NORSK NAVAL oeoroe - Smithsonian Institution

1886]

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 443

NORSK NAVAL ARCHITECTURE.

By oeoroe

h.boeblivier.

(With^five plates.)

Inthe sectionof Naval Architecture in theUnited States National

Museum

at

Washington

thereis onexhibition the modelofa boatused in thefisheriesatSoudmore,

Norway, and

with slightmodifications all

along the coast of

Norway,

from Egersund, in Lister, roundtheNorth

Cape

to the frontier of Russia, a distance of about twelve

hundred

geographical miles.

They

are called "Nordlaudsbaade" (Northland boats), aredescribed as long,narrow,

and

low, light

and

elegant,

and

fit both for sailing

and

rowing,^

and

are believed

by

the fishermen of thatregion,on accountoftheir peculiar construction, tobe

more

elastic, safer,

and

swifter in a sea way.

THE SONDMORE

BOAT.

(See Plate xv.)

This boatisdescribed as beingclinker-built,

and

havingfourstrakes, exceptat the bow, where there are six strakes; lower bow-plank put ondiagonally withend chamfered to fit on other planks,to which they arenailed; no gunwales; strengtheningpiecesalongtheinsidenextto upper strake; heavy timbers; boat entirely open; six thwarts; five rowlocks; deep keel,curving

up

likea sled-rumierateachend toform stem

and

stern posts, which are high; bottom slightly concave, with

much

dead rise,being nearly straight to top of upper strake; ends sharp and very flaring; small rudder; peculiar jointed tiller; single mast, stepped amidships, with strong rake; four shrouds aside, with toggles on lower ends that pass through beckets at the boat'sside

j

singlelugsail, withnarrowhead, tacks

down

to stem.

The

rowlocks ofall theNorthlandboats,fromthemostancienttothe present

Norwegian

fishing craft, exhibit the

same

general model, althoughthey differfrom one another in size

and

details of work. In every case they are cut out ofoneijieceof timber.

The

representation given on next page is fromaboat built at Rannefjord, in the "Nord- lands

Amt,"

about latitude66north.

They

arecalled "Keiper,"

and

the

same

term ("Keipr") isfound in old Icelandicsagas

(Fornmanna

Sogur)

and

intheSnorre'sEdda.

The

Keiperconsists of apieceof

wood

fastened tothe

gunwale by wooden pegs—

in the

Sondmore

boat, in the absence of a gunwale, they are

'DiriksaudE. SmuU,iu "Folkevenneu^"of18()3ami1865.

444 NORSK NAVAL ARCHITECTURE.

fastened to the top plank

by two

iron nails

—

^{bearingan oblique pro-}

longation at one end,

and

furnished witha loop of wicker-work rope or leather, through which the oar is passed,

and

which prevents its slippingout of the keip while rowing. These rowlocks are in

Norway

considered superior to ordinary tholes, being not so liableto break as thelatter.

In

some

fishing craft the planks are tied to the frames

by

ropes through holes in the under sideof the frames and corresponding holes or in cleats projecting fromthe ])lanks.

Little,if any, change appears to have been

made

in northern navjil architecture, for in the Northland boats of the present

day we

recog- nize the oldest forms

known

to us from the rock sculptures {Helleriai- 7iinger,or Hallristningar) discoveredin

Sweden and Norway,

with an antiquity reachingfarbackintoprehistoric times,

and

supposedtohave originated from 500 to 800 years before the Christian era; from boat- shapedstone burial grftups {SMbsscetninger, or StensTiepper) supposed to

have been erected duringthe transition time from the bronze period to the iron age in Scandinavia,

and

from Boatremains found at various times

and

places, representing structures dating from the third to

about theninth or tenth century of the Christian era.

I.

—

Helleristninger,^

or hallristningar, the picture groups of Scandinavia, engraved

upon

rock

and

originated during the bronze age,representin simple outlims

'O. Rygh:

Om

HelleristniugeriNorge. IVidenskabs SelskabetiKristianiaFor- hanflliuger, 1873, p. 455-470. Dr,HenryPeterson: Notice sur les PierresSculpt^es duDanemark; in^:Memoires delaSoci6t6RoyaledesAntiquaires des Nord^; Copeu- hagne,1877, p.330-342. (Cited byDr. C. Ran: Cup-shaped and other Lapidari.au Sculptures,p. 25,in

—

ContributionstoNorthAmericanEthnology,vol. v^; U.S.Geo- graphicalandGeological Surveyof the RockyMountain Region^; U. S. Department of Interior.)

1886.]

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 445

more

or less equipped ships, sharp at the ends, with stem

and

stern posts alike,both curved

and

high.

The

oars appearas a series of ver- ticalstrokes along thesides of the ship.

Such representations have been discovered: in Denmark,^ on the capstone of a funeral

chamber

near Herrestrup; in the northwestof Seeland;^ on abronze knife excavated in Ditmarsch;^ in Sweden, on aheavy dioriteslab from a tumulus in Scania,called Willfarahog;* at Kivik, Christianstad Lan,Scania;^ inBohuslan,^on the Hiiggebystone in

Upland and

on runic stones uponGotland.

The

accompanying illus- tration (see Platexvi) shows a runicstone found in

Alskog

parish, at Tjangvide, in the southern part of the island of Gotland. It is

now

in the

museum

at Stockholm.

At

the baseis a dragon-ship with only one

mast and

one sail. (The illustration

was

taken from Paul

du

Chaillu,

The Land

oftheMidnight

Sun

^:

New

York,1882.)

They

occur in

Norway,

along the coast as far north as

Throndhjem

fjord;' and in Russia,

upon

the southeast

bank

of

Onega

Lake,'' which ^isthe onlyone

known

to existwithin the eastBalticregions of Russia.

