'Viking ship' discovered in Sweden's largest lake

**Vulpix** · 05-10-2009, 08:53 PM

'Viking ship' discovered in Sweden's largest lake

Marine archaeologists in Sweden have discovered what they believe to be the wreck of a Viking ship at the bottom the country's largest lake.
A team of 50 divers from the Swedish coastguard happened upon the 20-metre long wreck by chance on Wednesday afternoon.

"Never before has a Viking shipwreck been found in Swedish waters," marine archaeologist Roland Peterson from the Vänern Museum told The Local.

A few Viking boats have previously been discovered in Sweden, but earlier finds were made on dry land, Peterson explained.

One of the ship's ribs was discovered protruding from the bottom of the lake, while the rest of the boat was filled with a one metre-thick layer of sediment.

A wood sample from the ship, as well as iron samples from a spear and a sword found with the vessel, are to undergo expert analysis over the coming weeks.

"We can't be sure of anything until we get the dating results back, which could take around a month. But the sword did seem semi-familiar," said Peterson, referring to the weapon's apparent similarity to earlier Viking era finds.

The ship's clinker-built structure also strengthened the hypothesis that the vessel found in the Lurö archipelago, in the middle of Lake Vänern, dates from the Viking era. Vänern is Europe's third largest lake, with an area measuring 5,648 square kilometres.

The Swedish coastguard and the Vänern Museum are currently involved in a joint project to discover and examine shipwrecks lodged at the bottom the vast lake.

Six other wrecks have also been discovered within a 100 metre radius, three of which were found lying almost on top of each other.

"But it's too early to say whether these date from the same era," said Peterson.

The Viking Age marked the end of the Scandinavian Iron Age and spanned the period from the eighth to the eleventh century.

**Thorum** · 05-16-2009, 02:23 AM

Same story from another source (Nordstjernan). A few different details.

"(Possible) Viking Ship found."

A wreck found at the bottom of the lake Vänern could be that of a Viking ship, according to marine archeologist Roland Peterson. If so, it’s the first time a Viking ship has been found in a lake in Sweden. The 20-meter long shipwreck is located in Lurö archipelago. “We’re not sure yet,” Peterson says, “but all measurements point to the Vikings. We have also rescued a sword-like object as well as a point of a spear, and it is very rare to make such finds in a shipwreck.” The possible Viking ship was found quite by accident some days ago, when the Swedish Coast Guard made a navigation mistake. Not too far away from this shipwreck are six other wrecks, three of which are almost on top of each other. “We’re trying to determine if they are of the same type,” Peterson explains. Wood tests will determine the ship’s age, the iron objects have already been sent to experts for an evaluation which will take about a month. The Viking Age spanned the 8th to the 11th centuries.

**National_Nord** · 05-26-2009, 01:27 PM

As I understand it, the archaeologists did not dating at the time of the Viking ship found?

**Thorum** · 05-26-2009, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by National_Nord

As I understand it, the archaeologists did not dating at the time of the Viking ship found?

They are still doing tests on the ship to determine the date/age of the ship. I don't believe they have the final results yet.

**Vulpix** · 08-27-2009, 09:10 AM

Swedish archaeologists uncover 7th century ship

Published: 27 Aug 09 09:25 CET

Swedish archaeologists have announced the find of a 7th century burial ship, the oldest of its kind to be discovered in Scandinavia.

The ship, thought to be from the Vendel era (550-793) of Swedish prehistory, was found in Sunnerby on the island of Kållandsö in Lake Vänern in central Sweden and, according to Lake Vänern Museum, is the only known ship burial to be uncovered in Sweden.

Archaeologists from Lake Vänern Museum and Gothenburg University are busy excavating the find which includes equipment, gifts and animal sacrifices.

"In Sunnerby, the number of boat rivets found so far indicate that there is a ship hidden in the Kungshögen mound, that is to say a vessel of more than 10 metres and possibly up to 20 metres in length," the museum writes in a statement.

The ship is a burial vessel and the museum reports that only people in the highest echelons of society were afforded such a grand farewell. The museum compares the find to the important Sutton Hoo ship burial find in south east England, though archaeologists believe the Swedish find is unlikely to yield as many significant artifacts as the Suffolk ship.

The ship would have been loaded with the deceased, animal sacrifices, equipment and gifts and the whole vessel set alight in a huge funeral pyre.

Annelie Nitenberg and Anna Nyqvist Thorsson, archaeologists at Lake Vänern Museum, hope that the Kungshögen find will help to shed light on Vendel era cultural life by Sweden's largest lake.

Previously, Vendel era society had been understood to be focused in Uppland and the Mälardalen regions of central Sweden rather than further south on the shores of Vänern, Europe's third largest lake with an area measuring 5,648 square kilometres.

The excavation of the Kungshögen find will now continue until October. After a break for the winter the work will resume in 2010.

**~~Brännvin~~** · 08-27-2009, 04:51 PM

Vendel era (550-793) meaning the Swedish Germanic Iron Age, this is more like pre-Viking era officially, though on now days with archeological finds many of these terms are always being reviewed. In some way the Swedes have made a lot of expeditions during that period.