Ship burials were an important part of death traditions in the Viking era. Ships were used as containers for both the dead and the grave goods that were given to the deceased. One of the best preserved burial site of the Viking era is the Oseberg ship. The site was near Tønsburg in Vestford Country, Norway and it is believed that the ship was built in 820 AD. It was placed in a trench and was moored to a huge stone so that it would stay in place.
The ship is a clinker built "karv" ship mostly made out of oak. It measures 21.5 m long and 5.10 wide, with a mass of 9 to 10 meters. It could reach a speed of up to 10 knots and had 15 pairs of oar holes.
Here were the contents found in the Oseberg:
Aft: objects related to food, farming production, cooking, and eating
Central area: skeletons of two females, one aged between 60 and 70 and the other between 50 and 55. It also contained personal belongings, textiles, treasures, food, and weaving equipment. The opulence of the goods suggests that it was a burial of high status.
Fore: contained ship equipment, a wagon (only preserved Viking wagon in the world), three sledges, fifteen horses, things associated with travel activities, and ox head and dogs.
The boat also contained various animal head sculptures with different attributes, symbolizing the need to keep evil away.
The ship and some of its contents are currently at the Viking Ship Museum in Bygdøy, Norway.
Sources
"Anglo-Saxon and Viking Ship Burial." Medievalnets, 2014. http://www.medievalists.net/2014/06/09/anglo-saxon-viking-ship-burial-british-museum/.
The ship is a clinker built "karv" ship mostly made out of oak. It measures 21.5 m long and 5.10 wide, with a mass of 9 to 10 meters. It could reach a speed of up to 10 knots and had 15 pairs of oar holes.
Here were the contents found in the Oseberg:
Aft: objects related to food, farming production, cooking, and eating
Central area: skeletons of two females, one aged between 60 and 70 and the other between 50 and 55. It also contained personal belongings, textiles, treasures, food, and weaving equipment. The opulence of the goods suggests that it was a burial of high status.
Fore: contained ship equipment, a wagon (only preserved Viking wagon in the world), three sledges, fifteen horses, things associated with travel activities, and ox head and dogs.
The boat also contained various animal head sculptures with different attributes, symbolizing the need to keep evil away.
The ship and some of its contents are currently at the Viking Ship Museum in Bygdøy, Norway.
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| Oseberg ship |
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| one of the sledges from the Oseberg ship |
Sources
"Anglo-Saxon and Viking Ship Burial." Medievalnets, 2014. http://www.medievalists.net/2014/06/09/anglo-saxon-viking-ship-burial-british-museum/.
Hi Chanel,
ReplyDeleteWow good post. I found it very interesting. I find it odd and intriguing that all of these things would be included in a burial site, like an ox head. Makes me wonder the significance of such items. Really great images, as well.
Chanel,
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I love that you included images in your post, because it really lets us visualize the ships and see how much work went into paying final respects to passed vikings. The ships are smaller than I would have imagined, but I suppose a monstrous ship isn't needed if it's just going to be burned.
Great post! I really enjoyed reading it!
Graham
Chanel,
ReplyDeleteHow common were ship burials in Viking culture? It seems like it would be awfully expensive to dedicate an entire ship to just a few people.
Was the ship burial common for everyone or only people of high status? It makes me wonder, was the ship specifically made for the burial? And if so, how long did the process take?
ReplyDeleteThe objects found in the ship are extremely fascinating to think about, as well as the ages of the people found in the ship. It gives an idea of the life expectancy at the time.
I'll make sure to tell my family I want a ship burial!
This was incredibly interesting to read, Chanel. Thank you for the burst of knowledge and curiosity!