Researchers speculate that the ancient ship could have been a lavish burial place for a king, queen or noble warrior.

The 19-meter-long, 5-meter-wide ship was discovered in the Gjellestad area southeast of Oslo and dates back to 750-850, said archaeologist Knut Paasche of the Norwegian Insтιтute for Cultural Heritage Research. “We don’t know yet whether it was a rowing or sailing ship. Other ships like the Gokstad and Tune combined oars and sails,” Paasche said. However, the keel of the ship looks different from other Viking ships.

The boat was buried in a mound that had been flattened by a farmer’s plow over the decades, inside a large cluster of at least 20 burials, not far from the Jell mound, Norway’s second-largest, dating to around 400-500 AD. The proximity clearly shows that the Vikings wanted to have a connection to the past, according to excavation team leader Christian Rodsrud.

Excavation of the Jell mound and surrounding area began in 2017, after the landowner requested permission to dig a ditch around it. Archaeologists used ground-penetrating cameras to identify the area to excavate in 2019. In addition to the boat mound, the team found traces of the foundations of at least four houses and several circular graves.

The mound containing the boat had been looted, possibly by enemies of the noble family buried there, according to research published in the journal Antiquity in November 2020. Researchers have not found any human skeletons next to the boat, only the bones of horses or cows. Grave robbers also took all the artifacts.

According to Paasche, the boat grave was “the ultimate symbol of status and wealth in Scandinavia.” The person buried in the boat could have been a king, queen or noble warrior. The team hopes to finish excavating the boat this month. The arrangement of the screws and keel remains could allow them to build a replica of the boat in the future.