Of

the construction of the boats represented in these sculptures of course nothingis

known,

nerdo theengravings permit of

any

estimate asto their dimensions, the only record

handed down

to us being the outlines, which, however, aresufficient toserve in thecomparison with the lines of laterstructures.

A

^different view of theoutlinesofboats, supposed tohave belonged totheperiod at the beginning ofthe Christian era,and which,in form,

'Worsaae: The PrimevalAntiquities ofDenmark; translated by W.J. Thomas_; London, 1849,p. 91. (CitedbyRan^: Cup-shapedandother Lapidariau Sculptures, p. 27.⁾ Worsaae:Nordiske OldsageridetkoujreligeMuseumiKjobenhavu,tig.171-175.

(CitedbyC.Rau^: Cup-shapedandotherLapidarianSculptures,p.27.)

^C.Rau: Cup-shaped and otherLapidarian Sculptures, p. 27, aud ^fig.21. Simp- eon: Archaic Sculptures, &c., p. 72. (Cited by Rau, «fec., p.27.) Ferguson: Ri;de StoneMonuments,fig.106, p.303. (CitedbyRau,p. 27.) Peterson, Dr.Heury^: Notice, surlesPierresSculpt^esduDauemark,p.^33-<. (Citedby Rau, p.27.)

3Kemble^: HorseFerales,p.228.

•Nilsson: Das Bronzealter; Nachtrag, p. 42. (Cited by Rau, p. 29.) Simpson:

ArchaicSculptures, &c., p. 78. (Cited by Rau,p.29.)

sRau: Cup-shaped andother Lapidariau Sculptures, p. 30 andfigs. 24. Nilsson:

DasBronzealter. (CitedbyC. Rau, p. 30.) Peterson: Notices surlesPierres Sculp- t^es, &c. (Citedby Rau, p. 30.)

"Montelius: Bohuslanske hiiUristuingar, Stockholm, 1876, pp. 3, 18. Rau: Cup- shapedandotherLapidarianSculptures,p.30and^fig.25. Nilssou: &c.,p. 90. (Cited byRau, p.30.) Holniberg, A. E. ^: Scaudinaviens HiiUristuingar, Stockholm, 1848.

Aberg, Dr. Leunart: Hiillristningar uti Bohuslan; in^: Annaler for Nordisk Old- kyndighed; Kjobenhavu, 1839; platex, p.386.

^N. NicolayscH: LaugskibetfraGokstad ved Sandefjord. Kristiania, 1882,p. 9.

«ArchivfiirAutbropologie,x, p.86; wood-cut, fig. 4. Grewingk,C.^: Ueberdiein Granit geritzteu Biklergruppen

am

Onegasee. In^: Bulletinhistor. philol. deI'Acad-

^miedes Sciencesde St.-P6tersbourg, xii,No.7 et8. Schwede: Nachr. Iswestija der geographischeuGesellschaftznSt.Petersburg'.18.")0,p. 68. Grewiugk,C.: Verhaqd- lungender esthnischen GespUschaft zu Uoipa^, vii, Heft1,p.25,

44(j

NORSK NAVAL AKCHITECTUEE.

againresemble the Northland^fishing boats of the present day, is ob- tainedfrom theso-called

II.

Skibss^tninger,^

(Stenskeppar,Skeppshogar, Skeppsformer;^ Schiffsetzungen; Wella- Laiwe,Teufelsboote, or Steinscbiffe)^ or rows of stones set in such a

manner

as toform the outlinesof boats,

and

which were employed for sepulchralpurposes

by

the Vikiugs.

Sweden

is the center of distribution of Korskeboat-shaped groups.

They

occurinBohuslan, Schonen,Blekingen, Oeland, Gotland, Nericke,

and

Upland.'' Similar structureshave been foundnear Stralsund, Ger- many.-'*and in theBaltic provinces of Courland,^

and

Estnish Livonia'^

of Eussia

In Courland, Russia, only seven of these ^positions have been dis- covered, all being locatedin the dioceseofErwahlen,^and with oneex- ception they occur ^{in pairs,} situated behind each other.

The

outlines oflong, narrow,

and

pointed vesselsare represented

by

a singlerow of stones.

The

stem

and

stern posts are

shown

by largebowlders, thus indicating forthese parts a considerable elevation above thebulwark

1C.Engelhardt^: DenmarkintheEarlyIronAge,London,1866, pp. 38,39.

^BidragtilKtiuuedomom Goteborgs ochBohusliinsFornminnen.

•^C. Grewiugk: Die SteiuschifievouMnscLingiind dieWella-Laiweoder Teufels- bootevon Kurlaudiiberhaupt. Dorpat, 1878. Doring,J.:DieTeufelsbootevou Kur- land. Sitzuugsberichteder Gesellschaft^fiirLiteraturuudKunst, 1860-1863. Mitau, 1864. Berg, C.^: NotiziiuCorrespoud(iuzblatt der Naturfor. Gesellsch. zu Riga, xx, 1872.

*ArcbivliirAuthropologie, x, pp. 83,84.

5Hageuow^{: luBaltischeStudien der Ges.f. Pommerscbe} Gescbichte,xv,2,p. 49.

ArchivfiirAntbropologie, x,p. 82.

^Grewingk: Zur Antbropologie des Balticums und Russlands. Im Arcbiv fiir

Antbropologie,X, pp.73-100; 297-300. Grewingk,

C:

^DieSteinscbiffevouMusching unddieWella-Laiweoder Teufels-bootevou Kurlaud. Grewiugk,C.^: Steinalterder Ostseeproviuzeu. Dorpat, 1865,p. 45. Doring,J.^:ImSitzuugsbericbt derGesellscb.

f.LiteraturuudKunst. Mitau, 1864, p. 154. Berg: Im Correspoudenzblatt des Na- turforscbeudeu Vereius zu Riga, xx, 1872, No. ^7. Burcbardt: In^: BaltiscbeMouats-

scbrift, xxiv. Riga,1875.

