Posted on 02/25/2005 12:31:47 PM PST by franksolich
Viking ship cracking up
Eperts are worried about one of Norway's national treasures. Archaeologists have discovered cracks in the hull of he famed Oseberg Viking ship, which may halt plans to move the vessel to a new museum.
The archaeologists have been carefully going over the nearly 1,200-year-old ship, and are concerned about what they see, reports newspaper Aftenposten.
Removal of the vessel's top deck has revealed some exciting new details, like graffiti from the Viking age and details of the ship's rigging. But it's also exposed cracks that make archaeologists worry the ship won't tolerate any move to new quarters.
There have been plans afoot to build a new museum near the site of Oslo's first buildings east of downtown. The so-called "Middle Ages Park" already features the remains of ancient churches, albeit built after the Vikings ruled the waves.
Experts will spend the next several months trying to measure the ship's strength. Removal of the deck will allow the vessel to be scanned electronically. A 3-D drawing can then be made to help give the archaeologists an accurate basis from which to measure the vessel's structural capacity, Knut Paasche of the Vikings Ships Museum told Aftenposten.
White glove treatment
Working from cranes suspended over the Oseberg ship, conservationists have been using white gloves to carefully remove more than 100 deck parts without setting foot in the ship themselves. Their work is a far cry from that done in the 1950s, when workers went on board the vessel and even used a vacuum cleaner to remove dust.
Paasche described work during the past week as "incredibly difficult and somewhat risky." It's also been thrilling. None of those doing the work had ever seen the underside of the ship's deck.
They've seen signs of tools used on board the vessel when it was made for the burial mound of two women in the year 834. They've also found new decorations, that now will be photographed.
Viking researchers from all over Scandinavia are expected to travel to Oslo while the work is underway, to see the ship in an entirely new light.
Yes, sir, we allow Swedes in on the Norway ping list, but you should be warned--the most popular news story the past month when the Norway ping list has existed, involved the story of a Swede being beaten up by a Norwegian.
That was the most-read story so far.
I saw this great old ship in the Viking Ships Museum and can't imagine why they'd want to move it. The place is wonderful, even has a nice view of the fjord. Totally appropriate resting place for this and other exhibits of Norwegian boats.
A lot of those "English" ships were built in America.
The English "boat" you refer to is the Mary Rose. It was in pretty good shape when it sank largely because it turned over and sank on its maiden voyage. So much for the English as the master builders of ships in the days of Henry VIII. They got better.
Based upon other news coming out of Norway recently--all on the Norway ping list--I am starting to suspect there might be something else afoot here; that the Poles are secretly conspiring to steal this historic object out of Norway--but of course they are never going to get past the watchful Norwegian border guards.
It makes sense, if one has been keeping up with news from the home front of Norway lately.
"Also, the Norse conquered and ruled Sicily for a time."
More than Sicily. The leader was a relative (cousin, brother?) of William the Conqueror (France, England, 1066...that thing).
Bari, Italy was their capital, and they controlled a significant amount of territory, including the Holy Lands.
Here is a link to a much older wooden boat also used in funeral proceedings:
http://www.suziemanley.com/december/solarboa.htm
(Buried in a pit alongside the Cheops pyramid at Giza in Egypt for 4,000+ years. Actually thee are five of them.)
Wooden boats tend to dry and crack when left out of water too long. Refloating it may do the trick.
Norse-13 RULEZ!
Yeah, they claim the Vikings went all the way down to the Caspian, via river passage and portage, trading furs (for kittens?).
"Yeah, they claim the Vikings went all the way down to the Caspian, via river passage and portage, trading furs (for kittens."
Those would be Swedes.
The ones that conquered southern Italy were Norwegians, relatives of William the Conqueror. Presumably came around via Atlantic.
The richest stores of mediterranean Amber were found, on an island off Sweden, I seem to recall.
I was left with the impression, when I was mired in that part of the world, that the Vikings actually got as far as the eastern shores of the Black Sea, far beyond Italy even.
Or is that the wrong impression?
Frank:
They've found Viking 'graffiti' in Constantinople. Given that the Volga River dumps out into the Black Sea, it stands to reason that the Vikings navigated the entire shoreline.
I tend to think of these operations as "armed trading" missions. If you are weak/evenly matched, you trade. If you are strong, you take (raid). Either way the Viking wins.
American humor, sir; I'm twitting.
You know of course I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Poles and Poland (excepting for their propensity to believe they can outwit Norwegians).
American humor, sir; there is a lot of it on Free Republic; all sorts of it, my own "brand" being light-hearted twitting, with some irony--and other Free Republicans having their own special "brand."
It is supposed to be both (a) illuminating and (b) fun.
Excepting in the Days of Yore, when the high-school football team from Gothenburg, Nebraska, collided with the high-school football team from Cozad.
The Gothenburg team was called the "Vikings."
The Cozad team was called the "Haymakers."
In this pigskin instance, the Vikings always got stacked.
"I was left with the impression, when I was mired in that part of the world, that the Vikings actually got as far as the eastern shores of the Black Sea, far beyond Italy even."
Two different routes.
Swedes went down Volga River, and wound up at the court of the Byzantine Empire. Said to be court guards.
Another time and route was Robert Guiscard, related to William the Conqueror (France, England, 1066, Battle of Hastings, etc.). These nordics were originally from Norway.
This Viking (frenchified for a few generations) controlled southern Italy and a few other places. Conquered Bari 1071, taking it away from Byzantine Empire.
An easy way to remember (In the broadest sense, risking oversimplification and even error): Swedes sailed east. Norwegians sailed west.
Weren't the Vikings from both Norway and Sweden? Those countries didn't exist as separate states back then. My forefathers were Vikings who went to Ireland via Normandy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.