Oslo: Vikingskiphuset … the Finds

Friday, 15 July (Part III)

As noted in the background post, the Vikingskiphuset (Viking Ship House [or museum]) turned out to be a real gem. We’d added it to our list of must-sees with rather high expectations and it didn’t disappoint one bit. I’d gladly pay the price of admission again to spend more time exploring the chamber where the finds from the burial mounds are displayed. (Reminder about the museum link inserted above; remember to click the British flag for the translated version for each of the pages in the sidebar.)

Although Viking funeral rituals varied, the dead were often placed on a boat together with offerings, including slaves. The boat was then covered over with rocks and soil to create a tumulus. It was from such a mound that the centerpiece of the museum, the Oseberg Ship, was excavated in 1904.

Historic photos of the excavation Site show how amazingly well-preserved this find was.
(above and below)

The sleek lines of the 72-foot (22 m) long ship, constructed of oak timbers, was truly a sight to behold. Considering it was built around 820 AD and was buried for nearly 1100 years, it seemed amazingly fantastic to me that it was in such great shape; just look at the pre-restoration historic photos above. In reality, it was the blue clay in which it was buried that did such a good job of preserving the ship for posterity to enjoy.

I was so enthralled by the delicate carvings on the hull and so deep in thought trying to figure out how I was going to photograph the length of the ship that I almost didn’t notice the narrow corner balconies designed for just that purpose. From those vantage points, and by waiting for the lull between the waves of crowds coming in and out of the museum, I managed to get some reasonably good shots after I was finished studying the detail from the floor-level.

The ship was manned by a crew of 32 men, including the helmsman and the lookout.

Left: the Initial view of the Oseberg Ship hints at the beautiful carvings on the hull.
Right: the serpent’s head at the tip of the stempost was designed to frighten away sea monsters.

Such delicate details hint that the ship might have been built as a pleasure vessel to
sail coastal waters, but it was seaworthy nonetheless.

Serpent motifs on the hull; the Vikings were a superstitious lot.
(above and below)

Next was the Gokstad Ship, which was found in 1880. The longest of the three ships in the museum, it was built around 890 AD. It is believed to have been used to bury a chieftain who died ten years later. Any weapons that would have been buried with a man of the deceased’s stature were lost to grave robbers long before the ship was excavated.

32 shields, alternately painted black and gold, once decorated the exterior of the Gokstad ship.
It is thought that they were displayed only during battle or when approaching land
as they would have otherwise prevented the oars from being used.

With higher sides, and lacking the decorative carvings of the Oseberg Ship, this one definitely felt and looked like a seaworthy, ocean-going warship; or perhaps a trading vessel.

Note the oar holes lining the hull. these holes could be sealed by covers that
rotated in place to keep water out. It’s thought that the oarsmen used their
sea chests as rowing benches.

In the chamber where the last of the three ships is displayed, we found artifacts from the Gokstad Ship — namely, the timber burial chamber and the tent verge boards topped with animal heads — and two small boats that were also uncovered from the burial mound.

The rough construction of the burial chamber is an indication that it was not part of the
ship’s finely crafted original structure. The verge boards on the wall were once painted
black and gold; the same color as the shields that decorated the ship’s exterior.

The last ship we saw was the Tune Ship, which was actually the first ship to be excavated (1867). Highly deteriorated, the ship that dates back to 900 AD is exhibited as it was found. As was the case with the Gokstad Ship, the burial chamber contained the remains of a male assumed to be a chieftain.

The Tune Ship with the artifacts from the Gokstad Ship displayed at the rear of the chamber.

According to archaeologists, the Tune Ship was built in the style of the Oseberg Ship.
Hard to see any resemblance, isn’t it?

The real surprise at the Viking Ship Museum was the chamber housing beautifully carved burial furnishings found in the Oseberg mound. As the human remains found in the ship are those of a female and her slave, these artifacts are referred to as the Queen’s burial furnishings. There was a separate room that contained textiles that had survived over 1000 years of burial. Didn’t get to see them, however, as each time I attempted to go near the displays, I was kept away by the crush of visitors already in the room.

Photographing these treasures was made difficult by the lighting, as well as the fingerprints and glare on the glass cases in which they are displayed, but here are a few that turned out reasonably well.

This carved beech ceremonial wagon is the only one of its kind in Norway that dates
back to the Viking Age. It is estimated to have been made around 800 AD, well before it
was placed in the grave.

Detail from the richly ornamented Oseberg wagon.

Left: one of three sled runners; each 6.5 feet (2 m) long and carved from one piece of wood.
right: One of several animal head posts found in the burial mound.

Some of these animal head posts had a rope running through their mouth when they were
found. Their use is not known, but they may have been carried in religious processions.

