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| Making Lunch |
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| Is that meat really Rudolph? |
The Viking Museum holds four boats that were found in excavations of burial sites. All four were used for sailing and raiding first and then used to burial.
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From the descriptive plaque:
The Viking Museum houses the four Viking ship burials from the Oslo Fjord area; those found at Oseberg, Gokstad, Tune and Borre. All four were excavated between 1854 and 1904. Three of the graves contained ships that have survived to this day; The Oseberg ship build in AD 820, the Gokstad ship build shortly before 900 and the Tune ship from 910.
The three ships had been at sea for several years before they were pulled ashore and used as burial shops. The dead were placed in burial chambers build onboard the ships. The dead were buried with generous supplies of food and drink, various animals and a large number of objects, both functional and decorative.
The Oseberg ship was used as grave ship for two prominent women who were buried in 834AD. The Gokstad ship burial and the Tune ship burial are both dated to shortly after 900AD. Both served as grave ships for powerful men. Most of the objects in the Oseberg and Gokstad graves were well preserved, because the ships had been buried in blue clay and covered with compact layers of clay and turf. All three graves had been looted in the Viking Age, which explains why no jewellery or weapons were found in the graves.
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The Oseberg Ship (from the plaque):
The Oseberg Ship was found in a large burial mound on the Oseberg farm in Vestfold, and excavated in 1904. The ship was built sometime between 815-820 AD, but was later used as a grave ship for a woman of high rank who died in 834AD. The woman had been placed in a wooden burial chamber on the aft deck of the ship.
The burial mound was constructed of layers of turf which preserved both the ship and its rich contents of wooden objects, leather and textiles. The burial mound was plundered by grave robbers in ancient times - probably the reason why no jewellery or gold or silver objects were found in the grave.
The 22 meter long ship was built of oak. The number of oar holes indicates that the ship was rowed by a crew of 30 men. The ship had no seats and the oarsmen probably sat on their own wooden ship's chests. The oars could be drawn in when the square sail was raised. The steering rudder was placed on the right aft side of the ship - the starboard side. The Oseberg ship is less solidly constructed than the Gokstad ship - only the upper two rows of side planking extend above the water line. It was probably a royal pleasure craft used for short journeys in calm waters.
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| The Oseberg Ship |
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| Oseberg Ship |
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| Oseberg Ship |
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| Oseberg Ship |
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| Skeletal remains from Oseberg |
The Gokstad Ship (from the plaque):
The Gokstad ship was found in a large burial mound on the Gokstad farm in Vestfold, and excavated in 1880. It was built around 890 AD and later used as a grave ship for a Viking Chieftain. The body lay in a grave chamber built of horizontal timber logs.
The Gokstad ship is 24 meters long with room for 32 oarsmen. It is the largest of the Viking ships on display and also the most robust. Compared with the Oseberg ship, we see that the keel and keelson are larger and more solidly constructed, the side planking higher, and that, when sailing, the oar holes could be closed and sealed using wooden flaps. During excavation, archaeologists found the remains of 64 shields which had been attached to the outside railings. While the Oseberg ship was a luxury pleasure craft, the Gokstad was a sturdy and practiced vessel, capable of sailing the high seas.
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| Gokstad Ship |
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| Gokstad Ship |
The Tune Ship (from the plaque):
The Tune ship was found in a large burial mound on the Baugen Farm in Østfold and excavated in 1867. The Tune ship dates from about the same time as the Gokstad ship (ca 900 AD), and also contains the remains of a man of high rank. This chieftain had been placed in a wooden burial chamber built on board the ship, but his grave gifts have not survived due to poor preservation conditions. The ship itself is severely damaged.
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| Tune Ship |
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| Tune Ship |
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| Tune Ship |
Each of the three Viking ships had a wooden burial chamber on the deck behind the mast. They were tent-like structures, probably designed to resemble the tents used on land. Real tents were also found aboard the ships. A pair of tent poles may be seen here on wall.
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| Tent Poles |
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| Gokstad Burial Tent |
There were also other burial gifts that were found in the excavations:
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| A Cart found in the Oseberg dig. |
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| Designs on the wagon |
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| Decorative Grave goods |
There were also examples of figureheads:
They also found sleds, this one was found at the front of the Oseberg ship.
The kids were thirsty after all the walking so we got some special water from the Viking museum for way too much - but it was authentic VIKING WATER!
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| Viking water |
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After finishing up at the Viking Museum we heading out to the Norsk Folkemuseum (the Norwegian Folk Museum) which was nearby. The kids were getting tired so we didn't spend too long there. The main centrepiece was a Stave Church from the 1200s.
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| Folkemuseum |
The site contained period buildings from various times in Norway's history:
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| School House |
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| Log Lumberman's cabin with Stave church in background |
The stave church was a medieval wooden church built in the 1200s and relocated to the museum in the 1800s. It was pretty impressive:
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| Stave Church |
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| Stave Church |
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| Side view |
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| The Altar |
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| Farm buildings |
Once we finished up at the Folkemuseum we headed off to a place I was keen to visit - the Vigeland's Sculpture park, to see the "Man attacked by babies".