'^Sievers, GrafC.^: Verbaudluugen der estu. Gesellschaft zu Dorpat, viii, Heft 3, 1876. Sie vers, GrafC.^: Verhandlungender Berliner Gesellschaft^fiirAntbropologie, October1875. Sitzungsbericbte der estu. Gesellschaft. May, November, December,

187(i. ArcbivfiirAntbropologie,x,p. 79.

*Sitzung8berichte der Gesellschaft^fiir Geschicbte der Ostseeprovinzeji, 1875,Riga, 1876, p. 54.

9Grewingk,C.; DieSteinscbiffevonMusching und dieWella-LaiweoderTeufels- booteKurlaudsiiberhaupt. Dorpat, 1878. ZurArchaeologie desBalticumsundRuss- lands. ImArchivfiirAntbropologie,x, p. 73. Doring:In:SitzungsberichtederGes.

f.LiteraturuudKunst. Mitau,1864, p. 154. Grewingk: Steinalterder Ostseeprov- inzen,Dorpat, 1865,p. 45. Berg: In Correspondenzblatt des Naturfor. Vereius zu Riga, XX, 1872, No. 7. Burcbardt^: In^: Baltische Mouatsscbrift, xxiv, Riga, 1875.

ArchivfiirAuthropologie,x, p. 75.

1886.]

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 447

of the boats; excavations in the bord-stones' indicate the rowlocks.

Theiroutlines are reproductions of the Upland,

Haggeby, and

Gotland runicstones.

The

direction of theboats suggests in the construction a general southeasterlycourse.

At

a depth ^of from six inches to a foot below the surface a large stone plate

was

found,serving asacover to chests built of plates of either natural or artificial formation.

The

^{cells of} these chests were occupied

by

urns

composed

of gravel mixed with clay butlittleburnt,

and

containing

more

or less cremated

human

remains.

The

following illustration(seePlatexvii),copied from "0. Grewiugk, Die Steiuschifte von

Musching und

dieWella-Laiwe oder Teufelsboote Kurlands iiber- haupt,"showsinathearrangement

and

outlines oftheseboat-positions- in b, asectional viewofoneof the

Musching

boats,

and

in c, th-e stone chests which have served for the reception of the cremated remainsof the dead.

Similar boats have been found in Livonia.

Among them

is the Slaweekstone boat^from the shores of LittleStrante

Lake

in the dis- trictofWalk. Ithas a double

row

ofbord stones,from 4to5feethigh, is supplied with thirteenorfourteen row-benches,

and

is roundedoffat stem

and

stern.

The

cremated remainsofthe dead

had

been deposited on the levelground between the stones.

In Estnish Livonia^{^} similar positions were found, but lying either singly orin foursthey areindicated

by

single rows of stones inanorth- east to southwestoreast to west direction,and are rounded offatstem

and

stern.

They

exhibitas

many

aselevenrow-benchesand

some

large bowlders,possibly indicating the position of the mast.

The

boatrepresentation found near Stralsund,

Germany,

^{^}

was

pro- vided with a double

row

of bord-stones. In its interior space, obliter- ated

by

digging, an

empty

chestof thin stone })lates

was

found.

Among

the boat representations of

Sweden

those in the forest of Braidlloaron the Island of Gotland,'* of

Eds

inUpland,'*

Blomsholm

in Bohuslan,* K§,seberg,^ Lungers^s

upon

Gotland,^Eaftotangeu in Blek- iii^en^are the mostimportant.

Ihe dimensionsof allthese boat representations varygreatly; they may, however, be divided into

two

general groups of which the one includes only the seven i)Ositions of Conrland, while all theother boats are included in the second group.

' Sievers, GrafC.: Verhandlungea d. estn. Ges. zii Dorpat, viii, Heft 3, Dorpat 1876. Sievers,GrafC.: Verhandlungeji der BerliucrGesellscliaftfiirAnthropologic, 1875,October.

-ArchivfiirAnthropologie,x,p. 80. Sitzuugsberichteder gelehrten estuiscben Ges, ellschaftzu Dorpat,May, November, December, 1876; Jauiiary, 1878.

'Hagenow, inBaltischeStndicn der GesellschaftfiirPommerscheGeschicbte, xv, 2 p. 49. Archi-"'fiirAnthropologie, x,p. 82.

*ArchivfiirAnthropologie, x, p. 83.

'-lUd.,p. 84.

448 NORSK NAVAL ARCHITECTURE.

Dimensions ofboat positions.

Positions. Length. Width.

Erwahleu,I position,Muschmg,1 2 II position, Lieben,1

—

IIIposition,Widser,1..

2.- IVposition,NogaUen,1.

Sliiwcek boat,Russia EstniahLivonia,Russia Stralsund,Germany

Braidfloar,Gotland,Sweden Upland,Sweden

Blomsholin,Bohuslan,Sweden K3,8eberg,Sweden

Feet.

31 27 25 31 50.9 49.0 47.10 140

From50to 100 130 144 182 141 212

Feet.

8 13 10 10 14 10 10 40 About25 16 16 50 31i 60

III.

Boat remains.

Although the form of the earliest Northern boats has thus

become known

to ns,the

mode

oftheir construction,whethercovered with

wood

or skins, tiedtogether with withes or sinews,

may

foreverremainasecret.

Our

firstknowledgein thisrespect isofpost-Christianboats belonging possibly to the third century after Christ;

and

this knowledge

was

derived from the discovery

and

excavation,atvarioustimes

and

places, ofthe remains.

