Ship in the mound

Remains still found underground indicate that the burial was made in the late 8th century AD, at the very beginning of the Viking Age (793-1066 AD). If confirmed, it will be the third early Viking burial at the site located off the coast of Karmoy Island in southwestern Norway, an area that could be the birthplace of Viking culture.

It is a very strategic point where maritime traffic is controlled along the Norwegian coast.
– Says Håkon Reyersen, an archaeologist at the University of Stavanger in Norway.

The legendary first king of Norway, Harald the Blonde, lived here in the royal mansion. Prior to this, the region was a center of political power from the Bronze Age (around 1700 BC) to the Middle Ages. Reyersen says the site has been important for at least 3,000 years.

The Salhushaugen mound where the ship was located was first excavated in 1906 by the Norwegian archaeologist Haakon Shetelig. Shetelig had discovered the nearby Gronhaug ship grave in 795 AD, and in 834 AD had directed excavations at the famous Oseberg ship grave in southeast Norway. But disappointed Finding only arrowheads and wooden spades in Salhushaugen. Excavations were stopped. But archaeologists have now discovered that it is necessary to dig deeper.

Radar the track of the ship was recorded at a depth of 20 meters, the radar itself can “dive” up to 30 meters. It’s larger than the 15-metre-long wooden ship in the nearby Grenhaug mound, but slightly smaller than the over 20-metre-long wooden ship in another nearby Storhaug mound.

New excavations will be made

A team from the University of Stavanger hopes to dig further at Salhushaugen later this year. The results will determine whether it will be possible to reach the ship. In addition, the mound does not appear to have been looted and may still contain artifactssimilar to those found elsewhere.

This finding corresponds to the generally accepted scheme, in which the burial of the dead on ships is carried out in groups not far from each other. When they were first erected, the mounds were visible from ships entering the narrow strait of Karmsund between Karmoy and the mainland.

Such burials were intended to create a kind of “illusion” that kings and chiefs were in the water, although in reality they were on land. It is as if they are not dead, just “swimming” to their ancestors. This is a belief that existed before the Vikings.