STAVANGER, NORWAY—A Viking ship buried in a mound in Karmøy on the southwest coast of Norway has been discovered using ground-penetrating radar, according to a report from Sciencenorway.no. The ship appears to be 66 feet long and is located in the middle of the mound, leading archaeologists to conclude that it is a burial ship. Two other Viking ship burials have been discovered in Karmøy, and both have been dated to the late eighth century A.D. The newly discovered ship is believed to date to the same period. Given this constellation of Viking ship burials in the area and their relatively early date, Håkon Reiersen of the University of Stavanger’s Museum of Archaeology suggests that the Scandinavian ship grave tradition was established there and then spread elsewhere. The archaeologists plan to excavate the mound to survey the condition of the ship and, hopefully, to date it more precisely. “What we have seen so far is just the shape of the ship,” said Reiersen, who was project manager for the fieldwork on the mound. “When we open up, we may find that not much of the ship is preserved and what remains is merely an imprint.” For more on Viking ship burials, go to “Sailing the Viking Seas.”