Such

discoveries were

made

at [Jltuna,i Lackalanga,^

Borre^ (near Horten, Norway), at Snape,^ Suffolk,

England

(at which place a boat

was dug

^{out,40 feet 8 inches long, 9feet} 6 inches wide,

and

3 feet 10 inches deep, clinker built, containing,

among

other arti- cles, a glass vessel with projections of a shapesimilar toone found in theboat discovered atBorre,

and

beingwell

known

fromgraves of the latterpart of the iron age in England, France,

and

Germany).^ Sim- ilar finds were

made

in the parish of Tune,

and

at Gokstad, Norway,^

Nydam

Moss, Schleswig, Prussia,^

and

other places.^

'B.E. Hildebiaud, inReportoftheseventh meetingofScandinavian Natiinilista, Kristiauia, 1856,appendix,p. 644.

2N. G.Bruzelius, inAnnalerforNordisk Oldkyndighed, 1858,p. 179.

^Nicolaysen,inthe reportfor1852of the Societyforthe Preservation ofNorwegian

Antiquities.

*Davidson,intheProceedingsofthe Society of Antiquaries,Loudon, 2dser.,vol.

ii-iv.

5C. Roach^: Smith's^Coll.Ant.,vol.ii,pi.li. Cochet,NormandieSouterraiue,pi. x.

^Nicolaysen, N.: TheViking Ship discoveredatGokstad,inNorway, withamap, 10engravings,and13 plates. 88_pp., 4°. Kristiauia,Alb.Cammermeyer. Langski- betfiaGokstad vedSandefjord. Beskrevetaf N. Nicolaysen. Med1kort, 10trjBsnit,

og 13 plauclier. Kristiauia, 1882.

^C.Engelhardt: Denmark in theEarlyIronAge. London, 1866,p. 29. SirJohn Lubbock: Prehistoric Times. Secondeditiou. Loudon,1869, p. 8. Prof.GeorgSte- phens, F. S.A.:

"Nydam

Moss,"in"TheGentleman's Magazine,"October,1863, new

series, vol. 15, p.681.

»N. torulevu., pp. 20, 179, 245, 551. (Cfr. N. Nicolaysen, Langskibet, etc., p. 12).

Aarsber.f.Foreu. t. Norske Fortidsmindesm. Bevar, 1869, 94; 1879,292; 1880,45.

(Cfr.Nicolaysen, Langskibet,&c., p.12.) O.Rygh: Pastefornlovn.,ogoldsag.,iNor- dreog Sondre Throudhjems Amt, p. 24,i. (Cfr. ISicolaysen, Laugskibet, &c.,p. 12.) Skilliug-Magaziu, 1867, pp. 717-719, 724, 738-739. (Cfr. N. Nicolaysen, Langskibet,

&c,,p. 12.) Polytekn. Tidsskriftfor 1867. (Cfr.N.Nicolaysen, Langskibet,ifec, p. 12.)

1886.]

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 449

The

vesselsexcavated from the

moaud

raised over

them had

served as a burial place,iu conformity with theViking custom

known

to have prevailed

among

the

Northmen

throughoutthelatercenturiesofpagan- ism in Scandinavia.

This

mode

of burial has been of great importanceto archgeological research, sinceitenabled us to study,from theremains thus preserved in a

more

orlessperfect state

and

broughtto light

by

excavation, the naval architecture of the nations

among whom

suchcustoms prevailed.

The

vessels excavated vary considerably in size, ranging from mere boats of 20 feet in length to sea-going vessels with a length of keel measuring from 40 to GOfeet. In the majority of cases thevessels

had

been placed on an even keel

and

the remains of the dead deposited with such articles as were to

accompany

the departed, after whicha

mound

ofearth

was

thrown up over the grave.

The

composition of the earth used in the construction of the

mound,

together with otherinfluences, had often tended to destroy the

wooden

structure,

and

often only just

enough

has been found to determine the size oftheboat

and

its position inthe

mound.

In

many

cases, too, the wood-

work

had been burnedwith thecorpse, sothat nopositiveknowl- edge could be obtained of theform or of thedimensions of the sepul- chral ship.

The

oldest naval relic of the early Scandinavian iron age ever dis- covered, part of an oar,

was

found iu the

Nydam

Moss, northeast of Flensburg,inthe

Duchy

ofSchleswig,intheyear1859,

and

theremain- ing partofthe

same

oarin 1862.

On August

7, 1863, theremains ofa boatwere excavated;on October 18,1863, a large

and

magnificent oak- built boat

was

discovered, lying in the direction of the valley, from southeasttonorthwest,

and

on October29,1863,athird boat, builtof$r,

was

foundattheside of the second boat

and

parallel with it.

The

first oftheseboats

was

inaverypoorstate ofpreservation,having ing evidently been intentionally destroyed; nevertheless the fragments found

and

taken

up

displayedsufficient resemblanceto thecorrespond- ingparts of thesecond

and

third boats to indicate the

same

construc- tion for allthe three boats.

The

second,

and

best preserved boat,

was

placedin thehandsofMr. Stephenson,restorerofantiquities,ofCopen- hagen, and of the restored boat the

accompanying

drawing(see Plate xviii)isa representation asfigured by^{Prof. 0.} Engelhard',under whose direction theexcavation of

Nydam Moss had

beenplaced

by

theDanish Government.

From

itsclose resemblance both to the ancientform as represented in the ^" Helleristninger"and to the

modern

Northland boat, as illus- tratedby a modelof a

Soudmore

(Norway) boat in the United States National

Museum

(previously figured

and

described), thedescription as given

by

Professor Engelhard might beof interest,

and

I

am

indebted

^C.Engelhard: DenmarkintheEarlyIron Age. London, IS))"..

Proc. N. M., 86 L'9 Deceiiibeii- 8,

BH86.

to Dr. Charles Kau, of the U. S. National

Museum,

forthe loan (prob- ably the onlycopy in Washington) ofthe

work

forthis purpose.

