Model of the Oseberg ship
Model built by Knut Gransaether. The original ship is 21.5 metres long and 5.1 metres wide and was discovered during archaeological investigations to a burial mound in Vestfold, Norway in 1904.
The grave, which contained the skeletons of two women, is dated to around 820 and is famous particularly for the exquisitely carved wooden fittings contained within, including furniture, tools, a cart and decorative textiles. The ship's bow sections are also rich in ornamentation.
The burial site has lent its name to one of early Viking period's decorative styles: the Oseberg style.
The Oseberg ship is probably the world's most famous Viking ship and has developed an iconic status. Although another ship like it has never been found, in the layperson's eyes it has come to represent what most Viking ships looked like.
The original ship and all the fittings in the grave are on display at the Vikingaskeppshallen in Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway.
