1,000-year-old Viking ship buried in a cemetery

The 20-meter-long Viking ship can be buried as a means of transporting the dead to the afterlife or as a sign of wealth.

The Viking ship in the ground-penetrating radar image at a depth of 0.3-0.5 m (left) and 0.9-1.1 m (right). 

Scientists found remains of temples, banquet halls and burial mounds around a Viking ship buried in Gjellestad, southern Norway. The new study was published in the journal Antiquity on Nov.

The ship was discovered in 2018 thanks to tattoo bikini a ground-penetrating radar survey. The Vikings buried it between the late 8th and early 10th centuries. Subsequent sweeps and excavations revealed more clues about Gjellestad and the lives of its ancient inhabitants.

Ground-penetrating radar helped scientists find 13 burial mounds, including ship graves, some up to 30 meters wide. Near the ship's grave, there are two large circular mounds and 7 smaller mounds concentrated in the north. The team also discovered traces of four rectangular structures in the west, the longest one being 38 m. Small structures can be houses and temples. Meanwhile, the largest structure, similar in structure and size to a banquet hall, was unearthed in other Viking settlements.

The ship grave at Gjellestad has many unusual features. Viking 12-meter-long ship burials are common, but 20-meter-long vessels like this one are rare. Only a few such graves have been found in Norway, according to Lars Gustavsen, lead author of the study and an archaeologist at the Norwegian Institute of Cultural Heritage (NIKU).

Scientists do not know exactly why the Vikings buried the ship. "This is a community associated with the sea and sea voyages, so in this case, the ship could be a means of transporting the dead from the real world to the afterlife. Or it could simply be used to express gratitude. rich, proving that the deceased belonged to a certain social and political class," Gustavsen said.

After discovering the ship in 2018, the team of experts excavated part of it and quickly realized that the humid environment alternating with droughts left it severely rotten and infected with fungus. This summer, scientists conducted a full excavation of the ship to recover and preserve what they could.

In October, they suddenly found some animal bones. The animal bones are relatively large, so the team believes they belong to a bull or horse that was sacrificed according to the burial ritual. The top bones are badly decomposed, but the bottom is still pretty good. This suggests that it is possible that objects deeper in the grave are better preserved. Excavation is still ongoing and is expected to be completed in December. 

Discovering a 1,000-year-old Viking ship

Archaeologists have found a 1,000-year-old ancient Viking ship (A.D. 800-1066), one of Britain's most significant archaeological finds. The ship is now buried 30m below the garage of a pub in Merseyside, North West England.

Archaeologists used radar to locate the ship. They have measured its size and suggest that the ship may have been dated to the time when the Vikings settled in the Meols on the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside. Scientists are seeking funding to excavate the vessel. In fact, in 1938, construction workers discovered a part of this ship but were advised to fill it up in its original state to avoid affecting the construction progress.

Archaeologists hope to find some intact wood, "but even if only a small amount remains, the excavation will provide valuable information about the ship and the Viking graveyard." , says scientist Mannsåker Gundersen.

Excavation is expected to begin in June to prevent risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Archaeologists will remove the skull bedding topsoil and sift the dirt. The team will then erect a tent to protect the ship and begin removing the soil that fills the ship. At the same time, 3D scanning records each of its remaining layers of wood, says archaeologist Christian Løchsen Rødsrud at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.

Archaeologist Mannsåker Gundersen hopes the excavation will reveal exactly whether the ship had a mast. Viking boats are quite diverse, but they are usually characterized by quite slender and flexible, curved tail at both ends, narrow body, long shallow bottom and flat with symmetrical construction.

Viking is a name used to refer to explorers, traders, and warriors in the Scandinavian peninsula (the territory of the countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland) in the late Stone Age. The Vikings were famous for their roving warriors on boats or good pirates and merchants.