News and Notes


* The Nydam excavation 1995: in May and June investigations in Nydam Mose were resumed. The re-excavation of the sites where Conrad Engelhardt found the oak and pine boats was continued, and important additional material relating to these two Iron-Age vessels was found, both in the old excavation trenches and in the adjacent areas. A further three rowlocks have now been added to those from the pine boat which were found in 1994. From the port side of the boat large sections of the gunwale have now been excavated, and 5-6 of the elegant rowlocks. The find-place of the big oak boat which is now exhibited in Schleswig has now been precisely identified. At the bottom of Engelhardt's excavation trench some heads from the iron rivets which held the boards together were found, and in the undisturbed peat nearby there was a particularly well-preserved rowlock from the boat.

Rowlock from the large oak boat which is now in Schleswig, excavated from Nydam Mose, 1995. Photo Per Poulsen.

Quantities of equipment, originally from the pine boat, were excavated this year. Among the wooden objects were bows, arrows, spear- and lance-poles, axe- and knife-shafts, and innumerable shields, many with faint traces of paint. Among the most important weapon-finds of the year there was a sword-sheath with an exceptionally well-shaped metal mounting. The chape of the sheath has an inlaid green stone; there are runes on the strap mounting and the upper mounting is of silver with inlaid stones.

Section of the 1995 excavation area with the weapon finds in situ. The iron objects, two swords and a lance-head, have almost completely dissolved into cakes of rust. Photo Per Poulsen.

A precise evaluation of the preservation conditions in the bog is badly needed. The wooden objects have all been interpenetrated by paddock-pipe roots, and many objects have been irretrievably damaged. But it seems to be the iron objects which were in the peat layers of the bog which have suffered worst. The layers containing the finds can roughly be described as lying at the lowest level of the peat or the highest of the mud below. The majority of the iron artefacts are in the upper levels and they are in many cases badly corroded. Many are so damaged that they have a consistency like that of sugar; it is very difficult to remove them from the peat and almost impossible to conserve them. Provisional investigations show that the Nydam iron artefacts are subject to accelerating decomposition and that the majority will have corroded away in the course of the next decade. The problem is a major one, worthy of serious discussion in this coming year, so that a decision can be taken as to whether the present research-excavations should be followed up with rescue excavations to save whatever can be saved.

Flemming Rieck

* Vordingborg: Nordhavnen in Vordingborg is situated in a well-sheltered position between the ruin of the castle and the headland of Oringe. This site was probably an assembly point for the Danish Leidang fleet in the 11th and 12 centuries. It has been known for a long time that there were some stumps of poles in the harbour entrance, known as Dronning Margrethes Stiger, and in 1978 an investigation by the National Museum revealed a double barrage of poles, constructed in two phases in the 11th century and around 1160. At one end of the later section was a massive group of posts with stones between, which was interpreted as the foundation of a watch-tower at the harbour-mouth.

Sketch of the investigation of the timber construction in Vordingborg Nordhavn, September 1995. Drawn by Thorkild Thomasen.

In September 1995 this theory was tested out by means of a small-scale investigation aiming to show whether there were traces of an actual construction on this site. The investigation showed that at one corner of the group of poles there was a vertical corner-post with inset horizontal and diagonal beams. Alongside this a round, pointed post was found which did not belong to the timber frame. The thick mud-layer at the site made it impossible to find out, during this brief investigation, how the construction was finished at a lower level. There is probably a horizontal frame which kept the corner posts anchored in foundations of about 5 x 6 m, supported by extra poles rammed down around the timber construction. Samples have been taken from the posts, and it should be possible to tell from these whether the history of the structure covered one or more phases.

Ole Crumlin-Pedersen & Line Dokkedal

* Gershøj: The major investigation in the Roskilde Fjord project in 1995 was at Gershøj Church in Hornsherred. The area has not previously been known for finds from the Iron Age or Viking Age, and in fact until a few years ago there were no finds at all from those periods. The north end of the village had been a focus of attention for some years as a possible landing-place, however, because the Romanesque church is situated just above a slight slope down to the fjord, and there is a holy well, St Lars's Well, on the shore near the church. In 1989 various objects were found by metal-detector on a nearby field: a Viking-Age dress-ornament, an early Germanic Iron-Age mount and a number of medieval coins. Since then numerous metal objects and coins have come to light, almost all of them from the early and high Middle Ages.

In 1994 trial ditches were dug over a large area, and they showed that under the topsoil there were many traces of construction. They were chiefly from the Middle Ages, but there were also indications that the area had been used for a long period during the Viking Age.

Section of the excavation at Gershøj Church. The best-preserved long houses are marked in black outline, while the third is indicated with grey shading, and the pit house with cross-hatching. The Trelleborg-type houses are recognizable by rows of external supporting posts, while the walls have mainly been ploughed away. Only the door posts and a few slightly deeper-set wall-posts are preserved. The arrows mark the entrances. Drawing by Jens Ulriksen.

Bronze key from Gershøj. The trefoil bow on the grip has parallels on Danish coins from the 11th century and should probably be seen as a symbol of the Trinity. The surface of the key originally had a thin coating of white metal, but only a few traces of this are left. Late Viking Age. Photo Flemming Rasmussen.