''When

first discovered the boat,ofcourse,

was

dolonger in its-orig- iual state. In course of time the washers of the bolts

by

which the planks werefastenedtogether

had

corroded; theropes joining the outer partsofthe boattothe innerframe-

work had

beendestroyed; the planks, inconsequence,

had

separated

and

reassumedtheiroriginalshape; the rowlocks had fallenfrom the gunwale; theribs

had sunk

out of their properplaces,

and

lay in ditferent directions, while the stem

and

stern- postshad detached themselvesfrom the bottomplank.

By

degrees,as the boat^fell to pieces,these sank to the bottom to about the

same

depth, whilst the peat, at the

same

time,

grew up

around them, cover- ing

and

protecting

them

from destruction.

The

shapeofthe boat could not, therefore, be directly ascertained from the pieces found,

and

the sketch was

made

after it

had

beenrestored to its originalform in the JMusenm ofNorthern AntiquitiesatFlensburg.^

No

^drawing,however, can iiilly conveythe strikingimpression produced by the large, sharp,

and

well-built boatitself.

"The

boatis 77 feet long, measured from stem to stern,

and

propor- tionallyrather broadin the middle,viz, 10feet10 inchesat the bottom, buthigher and sharperat each end; itconsistsof eleven oak planks, fiveon either side, besides the bottom plank, of whichthe keel forms part, the latter being only a little

more

than 1 inch deep

and

fully8 inches broad at the middle of the boat, gradually diminishing

and

at last disappearingentirely towards the stern posts.

"On

^{allthe planks} there are perforated clampsof one

and

the

same

piecewith the planks themselves,having beenleft projecting

when

the plaijks were cut out of the solid

timber—

a most surprisingfact, con- sideringthehigh developmenttowhich thesmith's art

had

beencarried

by

the people of the early iron period; afact, too, which proves that they

must

have possessed a great abundance of timber, as they

would

not otherwisehave wasted it tothat degree,onlyin orderto savea few

nails, orto secure theclamps so

much

better.

"

The

boatisclinker-built,theplanks held together

by

large ironnails, at intervals of5^^{inches,^withlarge} rounded headsoutside

and

square burs or washers inside.

The

spaces between the planks where they overlap each other were filled

up —

^caulked

—

^{with woolen stuff}

^and

pitchy, sticky substance.

The

planksare cut from very fine piecesof timber, the bottom plank being 46feet 8 inches long,

and

all of one

piece.

On

both sterns, which arefixed to the bottom plank

by means

of

wooden

pegs, thereareornamental grooves,

and

eachof

them shows two

large holes, which, to judge from the

marks

of wear, most likely

'TherestoredboatisnowintheMnsonmat Kiel,Pi'ussia.^•

^lu the boatfoundatSnape,Suffolk,England,sevennailsoccupya space of3feet,

whichcorrespondswiththeNydamboatasstatedby Engelhard.

ltiriO.J

PKOGEEDINGS OF UNITED 8TATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 451

haveserved to pass the ropes through

wheu

the boatwas to be hauled ashore.

The

^ribs, which give the boat its shape, are mostly in their natural crooked and irreguhirlybent shape,

and

rest ontheclamps pro- jectingfrom the planks,which form regular rowsacrossthe boat, those on one plank correspondingexactlytothoseonthenext.

The

ribshave perforations corresponding to the clamps, through which bast ropes werepassed, tyingplanksandribstogether. Thisisagain afacthighly surprising in a nationfamiliarwith the useofiron,

and

ableto

work

it so well, as their

damascened

swords prove that they could.

At

the

same

timeit is possible thata looseconnectionbetween the frame-

work

andthe planking ofthe boat servedtogive

more

elasticitytothesides,

and

that the boats^builtin this

manner

went through the surf

and

great waveseasier than those

more

strongly built.

"On

the

gunwale

were fixed the rowlocks, which, although

made

on the

same

general model, yetalldifferedfrom oneanotherin size

and

in the details of the work.

They

were tied to the gunwale

by

me^^ns of bast ropes,

and

in this case, too, ^itmight seem surprising that forfix-

ingsuch important j^ieces as therowlocks recourse should have been

had

to such

weak

fastenings, which

must

sooften hiverequiredto be renewed.

"

But

this

method had

atthe

same

time theadvantageofrenderingit possible to turnthem,

when

necessary,

and row

theboatin the opposite direction, particularly as both ends of theboat are so exactly alike that^{it is difficult}to say which is the

prow and

whichis the stern. It is true that the width of the boat at the fourth rib is a few inches greaterthan at the fifteenthrib, which corresponds toitatthe other side; butthis difference is so small that it

was

probably not inten- tional,

and

theboat has no doubt been designedto shoot through the

waves

with equal speed,whichever

way

it wasrowed. Itsshape,there- fore, in

some

respects, reminds us of Tacitus' description of the ships of Suiones^ For theirshipsdifferedentirelyfromthose of the

Romans,

particularlyin this, that the stems wereexactly alike, so that, which- ever

way

theywere rowed, they

had

a i)rowfitfor resisting a collision or for landing; and, besides, the ships of the Suiones

had

no sails.

Tacitus further saysof these boats, thattheir oars were notfixed in a

row

along thesides, but wereloose, as incertain craft used on rivers,

and

could beput intothe water on either side, as mightbe required;

but thispart of thedescription would not apply to theboats found at

Nydam,

for on

them

the oars were passedthrough loops of rope tied to the rowlocks, on which the

marks

of wear

by

the oars are still quite visible; they could notbeturned the other

way

without lossof time

and

labor,nor would it be possibletobackthe oars forany length of time, or withsufficientprecision,

when

they arethus tied totherow- locks.

GermanicaC,44.

"At

the side, about 10 feet distant fromthe stem, the rudder

was

discovered.^ Itslength is 9 feet 7 inches,

and

near the middle it has a hole, through which a rope

may have

been passed for the purpose of tying it to the side of the boat. Just below this hole there is a

littlecushion of

wood

fixed with three

wooden

pegs, intended to pro- tectthe rudderfrom injury

by

knockingor gratingagainst the side of theboat,

and

at thetop endthere is a loosepiece with

two

handles.

