What is hidden in the Gjellestad ship? Get the latest finds, interpretations, and other, exciting updates from the excavation in 2020-2021 and the research afterwards. The Gjellestad excavation is the first viking ship excavation in Norway since the wellknown excavation of the Oseberg ship in 1904.
News
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News from Gjellestad
Two years after the Gjellestad excavation was completed, our experts are digitizing the 1400 rivets that were removed from the ship. The aim is to complete an accurate, digital reconstruction of the Viking ship.
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Searching for burial grounds – look what we found!
Join archaeologists Christian and Margrethe on their search for two ancient burial grounds, following Norwegian archaeologist Nicolay Nicolaysen's 150-year-old documentation of the sites. In 1880 Nicolaysen led the excavation of the Gokstad ship.
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The Gjellestad Ship – project status update
Several thousand discoveries were made during the excavation at Gjellestad, and now the archaeologists are working to piece together the details of this exciting Viking history.
What we know about the ship so far
Archaeologists can now safely say that the Gjellestad ship is from the Viking Age, and they have also circled in the area the ship was built.
What kind of place was Gjellestad?
The area where the Gjellestad ship was found is rich in discoveries from many different times, and there has been activity here all the way back until around 1500 BC.
Modern archaeological methods
A hundred years ago, shovels and brushes were archaeologists' best tools. Since then amazing steps have been made within both archaeological methods and other helpful sciences.
The Gjellestad story
Join us on an interactive journey through a digitally reconstructed Gjellestad and experience what the archaeologists have found.
Viking ships
Viking ships are one of the most important symbols of the Viking Age. They once sailed the seas and rivers, bringing people and countries closer together.
The Viking Ship Museum on Bygdøy housed three of the world’s best preserved Viking ships – Tune Ship, the Oseberg Ship and the Gokstad Ship. All three were found in large burial mounds from the Viking Age. The ships can once again be visited when the new Museum of the Viking Age opens.
The Tune ship excavation
The Tune ship was the first Viking ship to be excavated in Norway.
The Oseberg ship excavation
Oseberg ship was richly decorated and equipped with lavish burial gifts to the two women aboard.
The Gokstad ship excavation
On the farm Gokstad in Sandefjord municipality there was a large burial mound called Kongshaugen, and it was said that there was treasures in it.
Questions?
For all public and visitor inquiries get in touch.
Always Viking
From September 21st-25th 2020 the Norwegian Broadcasting Network NRK had live stream coverage of the excavation. Everything from that week can be seen here! (The content is in Norwegian, but is viewable from anywhere)