Gokstad

A large burial mound called ‘the king’s mound’ was situated at the farm of Gokstad in Sandefjord municipality. In autumn 1879 the two teenage sons on the farm were bored and started to dig into the mound to see if they could find anything exciting.

Around approximately 900 AD, a rich and powerful man died, and the Gokstad ship was used for his burial. A burial chamber was built in the aft of the ship where the dead man was laid to rest.

The Gokstad ship was built around 890 AD, at the height of the Viking period. It was a fast and flexible ship that was suitable for voyages on the high seas.