. "This is the most ancient form of rudder known.

Rudders

quite similarto this inshape

and

construction

maybe

seenon

many

representa- tionsofships ofclassictimes,

and

always ontheright-hand ["starboard"]

ofthesteersman. Lateral rudderswereretained

down

toa rather late period,

and

are represented, for instance, on the

Bayeux

tapestry of the middleof the

XI

century; in the bas-relief over the door of the Leaning

Tower

at Pisa, built inthe

XII

century, &c.

"This kindofrudder

must

have been in use evenafter themiddleof tbe

XIII

century,for in contracts concerning sbipsto be built forLouis

XI

the builders promise to furnish

them

with

two

rudders. It

was

only at the close of the

XIII

century that the side rudder was sup- ])lanted

by

the hinged rudder

now

in use.^

"

The

thwarts werestrengthened

by

two angular boards underneath,

and

supported by three xjerpeudicular pieces of wood. Only in one place, by the middle thwart, these boards were tolerably well pre- served, but even there the ends were so soft as not to admit of

any

verycomplete examination,

and

itremains uncertainin

what way

they were fixed to the sides of the boat.

A

wicker-work

mat

covered the bottom ofthe boat. ^{* * *}

The

firboat

was

tolerablycomplete when*

first discovered,

and

its different parts were broughton shore during the next foUo^v-ing

day

after it

had

been laid bare

and

the contents takenout,onthe27th of October,1863. In orderto protect the timber of this boat until the restorationof the

oak

boat

was

finished it

was

covered over with peat, but before anything could be done tosave it

thecountry

was

occupied by hostile armies,inthe spring of1864. ^{* * *} Since then parts of it

have

been carried away, and the last remnant

willprobably soon bedestroyed

and

disappear.

u* * * rpijg bottom plank

was

about 51 feet 4 inches long,

and

endedintwopoints,which probably have carriedlongandpointed iron spurs; ifso,thesespurs

must

have been underwater.

The

side planks have clamps ornamentedwith moldings, and cut out of the

same

piece oftimberasthe planks,just asin the two oakboats.

The

shapeof the rowlocksis

somewhat

different,

and

theyhave formedacontinuous

row

along the gunwale.

1It willbe observedinthe representations of the

Nydam

boat that thepositionsof rudder and rowlocks do notcorrespond; infact, that therudderislocatednear the stem. Itis,however,conjectured thatthis apparentmisrepresentationisintentional tobetterillustratethemethodsoffastening.

'^A.Jal,Arch^ologie Navale,passim; Smith'sVoyageand Shipwreck^ofSt.Paul.

1886.]

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 453

"lu this boat,as inthe oakboat,theplauking

was

tied totheribs

by

ropes passing through the holes in the clamps,

and

the principle of construction was thesame; ^the great peculiarity of the fir boat being the terminal prolongations of the bottom plank, which probably have carried iron points

—

a dangerous

weapon

^{of attack,} equallylitfor sink- ing an enemy'svessel orholding itfirai while being boarded.

"As

in the oak boat, the bottom

was

covered by a

mat

of wicker- work. In several places the timber

had

cracked,

and

been repaired

by

patcliesof wood.

On

theirinner surface thereare vestiges of the caulking material,consistingof woolen

woven

stuff,

and

a pitchy kind ofsubstance similar to that used for fixing thefeatherson the arrows.

"The

boats here described I considertohave been merely rowing- boats, not destined to carry sails, and in forming this opinion

L

rely principally on thefactthat neithermasts nor

any

signs of rigginghas been discovered, nor any arrangementin theboatsfor fixingtheneces- saryropes. It is true that in the middleof thebottom plank of the oakboat, as well as of the fir boat, there isa hole of about IJ inches diameter; but these holes are too small tohavecarriedmasts,

and

maj^

have served forletting outwater

when

the boatswere hauled on shore, as

was

probably the caseat the beginningof the winter.

u* * *

As

^I havestated before,theoak boat

had

beenintention- ally sunk by

means

of large holescut in one of its sides below water-

mark

; at the

same

^{time it}

had

been caused to lean over on that side which

was

nearest theshore,thatis,onthe northeasternside. Besides this, the stem-posts

had

in courseoftimedetached themselves fromthe bottom plank, leavingalarge openingateach end. All these circum- stances

had

necessarily causeda great part of the contents of the boat to floator driftout of it.

But

a partremained,

and

showed,inseveral respects, an intentional arrangement, objects of the

same

kind being accumulated ^into heaps at particular places.

a**

* In JSTydam,

Roman

denarii were discovered, embracing the period from 69 to217ofour era, and of the following emperors and empresses: Vitellius _(1), Hadrian (1), Antoninus Pius (10), Faustina theEhler (4),

Marcus

Aurelius _(7), Faustina the

Younger

(1), Lucius Verus(2), Lucilla _(2),

Commodus

(5),

and

Macrinus (1).

The

latest of these ^coins was mintedin A. D. 217.'

"They

give us an approximatedate for theobjects with whichthey were found. Allowing

some

time for their transport from southern countries, the depositinour peat bogs cannot have takenplace before aboutthe middle of thethird century.

"All the

known

coinsfromdiscoveriesofthisage

—

frommosses,graves,

and

chance finds—areof the first threecenturies of the Christianera;

' 'Obs: Laureatehead. Imx>r orator] C[^aiu8] M[arcn.s] Opel[ius]Se.-[erus] Macri- nusAvg[u,stu8]. Rev: Pont[ifex] Max[imu8] Tr[ibunitia] P[otestate]Co[n]s[ul]

P[ater] P[atri8B]. Jupiter standing, a spear in hisleft hand, and the thunderbolt in his right.

the latest

known

^is of Macrinus (A. D. 217).

Among

them, coins of theAntouines are of mostfrequent occurrence."

