This is absolutely an extraordinary archaeological discovery. Norwegian researchers have now uncovered a very rarely found Viking ship burial, offering insights into the Viking Age and its burial practices. Entombed in one mound in the Gjellestad municipality, the ship dates over 1,000 years ago. It constitutes one of the most significant Viking ship finds ever, exposing new insight into how the Vikings lived and what they believed in.
This was done with the use of ground-penetrating radar, a non-obtrusive technology that allowed archaeologists to identify structures underground without the need for immediate excavation. The GPR scans revealed the outline of a ship about 20 meters in length, along with remnants of wooden planks and iron nails. The ship is thought to be a royal or noble grave, signifying the high position of the person buried inside. Viking ship burials represent an extremely rare and culturally important phenomenon, usually reserved for elite members among the Vikings, like chieftains, warriors, and royal blood.
The burial rite consisted of placing the dead body in a ship accompanied by grave goods: arms, jewelry, eating plates, containers for food—together with other accessories—so he could use them on his journey into the afterlife. After that, the ship was covered with a burial mound that symbolized that journey to the afterlife. Thus, the Gjellestad ship burial takes a place among the very few Viking ship burials discovered in Scandinavia until today.
The most famous previous discoveries are the Oseberg and Gokstad ships, which have given so much information, especially on sailing techniques, craftsmanship, and social organization during the Viking era. Still, no two burials are identical, and new discoveries entail unique information in every case. For instance, artifacts and remains found in the Gjellestad ship may shed more light on some unknown aspects of Viking ways of life and death. Given that we are handling very fragile remains, and with the maximum information to be salvaged from the remains, excavation is likely to be a long process in the case of the Gjellestad ship.
Archaeologists will document and analyze the site with the use of both traditional excavation techniques and modern technologies like 3D scanning and digital modeling, which would help reconstruct the ship and its contents virtually—all the details of this burial will be vividly presented. It is the magnitude of this discovery that presents the rare opportunity to study Viking ship burial in situ. Unlike all the other accidental and construction site-type discoveries, the Gjellestad ship was found during a planned archaeological survey, hence allowing for a more controlled and full-scale study of the site, therefore helping with researchers’ insight into the burial theory of the Vikings.
