Norway : A huge Viking shipyard in the heart of agricultural land

In the heart of Norway lies a Viking treasure that has remained secret to this day. Following the ploughing of the area and with the help of a radar, archaeologists uncovered a Viking cemetery containing, among other things, the remains of several buried ships. A real surprise because these remains are only 50 cm under our feet!

UNDER THE FIELDS, AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURE?
A group of archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research had the pleasant surprise of analysing simple agricultural land in Østfold County. 50 cm underground, a high-resolution radar detected remains from the Viking era. A whole cemetery has been uncovered, and more precisely a shipyard.

One of the boats spotted, the Jellstad Ship is nearly 20 m long and is still in good condition when it could have been destroyed by Man without knowing it. Viking « cemeteries » are still protected by a burial mound, but the one above the ship has recently been ploughed. Despite this, the researchers believe that the lower part of the ship is still intact.

THE BURIED BOAT, A VIKING FUNERARY TRADITION
Burying boats may seem unusual because many people have in mind the image of the dead carried away by burning ships. However, several boats have already been found hidden under mounds of earth.

The Nordic Vikings used to bury their ships, but this practice was reserved for people of renown such as chiefs. Burying ships also testifies to the power and influence of a clan.

The Jellstad Ship is a fantastic find for archaeologists, but the site is full of other discoveries. In addition to the remains of the ship, at least seven other burial mounds were detected by radar. The remains of five houses located on the outskirts of this « cemetery » have also been identified.

WHAT DO THE SPECIALISTS INTEND TO DO?
When an underground site is discovered, excavations are undertaken to clear the remains in order to study them in detail. However, no excavation is planned at the Østfold site. New technologies are currently in the forefront: archaeologists plan to use non-invasive methods to create a digital map of the cemetery as a first step.

It is only once this map has been made and studied in detail that an excavation can be considered. If excavations are not on the agenda, the discovery of such a site is already remarkable for Knut Paasche, archaeologist at the Norwegian Institute for Research on Cultural Heritage:

« This discovery is incredibly exciting because we only know of three discoveries of well-preserved Viking ships in Norway that were excavated long ago. This new vessel will certainly be of great historical importance because it can be studied with all the modern means of archaeology. »