Two

representatives of Viking naval architecture, dating from the periodextending fromtheyear800to1050afterChrist,arepreservedin the Archaeological

Museum

oftheKoyalFrederiks Universityat Ohristi- ania, Norway,

and

in these

we

^{again observe the}

same

beautiful

and

graceful lines exhibited both in the

Norwegian

fishing-boats of the presentday

and

intherudedrawings

and

other representationsofboats previously described.

One

of these boats,the

TUNE

SHIP,

was

excavated from ^a

mound

ⁱⁿ the parishof Tune,

Norway,

between the Christiauiafjord

and

the Swedish frontier. Inconformity with the Vikingcustoms, it

had

served as a burial place,

and

although

much

of the

wood had become

decayed, and in addition to this, the sepulchre

had

previously been disturbed,it aftbrded

much

information, as an actual relic, of the character of the vessels belonging to the Viking period.

The management

^ofthe excavation

was

intrustedtotheskillful

handsof Mr.O. Rygh.^

Commodore

H. Miiller, of the

Norwegian

navy, inhis book,^ revised

by

the historian. Prof. P. N.

Munch,

states "thatthelong-ships, in the peculiar sense of the word,

must

have been ordinarily clinker-built,"

andthis statementis confirmedinthe

Tune

ship, whichisbuilt entirely of oak,

and

is composed^of keel,stem

and

stern posts,frames, timbers, beams, knees,

and

planking.

The

keel, with a length of 45^ feet, is fixed to the stem

and

stern posts^; the widthof the boatamidshipsis14^feet.

The

frames, 13 in number,are united

by

cross-beams,

and

are not fixed tothe keel, butliefree aboveit.

On

the topofthe frames,fitted

on tothe overlying limbs of theknees and their continuations,restthe ends of thebeams, ^thus forming a ledge for the endsof the JL)ottom

boardsto rest in.

The

kneesare attached to the beams.

The

planks, 12inheight,arelaidinthe

same manner

as inour present yachts

and

boats,each upper plank projecting alittle over the edgeof the lowerone. Only the bottom plank and the two top planks were fastened with iron nails, the former tothe keel,thelatter to the knees;

allthe intervening ^ones,though fastenedto each other

by

boltsofiron, riveted together, having been tied to theframes

by

bast ropesthrough holesinthe undersideoftheframes andcorrespondingholesorincleats projectingfromthe planks.

The

thickness of theplankingdiffers,being inthe lower ones almost that of the

two

top planks.

The

tightening of the joints

was

effected

by means

of a thin layerof

oakum made

of cow'shair.

'Skillings Magazin, 1867, p. 717-719,7-24, 73H-7:yj. (cfr. Nicolaysen, Langskibet

etc., p. 12.) Polytekn.Tidsskrift, for 1867. (cfr. Nicolaysen, Langskibet,p. 12.) ''S0krigshi8torions vigtigste Bi^givoiilu'd'r,^ii. I. (ofr.Nicolaysen. Langskibet,etc., p. 14.)

1886.]

PROCEEDmOS OF UNITED

STA.TES

NATIONAL MUSEUM. 455

The

rudder

had

alixed position soiuewiiat before the stern-post on the right side of tlie vessel.

The

helm consisted of a plank in the shapeof a broad oar, the lower portion of which, in the middle,

was

provided with a round hole,through which it

was

fastened tothe side of theboatby

means

of arope, while itsshort round upper neck

was

caughtby a grummet.

A

small aperturein the opposite directionof the blade

was made

forthe tillerin the upper part of theneck.

The

rudder

was mounted

with iron,^ to which one or

more

cramps were

added down

towards the heelof the rudder.

The

mast^is set in an opening

made

in a large block of oak fixed abovethe mid-frames of the vessel; over thisis a large grooved block toadmit the beams.

The

aperture extended at the

same

breadth a considerable distance sternward in orderto facilitate the raising

and

lowering. In the foreitissupported against a projecting knot of the wood,so that thereis a spacebetween themast

and

the sideoftheslot in the mast-block.

The

most recent excavation ofVikingnaval architecture,

THE GOKSTAD

SHIP,

(See Platexix.)

was made

in 1880,

by

Mr.Nicolaysen,president of the

Norwegian

Arch- aeological Society, at G-okstad,near the

town

ofSandefjord, west of the

mouth

^of the Kristiauiafjord,

and

a short distance from the head of asmall frith. This ship,fullydescribed by Mr.Mcolaysen,^ as well as that from Tune, belongs to theArchaeological

Museum

of the Royal Frederiks University at Kristiania,

and

of the

same

I

now

give the description,verbatim, asobtained whileviewing these interestingrelics on occasion ofa recentvisit to

Norway.

The

ship measures 07 feet along the keel

and

79 feet 4 inches from

bow

to stern (extreme measure); the width amidshipsis 17 feet;

and

its depth amidships, from keel to top ofbulwark, 4feet.

The

shipis entirelyof oak,clinker-built, theboards connected with iron nails

and

the seams caulked with

oakum made

of cow's hair spun into three-stranded cord.

The

connection of the plankwith the frames

iseffectedinthe

same

peculiar

manner

asin the

Tune

ship. In the top sid^s only have nail fastenings been used, part of

wood and

part of iron_; elsewhere theplank

and

framesaretiedtogetherthrough holes in the under side of the latter

and

corresponding holes in cleats which project from the planking.

The

cleats and the plankarein one piece Inthis vessel theplank isfastenedto theframes with ties

made

of the

iBergensBylov, ix, p. 18. (cfr.Nicolaysen,Laugskibet, p.19.) 'SkillingsMagazin, 1867, p.717. (cfr.Nicolaysen,Langskibet,p.20.)

