When was the first viking longboat made

This meant that there was a huge incentive to build them as light as possible so that they were easier to row. Compared to ship remains from other parts of northern Europe, Viking ships were very lightly built and so very speedy. They were easy to pull up on shore. They could be taken up rivers and over land if need be.

So that was the main secret behind the Viking ships, that they were so light that they could be used for a lot of things. When sailing in one, you would have been pretty exposed to the elements. It was not a holiday to try to cross the North Sea and definitely not to try to go to Iceland or Greenland. The first thing that you would have experienced when you went on board was the smell.

There would have been tar everywhere to conserve and protect the wood and parts of the rigging. If the ship was freshly tarred it would have been very sticky, and the tar would have got on your clothes and skin.

You would also probably have smelt a rotten stench, from the fats that were used in the sails to make them more windproof. You would have been outside all the time and exposed to the weather. You got wet when it rained and hot when the sun shone.

It was pretty cramped on board because ships were expensive and, especially for warships, the whole idea was to try to transport as many people as possible in one unit, because that made it efficient as a weapon.

It would have been a rather cramped, cold and smelly experience. He was speaking to HistoryExtra content director David Musgrove on an episode of our podcast about the Gjellestad excavation and Viking ships in general. Listen below, or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Sign in. Back to Main menu Virtual events Masterclasses. Home Period Viking Viking ships: 5 lesser-known facts. More on: Europe. Though Viking boats came in many shapes and sizes, the most iconic and effective Viking vessel was undoubtedly the longship.

Long, narrow and flat, longships were fast, durable and capable of navigating both choppy seas and shallow rivers. They were also light enough to be carried over land. The design principles that led to the Viking longship can be traced back to the beginning of the Stone Age and the umiak, a large open skin boat used by Yupik and Inuit people as long as 2, years ago.

Spaces between planks were then filled with tarred wool and animal hair, ensuring a watertight ship. A shallow draft allowed navigation in waters as shallow as one metre and made beach landings possible. Skilfully carved animal heads often featured as figureheads at the front of longships. Furthermore, these cargo ships, which relied on sails for movement, could be manned by a very small team. This is in stark contrast to longships, which used both sails and oars to reach rapid speeds that allowed them to ambush their targets with very little warning time.

While the Vikings traveled long distances across open seas, astonishingly, they appeared to do so without the use of compasses, sea charts or logs. It is believed that the Vikings primarily relied on their knowledge of the sun and stars as well as wave and wind and cloud patterns to navigate. They primarily used sundials to show the direction of the North Pole. Although, more recent science hypothesizes that the Vikings may have even used crystals categorized as sunstones to help navigate on foggy days.

It is believed that these crystals shine the brightest when pointed towards the sun, even on a cloudy day. Although the science on this is still unclear it is one additional navigational tool that may have been used by the Vikings. Finally, the Vikings also took note of the behavior of birds and sea mammals to guide their way.

The Vikings played a pivotal role in Scandinavian and European history. Much of their ability to control various regions of Northern Europe and contribute to trade and transport relied on their ability to craft incredible vessels. From stone ship burial grounds to replica ships, there are plenty of ways to explore Viking history first-hand in Norway!

If this has made you more curious about the history of the Viking ships in Norway, a visit to the Viking Museum in Oslo is highly recommended.