Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) and its archaeologists team recently discovered a new ship burial site, with the aid of georadar technology, that probably dates to the Viking or Merovingian period.
Using the large-scale high-resolution georadar measurements, researchers found the remains of the ship easily comparing to other operations before.“This is incredibly exciting. And again, it’s the technology that helps us find yet another ship. As the technology is making leaps forward, we are learning more and more about our past.” said Dr. Knut Paasche, Head of the Department of Digital Archaeology at NIKU.
The remains of the ship, are located just below the top soil in an area where there was previously a burial mound. Through the radar imaging, archaeologists reported a 13 metre long keel, and hints of the first two strakes on each side of the keel.
It is too early to say anything certain about the age for the ship, but the ship must be from the Merovingian or Viking Period. Which means is more than 1,000 years old.
…continued Dr. Knut Paasche.
As the team announced, the finding of the ship occurred by luck. While they were conducting a survey in Smøla, accidentally found the ship close to the area they were studying in. Until now, the researchers have in mind only three well-preserved Viking ship burials in Norway.
We hope to engage in a research project together with local authorities where we can conduct a larger investigation out here with several non-invasive methods of investigation.
…as noted by archaeologist Dr.Engtrø Solem.
At the moment, the team at NIKU is making its preparations for future discoveries in Norway, as archaeologists expect more major discoveries in the following years, since there are many promising areas of great historical importance.
Concluding, following the recent discovery, it is obvious that archaeologists in collaboration with the technology can bring fruitful results when looking for any shipwrecks or lost ships. For instance, several days ago the Vulcan’s R/V petrel deep-sea team, dived into the ocean and found the WWII Fletcher class destroyer, while the earlier in the summer, researchers with the aid of advanced underwater robotics technology found a 500-year-old shipwreck.
