Dual Digging
We are now excavating both the southern and northern parts of the ship.
Tomo (left) excavating the southern part, while Vegard and Karine (right) are excavating the northern part. Photo: Margrethe K. H. Havgar
Last week we finished uncovering the northern part of the ship. Check out the video above where our excavation manager Camilla talks about what we have found and what we know so far.
The current plan is to excavate both sides simultaneously. Using this method, we will hopefully reach better preserved layers further down, at the same time on both sides. The team on the southern side are excavating what we interpret as layers of turfs stacked on top each other inside the ship; while the team on the northern side are excavating what seems to be the remains of a plundering trench of some sort, making its way from the outside to the inside of the ship. As of yet we are not sure whether or not this trench is of a newer date (i.e. 1800-1900s) or if it is older, so that is what we are trying to figure out.
Since the northern part is uncovered, not only are both parts of the ship finally visible, we have the ship's entire outline uncovered! As mentioned in our last post, what remains of the ship is 19.3 meters long and 4 meters wide. We are pretty sure that the ship was longer originally, but we also know that parts of its sterns (the front and back ends) are incomplete, which is why the current length is a tad bit shorter than the original length.
You can also follow the excavation on the museum's Facebook page, the excavation's Facebook event, and on Instagram.