A 20-metre-long Viking ship has been discovered using georadar on a mound previously believed to be empty.
The ship was found during explorations and excavations in Karmøy in June last year. Archaeologists kept the discovery a secret until they were sure of what they had found. The ship was discovered in an old burial mound, and it sheds light on the earliest Viking kings.
Haakon Shetelig, an archaeologist, had previously excavated a rich Viking ship grave just nearby, where Grønhaugskipet was found, as well as excavated the famous Oseberg ship – the world’s largest and most well-preserved surviving Viking ship – in 1904. Shetelig had also excavated the Salhushaugen gravemound in Karmøy in Western Norway, but he did not find a Viking ship during his excavation of the mound. However, it turns out that Shetelig simply did not dig deep enough. About a year ago, in June 2022, archaeologists decided to search the area using ground-penetrating radar or georadar – a device that uses radio waves to map out what lies below the surface of the ground. And lo and behold – there was the outline of a Viking ship.
“This is a spectacular find which sheds light on the earliest Viking kings”, says archaeologist Håkon Reiersen. The discovery is significant because it provides new information about Viking burials and their beliefs around the afterlife 3. Karmøy can now boast of being the home of three Viking ships.
The discovery of this 20-metre-long Viking ship is an exciting development for archaeologists and historians alike. It provides new insights into Viking culture and history, and it is sure to inspire further research into this fascinating period of human history.
The discovery of a 20-metre-long Viking ship in Norway is an exciting development for archaeologists and historians alike. The ship was discovered using georadar on a mound previously believed to be empty. The discovery sheds light on the earliest Viking kings and provides new information about Viking burials and their beliefs around the afterlife. This discovery is sure to inspire further research into this fascinating period of human history.