy. [17]
Viking, an exact replica of the Gokstad ship, crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Bergen, Norway to be exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893; it remains on exhibit near Chicago.
The Gaia ship is an exact replica of the Gokstad Ship. The Gaia Ship was constructed during the winter of 1989–1990 in Bjørkedal in Volda. It was named Gaia on June 19, 1991, by Vigdis Finnbogadottir, the President of Iceland, during a voyage to North America. In May 1993, the vessel was donated to the city of Sandefjord from Knut Utstein Kloster from the Gaia Ship Foundation. The ship's oak mast is constructed in one piece and stone provides ballast. It can reach ten knots under its full canvas, which is 120 sq. m., and it has sixteen pairs of oars. On May 17, 1991, it was sailed by Ragnar Thorseth to North America to mark the 1000th anniversary of Leiv Eriksson’s founding of Vinland. [18] Gaia was built in 1990 and given to Sandefjord in 1993. [19] It currently has Sandefjord as its home port. [20] Gaia also sailed to the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit via the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and North America. [21]
Other replicas include Munin, a half-scale replica in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, [22] the Íslendingur in the Viking World museum in Iceland, the Hugin , in Ramsgate, England, and a replica at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, Minnesota. [23]
Longships were a type of specialised Scandinavian warships that have a long history in Scandinavia, with their existence being archaeologically proven and documented from at least the fourth century BC. Originally invented and used by the Norsemen for commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age, many of the longship's characteristics were adopted by other cultures, like Anglo-Saxons, and continued to influence shipbuilding for centuries.
Vestfold is a county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the largest city is Sandefjord. With the exception of the city-county of Oslo, Vestfold is the smallest county in Norway by area. Vestfold was until 2019 the only county in which all municipalities had declared Bokmål to be their sole official written form of the Norwegian language.
Viking ships were marine vessels of unique structure, used in Scandinavia from the Viking Age throughout the Middle Ages. The boat-types were quite varied, depending on what the ship was intended for, but they were generally characterized as being slender and flexible boats, with symmetrical ends with true keel. They were clinker built, which is the overlapping of planks riveted together. Some might have had a dragon's head or other circular object protruding from the bow and stern for design, although this is only inferred from historical sources. Viking ships were used both for military purposes and for long-distance trade, exploration and colonization.
Sandefjord is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. Other population centres in Sandefjord include Andebu, Fevang, Fokserød, Fossnes, Freberg, Hafallen, Helgerød, Himberg, Høyjord, Kodal, Lahelle, Melsomvik, Råstad, Solløkka, Stokke, Storevar, Strand, and Unneberg.
Larvik is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Other main population centres in the municipality include the town of Stavern and the villages of Gjone, Helgeroa, Hem, Kjose, Kvelde, Nevlunghavn, Skinmo, Svarstad, Ula, Verningen, and Tjøllingvollen.
Andebu is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The 186-square-kilometre (72 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2017. The area is now part of Sandefjord Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Andebu. Other main villages in Andebu include Høyjord and Kodal.
Stokke is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The 118-square-kilometre (46 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2017. The area is now part of Sandefjord Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Stokke. Other main villages in Stokke included Vear, Melsomvik, Storevar, and Valberg.
The Oseberg ship is a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway. This ship is commonly acknowledged to be among the finest artifacts to have survived from the Viking Age. The ship and some of its contents are displayed at the Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy on the western side of Oslo, Norway.
The Viking Ship Museum is located on the Bygdøy peninsula in Oslo, Norway. It will be temporarily closed from September 2021 until 2027.
Borre mound cemetery forms part of the Borre National Park at Horten in Vestfold, Norway.
Haakon Shetelig was a Norwegian archaeologist, historian and museum director. He was a pioneer in archaeology known for his study of art from the Viking Age in Norway. He is most frequently associated with his work on the Oseberg ship (Osebergfunnet) near Tønsberg, Norway.
Viking is a Viking ship replica. It is an exact replica of the Gokstad ship recovered from Gokstadhaugen, a Viking Age burial mound in Sandefjord, Norway in 1880. Viking was featured at the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893.
Haugen is a Norwegian surname and place name frequently used for farm homesteads. Haugen derives from the old Norse word haugr meaning tiny hill, small grassy knoll, or mound. Derivatives also include the Norwegian surnames Haugan and Hauge.
Nicolay Nicolaysen was a Norwegian archaeologist and Norway's first state employed antiquarian. He is perhaps best known for his excavations of the ship burial at Gokstad in 1880.
A faering is an open boat with two pairs of oars, commonly found in most boat-building traditions in western and northern Scandinavia.
Avaldsnes is a village in Karmøy municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the northeastern part of the island of Karmøy, along the Karmsundet strait, just south of the town of Haugesund. The village was an ancient centre of power on the west coast of Norway and is the site of one of Norway's more important areas of cultural history. The trading port of Notow and the Avaldsnes Church are two notable historic sites in Avaldsnes.
Viking ship replicas are one of the more common types of ship replica. Viking, the first Viking ship replica, was built by the Rødsverven shipyard in Sandefjord, Norway. In 1893 it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to Chicago in the United States for the World's Columbian Exposition. Formerly located in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois, the Viking is currently undergoing conservation in Geneva, Illinois, United States.
The Gokstad Mound is a large burial mound at Gokstad Farm in Sandefjord in Vestfold County, Norway. It is also known as the King's Mound (Kongshaugen) and is where the 9th century Gokstad Ship was found.
Sandefjord is a city that is the administrative centre of the large Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is located at the head of the Sandefjordsfjorden, along the Skaggerak coast in southern Vestfold. The large town also includes coastal areas on both sides of the Mefjorden on the Vesterøya and Østerøya peninsulas. The 24.19-square-kilometre (5,980-acre) town has a population (2022) of 45,816 and a population density of 1,894 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,910/sq mi).
The Gaia ship is a replica of the 9th century Viking ship Gokstad ship. It was built in 1990 and departed Bergen for North America on 17 May 1991. It was named Hav-Cella prior to departing but was renamed Gaia by Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland, during a stopover in Iceland. Gaia is the name for the goddess of the Earth in Greek mythology. The Gaia Ship reached Newfoundland on 2 August and Washington DC on Leif Erikson Day, 9 October 1991. It further sailed to the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit via the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and North America.
Ship burial customs in Germanic paganism | ||||||||
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| Ship burials |
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| Stone ships | ||||||||
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