Radar Uncovers Viking Ship Buried on Norway Farm

The remains of a Viking ship have been discovered on a farm near a medieval church at Edøy, on the island of Smøla, in Norway. 

The ship, which is 52 to 56 feet (16 to 17 meters) long, appears to be part of a burial mound, suggesting that it was used to bury someone important, said its discoverers, archaeologists Manuel Gabler and Dag-Øyvind Engtrø Solem, both with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU). 

They don’t know if there is a skeleton or multiple skeletons inside the boat. 

The archaeologists used high-resolution georadar mounted on a cart to make the discovery. In fact, it was almost by chance they spotted the ship’s outline. 

“We had actually finished the agreed-upon area, but we had time to spare and decided to do a quick survey over another field. It turned out to be a good decision,” Manuel Gabler, an archaeologist with NIKU, said in a statement.

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The ship was found near this medieval church by archaeologists using georadar mounted on a cart. (Image NIKU)

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The landscape around the Edoy ship. Two houses, highlighted here in orange, were found near the ship. They are likely part of a settlement archaeologists believe.

The georadar revealed two houses, highlighted here in orange, near the ship. They are likely part of a settlement. (Image NIKU)

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The remains of a Viking ship that was between 16-17 meters (52 feet to 56 feet) long were found near a medieval church at Edøy, on the island of Smøla in Norway.

The remains of a Viking ship that was 52 to 56 feet (16 to 17 meters) long were found near a medieval church at Edøy, on the island of Smøla in Norway. (Image NIKU)

The ship dates back more than 1,000 years to the time of the Vikings or even a bit earlier, Knut Paasche, head of the Department of Digital Archaeology at NIKU and an expert on Viking ships, said in a statement. 

Radar images had enough resolution to make out what was left of the fore and aft, which had been nearly destroyed in the past by farming…

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