Buzz
Three Viking ships, embedded along the shores of an Icelandic fjord, were uncovered within a span of three days, according to Iceland Magazine. Among the findings is a ship believed to have belonged to a wealthy chieftain, adding to the rare instances of boat burials documented in the Nordic nation.
Last week, archaeologists stumbled upon the first ship on the Dysnes peninsula, bordering the Eyjafjörður fjord in northern Iceland. The burial site contained human remains and the teeth of a dog, both estimated to date back to the 9th or 10th century. A sword found among the relics suggests the grave was that of a high-ranking Viking noble.
A #viking chieftain, laid to rest with his dog and sword in a boat burial, discovered in northern #Iceland, with more graves suspected nearby!https://t.co/XPSqIlUaUn pic.twitter.com/NziBhPkpdR
— Iceland Magazine (@IcelandMag) June 14, 2017
On the following day, researchers unearthed a second boat burial, which was remarkably better preserved than the initial discovery. By the third day, they had located two additional graves and wooden nails, likely remnants of yet another vessel. These findings are estimated to be approximately 1000 years old.
Boat funerals, a practice where the deceased were placed in ships alongside their belongings and set adrift, are often associated with Viking traditions. However, this ritual was far less common than modern depictions suggest: Only about 10 such burials have been uncovered in Iceland. Moreover, discoveries of this nature are rarely found in close proximity, unlike this recent trio of findings.
The discoveries face a significant threat—not from looters but from the tides of the nearby fjord. Over the past thousand years, half of the first ship and its contents have been claimed by the sea, while the other two vessels have suffered erosion damage. Archaeologists aim to continue their excavation efforts in the coming weeks.
