RESEARCH IN NORWAY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27169, 13 October 1953, Page 12

RESEARCH IN NORWAY

ANCIENT TOWN OF VIKING “SHIP GRAVES” FOUND (From a Reuter Correspondent) OSLO. Norwegian research workers, digging for historical remains in South Norway, may soon be able to bring to light the 11-centuries old “kupang,” or lost market town, of Skiringssal. Skiringssal, the first Viking town, was a port from which Viking merchants travelled all over Europe, both east and west. Oslo is already famous for its Viking ships, three astonishingly well preserved wooden vessels dug up from grave-mounds, which are now on show in their own museum. The scientists searching for the “lost town” have already found a number of similar grave-mounds containing traces of ships, nails in neat rows to show where the planking was, and remains of bodies of men arid women buried in their ships and surrounded by their most valuable worldly goods. Archaeologists believe that the graves mark the burial ground of Skiringssal, the merchant port, which was mentioned in the world history compiled by King Alfred the Great of England. King Alfred included in his history the story of the travelling Viking merchant, Ottar from Haalogaland, which is the old name for the diocese of North Norway. Ottar, who lived in the nineth century, is reported to have travelled widely and to have visited the Russian White Sea ports, South Norway, Denmark, Schleswig and Britain. In the tales of his travels, he mentions among other things that in the southern part of Norway there was an important town called Skiringssal, a port and market place. Historians, philologists and archaeologists have spent much time trying to trace the site of Skiringssal. But after Ottar’s time there are practically no reports of the place. It is not mentioned in Snorre’s famous sagas of the Viking period, written about 300 years later. By that time Tunsberg (now Tonsberg) had taken over as the leading Viking port of South Norway, and Skiringssal had for some reason fallen on bad times and been forgotten. But careful research by the scientists and not least by thosa who study family and place names, has led to digging being concentrated round Viksfjord, between Larvik and Sandefjord. Among the clues are the names South and North Kaupang, still retained by two farm properties in the neighbourhood. “Kaupang” was the old Norse word for a town, market centre, or trading post. Graves Found In 1949, one of the Kaupang farmers’ daughters, Astrid Jahnsen, stumbled by chance on a couple of Viking graves during her work on the farm Archaeologists from Oslo University started digging there in 1950 and have now unearthed no less than 30 typical Viking ship graves with up to three people buried in the same ship. They believe that this area formed the cemetry of the “Kaupang,” and they intend to dig on a # flat sheltered site on the South Kuapang farm next year in the hope of finding the town. In the ship graves, they have so far unearthed, they have found many clues which suggest they are on the right track. Ornaments, kitchen utensils, work tools and weapons buried with the dead, according to the custom of the time, are of a kind which show that they belong to travelling merchants. Articles which were not usual in Norway at that time and which have been brought from abroad, include bronze ornaments from Britain, remains of material from the Frisian Islands, Germany and Holland, and a bronze bowl with characters and ornamentation which suggest that it came from Ireland. A whole collection of multi-coloured beads suggests trading journeys on the Continent, and pieces of imported glass have also been found, as well as pottery which is very rare in Norwegian Viking finds. Directing the investigations and very optimistic of the chances of finding the lost town, is a woman archaeologist, Mrs Charlotte Blindheim. Dressed in overalls and gumboots. Mrs Blindheim has taken an active part in the work during the last three years. Next year, she and her team are going to dig experimental shafts at various points in the South Kaupang fields. If they are lucky, they may find traces of the foundations of the houses of the town. They are hoping that those who have farmed the land through the centuries have not dug their furrows too deep, so that traces of human habitation, remains of tools, imported goods and goods intended for export, may be found. They also believe that the sea probably came right no to the Kaupang farms in Viking times, and they hope to find traces of + he wharves and ouays.