by: Sandefjord

The famous Gokstad Viking longship was excavated in 1880 and gave a reliable picture of what a Viking longship would have looked liked.

When Nicolaysen dug out the mound, he quickly saw that there had been grave robbers there. Weapons were placed in all men's graves from this time. It is as certain as jewelry being placed in women's graves. There were no weapons in the grave.

The skeleton found was of a man who was believed to be between 50 and 70 years old when he was buried. It was also believed that the man had been suffering from arthritis. He was around 1.85 meters tall. In the Viking Age, this was far above the average height of a man.

Next to the skeleton were some remains of fabric, which may be remnants of the dead man's suit. The pieces of wood are believed to be the remains of a bed. He had brought three fishing hooks. A board game with a piece made of horn is reminiscent of the game we today call mill. There were also many pieces of harnesses for horses. One of the pieces depicts a rider with a horse – and has become known as the rider medallion.

In addition to the skeleton, the remains of the feathers of a peacock were found. This find is the first of its kind from the Nordic region. Was the man supposed to bring the bird for food, or was it to show his power that this particular bird was placed in the pile? For eating utensils, the man had also brought six cups and a plate, all of which were made of hardwood. Three small boats and several beds were found in front of the mast. Otherwise, there was also hiking equipment such as a sled, a vessel for drinking water (750 litres), bargeboard for a tent and kitchen equipment – a trough, some cutting boards and a large bronze kettle.

12 horses and six dogs were also found outside the ship.

The Gokstad mound was reopened in 2007 and new investigations were carried out on the grave. The grave was previously believed to be that of Olav Geirstad-Alv, half-brother of Halvdan Svarte. However, recent discoveries have increased the uncertainty surrounding this version of history. It is therefore still uncertain who was buried in the Gokstad mound. The area has been equipped with informative notice boards and can be found on the RV 303, about 2 kilometres from the centre towards Tønsberg.