"Viking Ship Museum, Olso" a Oslo Travel Page by ranger49

The museum houses three of the best preserved Viking ships.
These extraordinary examples of early 9th.Century ship building from the Norse age, now more familiarily known as the Viking age, were finally used as Burial Ships to carry their, usually rich, deceased owner to The Other World.
They were loaded with treasures which reflected the wealth and status of the owner including horses and wagons, which like the ships were richly carved. Household goods, tools, jewellery and textiles were also recovered and all these items can be seen in the Museum.

From the ships and the artefacts found with them archaeologists and historians have ben able to build an amazing picture of daily life 1200 years ago.

It is worth spending time to look closely at the ornate and beautiful carvings which decorate the ships and Museum exhibits - evidence of both skill and artistry.

Not pictured here, The Tune Ship which was excavated in 1867 is also exhibited, in a much less well preserved condition. Exhibited with it in the same space is the actual burial chamber discovered on the Gokstad which housed a bed on which skeletal remains believed to be of an old man were found.

The Oseberg was discovered by a farmer as he dug his fields in 1903. It is over 70 ft. long and is the best preserved of the three ships here. An eminent archaelologist was called in to oversee the excavation and conservation work but there was a dispute with the farmer who claimed ownership which went on until about 1911 when a wealth benefactor "bought" the ship from the farmer and so preserved for the national heritage. As a result of this important changes in Norwegian Law were introduced in order to safeguard future discoveries of historical objects.

Thought to have originally been used as a pleasure boat, ithe Oseberg is believed to have been the Burial Chamber of Queen Asa, and her servant.

Queen Asa was the Grandmother of King Harald Fairhair who was responsible for the unification of Norway into one country in the 9th. Century.
The carved decoration and artefacts found on board are particularly fine befitting a Queen.