Gokstad ship

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

The Gokstad ship at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway

The ship

The Gokstad ship is clinker-built, constructed largely of oak. The ship is 24 m long and 5m 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.

Dendrochronolgical 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 to be exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, in 1893. Another replica, the Gaia, currently has Sandefjord as its home port.

Gokstad viking ship excavation. Photographed in ~1880

The skeletal remains

During the excavations, the skeleton was recovered of a male aged between 50-70 years. The skeleton was found in a bed in 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.

Gokstad Viking ship replica at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago 1893

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
*Snape boat grave
*Ship burial

Reference

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

External links

*Web page about the Gokstad ship excavation.
*The Oslo Viking Ship Museum.
*Gaia, the Gokstad Ship copy.