Oseberg Ship
Date:
834
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Norway
Description:
In 1903, an oak ship was discovered under a mound in Norway. The skeletons of two women, one in her fifties and the other older than eighty, had been laid out in a wooden chamber behind the mast. This chamber was lined with textiles and also included animal skeletons, ship and farming gear, domestic tools and items, food, clothing, and personal adornments. According to dendrochronological analysis of the chamber and carbon-14 dating of the skeletons, the ship was pulled ashore in 834 for this Viking ship burial.
The objects in the find represent the largest and richest assemblage of art and material culture from the early Viking period. They include five carved animal-head posts whose purpose is not entirely clear, wooden sleighs and an elaborately carved wooden cart made before 800, a bucket with a cross-legged figure rendered in brass and enamel (the figure was likely made in Ireland centuries before it was reused on the bucket), a ceremonial noisemaker used to call the attention of the gods during the burial ritual, and a rich array of textiles with figural decoration.
The objects in the find represent the largest and richest assemblage of art and material culture from the early Viking period. They include five carved animal-head posts whose purpose is not entirely clear, wooden sleighs and an elaborately carved wooden cart made before 800, a bucket with a cross-legged figure rendered in brass and enamel (the figure was likely made in Ireland centuries before it was reused on the bucket), a ceremonial noisemaker used to call the attention of the gods during the burial ritual, and a rich array of textiles with figural decoration.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
5
Repository and Online Resources:
• The Oseberg Ship and other finds are now at the Museum of the Viking Age in Oslo.
• See the ship in 360 degrees.
• See the wooden cart and sleighs in 360 degrees.
• Read about the textiles from the Oseberg Ship.
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons, Kulturhistorisk museum