In June 1995 a major excavation was embarked on with the departure-point in the areas where the detector-searches and trial ditches had shown the greatest concentration of finds. Just to the north of the church the remains of several buildings from the early Middle Ages were uncovered, probably all belonging to one farm. East of this, slightly closer to the fjord, two pit houses and at least three long houses from the Viking Age came to light. The pit houses were badly damaged by ploughing, and one of them contained only a few loose finds, including a small blue glass bead and a sherd of Baltic pottery. The other pit house contained large quantities of animal bones, and also a quantity of Baltic pottery from the 10th and 11th centuries, half of an iron spur, an iron arrow of triangular section, a clay holster for a pair of bellows, fragments of casting-moulds, a bone comb, bronze tweezers, burnt clay and a couple of bronze mounts. In the ploughed-up soil which covered the pit house a silver coin and a bronze key from the 11th century were found. Three of the long houses were of a well-known type, first identified at the ring-fortress of Trelleborg near Slagelse, and later found at many sites over the whole country. This house-type belongs to a period from the second half of the 10th century until some time in the 11th century. The Trelleborg-type houses here probably represent the two or three earliest phases in the village which has existed ever since.

Construction-traces were found on the field as far as 100-150 m to the north of the church, but not all the traces came from the Viking Age and Middle Ages. In addition to the house-constructions mentioned, a number of pits from the late Stone Age and early Roman Iron Age were investigated.

Jens Ulriksen

* Stavnsfjorden: During seismic surveying in Stavnsfjorden on Samsø in the spring of 1995 two structures were located. One of them had been a natural channel, now silted up. The other was interpreted as a possible barrage related to the Kanhave Canal, and the considerations which arose from this interpretation were presented in a nationally-broadcast TV programme. In August an excavation trench was dug through this 'seismic anomaly' and it then proved to be the case that this was a very particular natural phenomenon and therefore not a man-made structure.

Ole Grøn

* Two more wrecks off Falster: In August the Institute of Maritime Archaeology inspected two wrecks off Falster. One of them, found by an amateur archaeologist with a metal detector, is situated in shallow water near Bøtø, while the other, found by amateur divers, is lying in Grønsund. The inspection near Bøtø took place in relatively bad weather with a strong onshore wind. Provisional registration of planks and ribs seems to indicate that these are the remains of a carvel-built ship some 15-20 m in length. Probably only the ship-bottom or parts of it are preserved, but from it have come finds of silver coins, a bronze vessel, ropes, a glazed potsherd, animal bones, bricks and ballast-stones. On the basis of the coins, which are German silver Thaler from the mid 16th century, the wreck can provisionally be dated to 1550-1650. Even though the wreck is lying in the breaker-zone and is seriously at risk, there is clearly a possibility of further finds. There is no doubt that further information with regard to ship-development can be obtained from this wreck, in terms of ship-type, size, etc., and it may be possible to establish where and when the ship was built and what its cargo consisted of.

The second wreck is lying in Grønsund at a depth of 3.5-4 m, close to the slope out to deeper water in the sailing channel. This is a ship 16-18 m long, and about 5 m broad, clinker-built with a slightly rounded bow, a straight stern and ribs preserved up to the bilge. The wreck is lying with a slight list to starboard and has presumably only recently been exposed. All the ribs on the port side and the sternmost on the starboard side are exposed up to 1 m above the sea-bed. The ribs were generally broad and low. Bow and stern are flared and are preserved up to a higher level than the ribs and boards. At the stern end the stern knee seems to be intact and also rises about 1 m up above the level of the sea-bed. Judging by the rib-dimensions the wreck can probably be dated to the 15th-16th century. There is every indication that it is in the process of being exposed by the current and is therefore at risk of being broken up.

These wrecks add another two to the series of interesting medieval wrecks which have been investigated in the Lolland-Falster region in recent years. Both wrecks are endangered, each in a different way, and the Institute of Maritime Archaeology therefore intends to undertake further investigations as soon as possible.

Jørgen Dencker

* Dannebroge, ship of the line: In 1710, during the Great Nordic War, the Dannebroge exploded in the bay known as Køge Bugt, during a sea-battle with the Swedes, and its captain, Ivar Huitfeldt and crew of about 600 men perished. The location of the wreck has been known for some years, and a diving ban has been imposed in the area to prevent looting. In May and June this year the Institute of Maritime Archaeology, together with the Naval Museum and the Agency for Forestry and Nature, undertook a 3-week investigation of the site of the wreck. The purpose was to take up or make safe on the spot finds which might be particularly tempting for unauthorized salvaging. In addition it was intended to document the various main components of the hull, inter alia by means of side-scan recordings with a hitherto unknown degree of detail and precision of measurement.

The investigation resulted in the discovery of a number of silver coins from the time of Christian IV and Frederik III, along with weapons, ammunition, domestic implements, blocks and tackle. The cable video-film, together with the side-scan results, should provide a basis for technical investigation of the construction-principles of the hull. These are so far known only in broad outline from a preserved drawing of the ship's main frames.

