Gokstad ship

Gokstad ship

The Gokstad ship is a late 9th century Viking ship found in a ship burial beneath a burial mound at Gokstad farm in Sandar, Sandefjord, Vestfold, Norway. It was excavated in 1880 by Nicolay Nicolaysen.

The ship

The Gokstad ship is clinker-built, constructed largely of oak. The ship is 24 m long and 5 m wide. It is the largest in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. 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 c. 110 square meters, which, it is estimated, could propel the ship to over 12 knots. While the ship was traveling in shallow water, the rudder could be raised.

Dendrochronological dating suggests that the ship was built of timber that was felled around 890 AD.

The ship's design has been demonstrated to be very seaworthy. A replica of the ship crossed the Atlantic from Bergen, Norway to be exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, in 1893. Other known replicas include the "Gaia", which currently has Sandefjord as its home port, and the "Munin", (a half scale replica) located in Vancouver, BC.

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 inside 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. Apart from the ship itself, they 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 reconstructed 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

*The Oseberg ship
*The Tune ship
*Sutton Hoo
*Snape boat grave
*Ship burial

References

Christensen, A.E. Ingstad, A.S. and Myhre, B. (1992) "Osebergdronningens Grav", Oslo

External links

* [http://www.ukm.uio.no/vikingskipshuset/osebergskipet_english.php The Oslo Viking Ship Museum]
* [http://www.gaia.no Gaia, the Gokstad Ship copy]
* [http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?PPN561535841 Nicolaysen, N. 1882, "Langskibet fra Gokstad ved Sandefjord", Kristiania.]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gokstad-Schiff — bei der Ausgrabung Das Gokstad Schiff …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gokstad — Bateau de Gokstad Le bateau de Gokstad est un bateau viking de la fin du IXe siècle ayant été découvert dans un large monticule funéraire près de la ferme Gokstad, dans la région de Sandefjord dans le Vestfold, Norvège. Il a été dégagé par… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ship burial — A ship burial or boat grave is a burial in which a ship or boat is used either as a container for the dead and the grave goods, or as a part of the grave goods itself. If the ship is very small, it is called a boat grave. This style of burial was …   Wikipedia

  • Barco de Gokstad — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El Barco de Gokstad es un barco vikingo de finales del siglo XI encontrado en un barco funerario debajo de un túmulo en la granja de Gokstad en Sandar, Sandefjord, Vestfold, Noruega. El barco fue escarbado en 1880… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bateau De Gokstad — Le bateau de Gokstad est un bateau viking de la fin du IXe siècle ayant été découvert dans un large monticule funéraire près de la ferme Gokstad, dans la région de Sandefjord dans le Vestfold, Norvège. Il a été dégagé par Nicolay Nicolaysen… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bateau de gokstad — Le bateau de Gokstad est un bateau viking de la fin du IXe siècle ayant été découvert dans un large monticule funéraire près de la ferme Gokstad, dans la région de Sandefjord dans le Vestfold, Norvège. Il a été dégagé par Nicolay Nicolaysen… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Viking ship replica — The Viking at the World s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893 Viking ship replicas are one of the more common types of ship replica. Viking, the very first Viking ship replica, was built by the Rødsverven shipyard in Sandefjord, Norway. In 1893 …   Wikipedia

  • Viking Ship Museum (Oslo) — The Viking Ship Museum (in Norwegian Vikingskipshuset The Viking Ship House) is located at Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway. It is part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo, and houses the Viking ships from Tune, Gokstad, and Oseberg …   Wikipedia

  • Bateau de Gokstad — Le bateau de Gokstad est un bateau viking de la fin du IXe siècle ayant été découvert dans un large monticule funéraire près de la ferme Gokstad, dans la région de Sandefjord dans le Vestfold, Norvège. Il a été dégagé par Nicolay Nicolaysen… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Oseberg ship — The Oseberg ship (Viking Ship Museum, Norway) Detail from the Oseberg …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”