^TheVikiugship,discoveredatGokstad,inNorway. Withamap, 10engravings, and13plates; 88_{p., 4°.} Kristiania, Alb.Cammermeyer, 1882, Langski betfraGok- stad ved Sandefjord. Beskrevet af N. Nicolaysen. Med 1 Kort 10 Trtesnit og 13 Plancher. Kristiania, Alb.Cammermeyer, 1882.

toughroots of trees. Such

mode

of fasteniug

was

possiblyadopted to counteracttheinjuriouseffectofexpansion

and

contraction ⁱⁿ the

wood when

alternately wet

and

dry.

The

planking has an aveiagethickness of about1 inch.

The

scant- ling, however,is not uniform throughout; thus the tenth strake from thekeel is almost twice as thick, but

somewhat

^narrower,

and

the four- teenth from the keel, thatin whichholes are cutfor the oars, about 1^

inch thick.

This ship, asindeed

was

the case with even thelargest vessels ofthe Vikingperiod,

had

both oars

and

canvas to propelher,

and

there has been only one mast.

The

mast

was

frequentlylowered; forinstance,

when

rowing against ahead wind or

when

preparing for battle.

The

peculiararrangementofponderous

beams

^atthe stepofthemastserves tofacilitate raising

and

lowering; itafibrds, too, an excellent support, which, with the extremelightness oftheship's scantlingscould hardly inanyother

manner

have been given tothe mast. This

method

offix- ing the mastis exactly similar tothat adoptedin the

Tune

ship ; nay, the ornamental form ^{given to the top} beam, whichhas the ends mod- eled so as to represent the tail of afish, is the

same

in both.

When

stowed away, the

mast was

perhaps laidon the stanchions,which are provided withcross bars,placedfore

and

aft,

and

fastenedatthebottom ofthevessel to

beams

having theends,like the blockatthe step of the mast, cutinto theshape ofafish's tail. Moreover,

when

the mast

was

down, the said cross-bars

may

also have

had

to support the yard, a veryheavyspar

compared

to the sizeofthevessel, which,as stillusual in

many

coastingcraftfrom the northern districtsof

Norway,

certainly carried onlyone sail (alarge square sail). In this

manner

her

mast and

yardcould

bestowed away

without

incommoding

the crew. Frag- ments ^oiilyremainingofthemast,itsentirelengthcannotbe accurately determined.

The

oars, of which several have been preserved, are about 20feet long, the length varying ^slightly according as they

had

to be served amidships or atthe extreme endsof the vessel.

They

have been plied throughholes bored in the third strakefrom the top,

and

provi<ledon the insidewith sliding covers, which,

when

the oars were unshipi)ed, could bepushed over theholes to prevent the seafrom entering.

The

oars have been passed through^the holes frominboard,

and

hencethere

is a notch cut inthe edgeof the holefor the blade.

No

tracecan be discovered of thwarts or seatsforthe oarsmen.

From

the

number

of holes the vessel is

shown

to havecarried IGoars on^eitherside.

As many

as 32

men would

thus have been required to

^erve the oars alone, and the ship

must

therefore have had acomple-

ment

ofnotless than40 hands,even with onlyone

man

toeach oar

and

the oarsmen notrowing by turns.

There was nodeck, only loose boardsrestingon shoulders cutin the frames. These boards,p;)rticalarly in the midshixJ section, are placed

1886.]

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 457

at

some

distance from the bottom, thus affording space for stowing

away

beneath

them

a good

many

of thearticles belonging to the ship or to the crew, bat no accommodation for the men.

To

provide

some

protection against theweather it

was

customary in the ships of that period tostretchateut-(}loth above

some

part of thevessel,under which mostofthehandscouldfindshelter. In the ship discoveredat

Gokstad

were found thefour supports of such a tent, together with fragments of thecloth and the cords.

The

supports are heavj^ boards, 11 feet 8 inches (3.5 meters) in length, finely carvedatthe upperextremities to represent the head of

some

animal,

and

in part painted.

They had

been placed obliquely, so as toform

two

crutches, one ateach end of the tent, with thecarved headsi)rqjectiug,

and

connected together by the pole, or rather transverse bar of the tent, which thus formed a gable-ended roof, extendingfore

and

aftfrom the poletothe railofthe ship. Tlie tent cloth is

made

of a rather fine woolen texture, white, with broad red stripes sewed on; the cords forfastening it are

hemp.

The

pieces of ship's rope, of which a good

many

were found, are all

made

of bast.

The

^rudderis

hung

bya rope alittleforwardofthestern-post,on the right-hand side,as usual inall vessels of theViking period,

and

long after

—

^{down, indeed, to the}

^XIV

century (hence " starboard'').

The method

of fastening

and

guiding this ancient style of side-rudder

was

notsatisfactorily

known

previous tothe discoveryofthe Gokstad ship.

Of

the

numerous

articlesof antiquarian value found in or aboutthe ship, more or less perfectly preserved, the following deserve special mention

:

a.

Fragments

of threeoak boats that

had

been broken up previous to being depositedin the vessel,

and

no part of which, with the excep- tion of the keel, can

now

be put together. Like the ship, they were

clinker-built, but instead of holes for theoars they have rowlocks of a peculiar form, fastened to thegunwale.

Two

of the boats have cer- tainlycarried a mast. Tneirsizehas been comparatively considerable, the keel of the largest boat measuring22 feet 4 inches in length, and that ofthe smallest14feet. Several of the oars belongingto the boats arepreserved; they exactly resemble those usedfor rowing the ship.

h.

The

stock of the anchor; being of iron, it

had

almost corroded away.

c.

A

landing-stage, or

gangway,

25 feet long, but only 20 inches wide. ^It has the upper surface transversely ribbed, to give a secure footing.

d.

Fragments

of sleeping berths, at least four. These berths, a couple ofwhich have been restored, are of

much

the

same

shapeas the bedsteads

now

in use

among

the

Norwegian

peasantry.

They

arevery low and put together so as to be readily taken to pieces

and

stowed away.