Hanne-Marie Myrhøj

* Fulton cruise. In 1995 the maritime archaeology educational cruise with the museum-ship Fulton was arranged by the Archaeological Committee of the Danish Amateur Divers' Association and the National Museum's Institute of Maritime Archaeology. In the period 5-12 August the ship circumnavigated Fyn with 21 amateur divers with a particular interest in archaeology on board. During the voyage diving was carried out at underwater sites (Møllegabet, Haderslev Fjord, Tybrind Vig, Mejlø, Korshavn and Romsø) representative of Stone-Age settlements, barrages and wrecks. In addition there were lectures - given partly by the professional organisers and partly by guest lecturers who joined the ship for some of the voyage - about topical subjects and sites, and training was given in measuring up, site-identification, legal provisions, etc.

* Guest researchers and study-visits: In continuation of the cooperation with the Institute for Nautical Archaeology at Texas A & M University (INA), the Centre for Maritime Archaeology sent Jan Bill as a guest researcher to Texas in September 1995. He will work there for nine months on his research projects for the Centre, but will also have the opportunity to study at close quarters the work-forms and education principles practised at INA.

In October the Centre for Maritime Archaeology was host to underwater archaeologist Iwona Pomian from the Centralne Muzeum Morski in Gdansk, Poland, who came here on a 4-week visit after Ole Crumlin-Pedersen and Anne Nørgård Jørgensen had been on a study-visit to Gdansk and the Puck excavation in August. In the same month the Centre also received welcome study-visits from Ulrike Teigelake, underwater archaeologist from Kiel, and Susan Möller-Wiering, textile researcher from Schleswig.

On 22 June 1995, on his retirement from the post of State Antiquary, Olaf Olsen was given a fine send-off by his colleagues. Here he is being rowed to the National Museum on board the Viking Ship Museum's newly-built replica of the Gislinge boat. Ahead of him is a reunion with the Skuldelev ships! Photo Morten Langkilde, Polfoto.

* New Senior Consultant: Professor Olaf Olsen has agreed to become Senior Consultant at the Centre for Maritime Archaeology from 1 August 1995. Olaf Olsen will, amongst other things, cover the historical context of the Skuldelev ships in the publication on this subject which the Centre plans to produce in 1997.

* New books: In May 1995 Museet Færgegården, in Frederiksund, opened an exhibition about the excavations at Selsø, and at the same time the book Selsø-Vestby. Vikingernes anløbsplads ved Selsø, written by Søren A Sørensen and Jens Ulriksen, came out; it is published by the Centre for Maritime Archaeology and Færgegården jointly. The book recounts the results of the 1994 excavation at the Selsø site, with finds from the Viking Age and early Middle Ages, along with the other landing places on Roskilde Fjord from the same period. 40 pages, illustrated, 50 DKK, available on fax +45 42 31 29 67.

The book The Ship as Symbol in Prehistoric and Medieval Scandinavia, edited by Ole Crumlin- Pedersen and Birgitte Thye, was published in October 1995 as the first volume in the National Museum's new series of publications PNM Studies in Archaeology & History. The book contains 21 contributions by an international group of archaeologists and historians of religion, who met in Copenhagen in May 1994 to discuss the symbolic role of the ship in the societies of the past. 196 pages, illustrated, 295 DKK, available on fax +45 33 47 33 30.

* International symposium on military systems: Military organisation in the ancient past has not previously been the subject of a major international research conference in Scandinavia in spite of the fact that the concept, on a level with subjects such as trade and religion, forms a cornerstone of the actual formation of the State. It is therefore important, for the understanding of prehistoric and historic societies, to establish discussion of the transition from tribally-based military organisation to state armies, in the light of written and archaeological sources.

In Scandinavia there is extensive archaeological source-material available to provide information on military development in the first millennium AD. With the written source-material which begins in external sources around 800 AD and in domestic sources around 1100 AD, this military development is set in the context of history. It is therefore of considerable importance to examine this problem-complex in a broad European perspective and in an international cross-disciplinary dialogue.

The Centre for Maritime Archaeology, in cooperation with the Armémuseet in Stockholm, the Historical Institute of Copenhagen University and the Danish State Antiquary's Archaeological Secretariat, therefore plans to host an international symposium on Military Aspects of Scandinavian Society, AD 1-1300, in a European perspective. The symposium will be held at the National Museum in Copenhagen on 2-4 May 1996, and the above-mentioned issues will be covered by contributions from 25 historians and archaeologists from Northern Europe and the USA.

The symposium arises from the Coastal Defence project in the Centre for Maritime Archaeology, and is being organised by Anne Nørgård Jørgensen at the Centre, from whom further details can be obtained.

* News from the Viking Ship Museum: Work on the extension of the Viking Ship Museum (see Newsletter no. 4) should have begun in the summer of 1995 with preparatory work on the construction of a museum harbour to the west of the museum. The work has been delayed, however, in part because of new tendering regulations, but the wharf-island is expected to be constructed in the course of 1996, as the first element in the overall extension plan.