1,000-year-old Viking ship discovered buried next to church in Norway

Archaeologists in Norway have discovered a 1,000-year-old buried Viking ship. Archaeologists used high-technology geo radar to discover the millennia-old ship on the island of Edoya in western Norway. Experts from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) made the discovery.

The remains of the 17m-long ship were buried just below the topsoil near the Edoy church. The team of archaeologists said that it is very difficult to suggest the actual date of the ship, but they are confident it is more than 1000-year-old. Archaeologists have suggested that parts of the ship may have been damaged by ploughing. 

Read: Strange Discovery In Astronaut's Bloodstream By NASA Scientists

Dr Knut Paasche, the head of digital archaeology at NIKU said, there are three well-preserved Viking ship burials in Norway and the new discovery will only add to their knowledge as it can be investigated with the modern technology of archaeology. Dr Paasche credited the discovery to technology and said it is because of modern means that humans are learning more and more about our past. 

Read: Cosmic Waves Discovery Could Unlock Mysteries Of Intergalactic Space

Viking era

Viking ships were marine vessels of unique structure, built by Vikings during the Viking age. Vikings were Scandinavians who raided and traded during the time of Viking age. The Viking age from 798 AD to 1066 AD was a period of the Nordic military, mercantile and demographic expansion facilitated by advance sailing and navigational skills. 

Read: Iran Announces Discovery Of 13 Trillion Cubic Feet Of Gas Reserve

The modern-day Scandinavian countries are Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland. The Viking settlements, communities, and governments were also established in diverse areas of north-western Europe, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, the North Atlantic island and as far as North America. 

Read:  Archaeological Experts Discover 3,000-year-old City In Pakistan

The Viking age ended with Christianity taking over the Scandinavian islands. The men and women travelled to many parts of Europe and the diaspora returned with new influences to their homelands. By the late 11th century, the Catholic Church was asserting their power with increasing authority and ambition and the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden had taken shape.