The Oseberg find is the richest burial find from the Viking Age. It includes the Oseberg Ship, the oldest known sailing vessel in Scandinavia. The ship was originally built in Western Norway in AD 820 and buried 14 years later in the Slagen Valley outside Tønsberg.
The skeletons of two women were discovered during the excavations, along with skeletons of horses, dogs and oxen. The rich grave find also included much equipment needed by the two women in the next world. Many consider the well-preserved Oseberg Ship to be the most beautiful of all known Viking ships.
The original ship is currently exhibited at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. You can also see (and board) an exact replica at Vikingodden in Tønsberg. The Saga Oseberg was built by the Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation, using Viking Age tools and methods only.
(Photos: Ole Harald Flåten and Nina Killie Øydvin).
- Oars: 28
- Length: 21,5 m
- Width: 5,2 m
- Crew: 40-45
- Rowing speed: 3-4 knots
- Sailing speed: 10-12 knots
- Sail: 82 sq.m
