Oseberg ship

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The Oseberg ship is a Viking ship which was found in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway. It was excavated by Swedish archaeologist Gabriel Gustafson, and Norwegian archaeologist Haakon Shetelig in 1904-1905. It is also one of the few period examples of the use of what has been dubbed the valknut symbol. The ship and its contents are displayed at the Viking Ship Museum, Bygdøy, Oslo.

The ship

The ship is a clinker built 'karv' ship built almost entirely of oak. It is c. 22 m long and 5 m broad, with a mast of approximately 9-10 m. With a sail of c. 90 m², the ship could achieve a speed up to 10 knots. The ship has 15 pairs of oar holes, which means that 30 people could row the ship. Other fittings include a broad rudder, iron anchor, gangplank and a bailer. The bow and stern of the ship are elaborately decorated with complex woodcarvings in the characteristic "gripping beast" style, also known as the Oseberg style. The ship was built in 820AD, and had been in use for several years before it was used in the burial. Although seaworthy, the ship is relatively frail, and it is thought to have been used only for coastal voyages.

The skeletal remains

The skeletons of two women were found in the grave. One, aged 60-70, suffered badly from arthritis and other maladies; the second was aged 25-30. It is not clear which one was the more important in life (however one was dressed in layers of fine blue silk, a symbol of great wealth as blue dye and silk were hard to come by) or whether one was sacrificed to accompany the other in death (see human sacrifice). The opulence of the burial rite and the grave-goods suggests that this was a burial of very high status. Dendrochronological analysis of timbers in the grave chamber dates the burial to the autumn of 834AD. Although the high-ranking woman's identity is unknown, it has been suggested that it is the burial of Queen Åsa of the Ynglinge clan, mother of Halfdan the Black and grandmother of Harald Fairhair. This theory has been challenged, and some think that she may have been a priestess. There were also the skeletal remains of 14 horses, an ox and three dogs found on the ship as well.

Still, recent tests of the women suggest that they lived in Agder in Norway, just as Queen Åsa of the Ynglinge clan.

According to Per Holck of Oslo University, her ancestors came to Norway from the Pontic littoral, probably Iran. Although this fact has not been proved, artifacts recently found have provided new insight into the discovery.

The grave goods

The grave had been disturbed in antiquity, and precious metals were absent. Nevertheless, a great number of everyday items and artefacts were found during the 1904-1905 excavations. These included four elaborately decorated sleighs, a richly carved four-wheel wooden cart, bed-posts, wooden chests. More mundane items such as agricultural and household tools were also found. A series of textiles included woollen garments, imported silks and narrow tapestries. The Oseberg burial is one of the few sources of Viking age textiles, and the wooden cart is the only complete Viking age cart found so far. A peacock was also found; this is quite surprising as peacocks are only native to hot climates, and Norway was certainly not one.

References

Christensen, A.E. Ingstad, A.S. and Myhre, B. (1992) "Oseberg Dronningens Grav - Vår Arkeologiske Nasjonalskatt i Nytt Lys", Oslo

External links

The Oseberg ship
Conservation of Gustafson's Sleigh
the textiles in the Oseberg ship by Anne Stine Ingstad
Index of Norwegian Viking ships