Inch by inch, they slowly emerge from the soil in search of thousands of years old remains. Cautious, Norwegian archaeologists are promoting the rare Viking Ship tomb in hopes of unraveling the mysteries of the past by working hard without running in front of the extravagant ferry.
Who is buried here? Under what ritual? What’s left in the funeral? And what will they tell us about the society they live in?
Now that the turf covering it has become almost indivisible pieces in small parts, the long length of 20-meter (-) – feet) wood raises many questions.
A team of archaeologists is rushing to unravel at least some of the mysteries before the structure is completely demolished by microscopic fungi.
It’s a thrilling task: no Viking ship to dig for more than a century.
The last was excavated in 1904 when the Seberg Long Cut was excavated, on the other side of Os Slow Fjord, where the remains of two women were found.
“We have very few burial vessels,” says Camilla Cecili Van, head of the Dig at the University of Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History.
“I’m extremely lucky, few archaeologists have had such an opportunity in their careers.”
Under a huge brown and white tent set up in the middle of an ancient cemetery near the southeastern city of Halfden, dozens of workers examine the earth in a viscous viscose.
Buried in the underground, the outline of the longship was discovered in 2018 by geological radar equipment, as experts discovered a well-known Viking site.
When the advanced status of the ship’s disintegration was revealed by the digs of the first test, it was decided to excavate it quickly.
– Viking VIP –
So far, only genetic parts have been excavated in reasonable condition.
Analysis of the fragments has determined that the ship was probably anchored in the ground around the ninth century, placed in a pit, and buried under the mound of the earth as a final resting place.
But for whom? “If you’re buried with a ship, it’s clear you’re a VIP in your lifetime,” Wayne says.
A king? A queen? Viking noble, known as a journal? The answer can still be found in bone or object objects – weapons, jewels, ships, tools, etc. – which are typical of tombs from the Viking Age to the mid-eighth to mid-11th centuries.
Although this site is often disrupted, it accelerates the disintegration of the ship and reduces the likelihood of finding the remains.
In the late 19th century, burial mounds were demolished to make room for farmland, completely destroying the topsoil and damaging what is believed to be a funeral chamber.
It is also possible that the tomb may have been much looted before, eager to get their hands on some precious burial by other Vikings and symbolically represent their power and legitimacy.
– Animal bones –
So far the reward of archaeologists is very small: a lot of iron cloth is used for the assembly of the boat, which has weakened most of the time, as well as a few bones.
“These bones are too big to be human,” says field assistant Karin Fuer Andresin, as she leans over the large orange-colored bones.
“This is not a Viking chief we’re seeing unfortunately, he’s probably a horse or cattle.”
“It’s a sign of strength. You were so rich that an animal could be sacrificed to put it in your grave.”
Next to the tent, Jan Burge looks like he’s doing a gold pen. He is sprinkling water on the soil in the hope of getting some nuggets from the past.
Archaeologists confess, “Make an exceptional discovery? I doubt it.” “The most precious things have probably already been taken. And anything made of iron or organic matter has decayed over time or disappeared completely.”
But the barge, whose large bushy beard gives it a Viking air, is not easily disappointed.
“I’m not here for the Treasure Hunt.” He says. “What I’m interested in is finding out what happened here, how the funeral was done, how to interpret the actions of that time.”
phy / po / kjm
