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65-Foot-Long Viking Ship Discovered Buried Using Ground-Penetrating Radar

Archaeology, History, News

65-Foot-Long Viking Ship Discovered Buried Using Ground-Penetrating Radar

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Technology has greatly helped archaeologists in discovering treasures of the past that have eluded them in the past.

Now, archaeologists believe they have found traces of an ancient Viking Ship, buried beneath the surface in southeast Norway.

Image: Ground-Penetrating Radar helped make the discovery. Image Credit: AFP / NIKU

The boat’s shape was spotted around 50 centimeters beneath the surface in a tumulus, a burial mound thanks to ground-penetrating radar by Scientists at the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU).

The boat was discovered in Halden, around 150 kilometers south of Oslo. The discovery was made prior to agricultural drainage operations taking place in the area.

The discovery comes as a surprise but is also be of great importance.

Archaeologists say that the rare discovery can help the min understanding more about Vikings and their expeditions during the Middle Ages.

Study author Dr. Knut Paasche explained that as they were exploring the area, “In the middle of the mound, we discovered what is called an anomaly, something that is different.”

The mysterious boat shaped immediately stood out, explained Dr. Paasche.

“What we cannot say for sure is the condition of the conservation. Yes, there was a boat there, but it’s hard to say how much wood is left,” Dr. Paasche added.

The Ancient Vikings were members of the Nordic peoples of Scandinavia, famous for their incursions and lootings in Europe. They were extremely skilled sailors as well as fierce warriors. Their attacks and appearance in the European political scene become relevant with the looting of the monastery of Lindisfarne (793) in the north of Great Britain, which was soon followed by a number of other attacks on similar monasteries.

The Vikings were known for burying their kings and chiefs aboard a boat, hoisted onshore and placed beneath a mound of earth.

The discovery of this Viking Ship is of great importance. In fact, only three Viking-era ships have so far been found in good condition in Norway. All three are exhibited in a museum near Oslo.

‘We need more discoveries to explain what these boats looked like and how the Vikings would sail,’ added. Dr. Paasche

Experts add that the boat was left without a bow and a stern. It is around 20 meters long, potentially making the buried boat one of the largest Viking vessels ever discovered in Norway.

At present, researchers from NIKU have revealed that no excavations are being made in this time of the year, but the boat will eventually be dug up, conserved and placed in a museum.

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Janice Friedman

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