Found in fragments, the sledge was reconstructed before being put on display.

That we enjoyed our visit to this museum goes without saying. On a scale of 1-5, it definitely gets a 5-star rating from us. There’s a surprising amount of information on the web about these ships. If you’re interested, just search on the name of each find.

As for us, it was time to head back to the water taxi stand and return to Oslo. Too bad we didn’t stick to that plan …

Oslo: Vikingskiphuset … the Vikings

Friday, 15 July (Part II)

Across the street from the Frammuseet is the Kon-Tiki Museum where Thor Heyerdahl’s balsa-wood raft of the same name and reed boat Ra II are displayed.  Though the museum was not on our list, we figured it’s proximity made it worth a quick look-see.  Didn't happen.  Seeing the packed-like-sardines conditions inside, we made an about face seconds after walking through the door.  So, we moved onto what was on our agenda instead.

Hopping on the #30 bus, we went to the Vikingskiphuset (Viking Ship House [or museum]).  The ride was short — would have been even shorter had we not gotten on the bus going in the opposite direction!  Oh well; we got a private tour of a small portion of Bygdøy before the bus dropped us off in front of the museum.

(A note about the website link inserted above: the list in the sidebar links to pages in Norwegian; click the British flag for the translated version.)

The parking lot was crammed with busses and cars, and it was quite crowded inside.  Watching the action from the balcony of the entrance hall, it looked like visitors came in waves and there were moments when one could see the ships without a crush of people around them.  So, we paid the NOK60 (~ $10/person) admission fee and waded in.  We’re so glad we did; the price of admission was absolutely worth the treasures we found inside.

The museum is home to three Viking ships and the artifacts found in the burial mounds for the same.  It wasn’t until the third ship — also the best-preserved — was excavated in 1904 that plans were made to build a special museum to display the finds.  Construction began in 1926 and was completed in 1957 with the addition of the last wing, giving the museum its current cross shape.  The Oseberg ship (photo to the right), which was the impetus for the museum, is prominently displayed in the center axis, giving visitors a first glimpse that can only be described as a jaw-dropper.

I’m going to break this post into two sections — this one to provide a little background on the Vikings; the next one to describe the museum visit itself.

The banners at the museum’s entrance provide brief information about the Viking Age, which lasted from 800 to 1050 AD, a period during which Norsemen were considered to be the lords of the seas.  Much of the information that follows is from those banners.

From Scandinavia, the Vikings sailed west over the North Sea to the British Isles
and thence over the Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland, and North America.  Others sailed
south down the coast of Europe and entered the Mediterranean, and still others
sailed east down the great rivers of Russia to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
[photo from one of the banners]

The Vikings came from Scandinavia — from the countries that are now Norway, Sweden, and Denmark (below; center photo).  These countries show great variation in their landscape, climate, and agricultural conditions.  In good farming country, crops and animal husbandry were the main means of livelihood, while in other parts, people relied more on hunting and fishing, which were profitable activities.  Considerable quantities of iron were also produced in the Norwegian mountain hamlets, and found a market both at home and abroad.

The Vikings were excellent shipwrights and sailors.  Their ships were fast and well built, and suitable for long sea voyages.  This enabled them to make long journeys over most of the northern hemisphere.

Though Norsemen sacked and looted churches and monasteries and whole towns, plunder and conquest were not the only reasons why the Vikings took to the seas.  Many of them journeyed abroad in order to trade, and others to find a new country in which to settle.  As merchants, they sold their goods in towns and marketplaces, and established trading colonies in Ireland and Russia.  Many settled down as farmers in the lands they invaded.  They settled in Iceland and Greenland and were the first Europeans to reach North America.

The museum’s three Viking ships — from Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune — were all found in burial mounds in the Oslo Fjord area (right; top photo).  Excavated between 1867 and 1904, they were built during the 9th Century AD, and later used as burial ships for wealthy men and women.  In the Oseberg ship lay a woman and her slave girl, who had been buried in about 850 AD.  Each of the other two ships held a man; they were both buried in about 900 AD.

The dead were placed in a burial chamber which was erected in the stern of the ship (right; center photo).  They were buried with a good supply of food and drink, horses and dogs, and both useful and decorative objects.  When the three ships on display at the museum were excavated, the graves were found to have been robbed, and the jewelry, weapons, gold, and silver were gone.  The objects made of wood and cloth were left behind.   Because the ships had been buried in blue clay and covered with stones, clay, and turf, these items were well-preserved.

(Click either of the photo strips and select XL from the size options at the top to see the details.  The images were photographed from the banners in the entrance hall.)

And so, armed with some background information, let’s visit the museum …