Roskilde 6 – Longest Viking Ship Ever Discovered Was 37-Meters Long And Carried 100 Viking Warriors
Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Vikings’ success in reaching distant lands lies in their remarkable longships. The Vikings’ ships were the European Dark Ages' greatest technical and artistic achievement. Without these great ships, the Viking Age would never have happened.
Some of the Viking warships were huge and could carry many Viking warriors. The largest ancient Viking ship ever discovered is Roskilde 6. The wreck of a 37-meters long warship was excavated from the banks of Roskilde fjord in Denmark in 1996-97, together with several other ships. This huge Viking ship was four meters longer than Henry VIII's flagship Mary Rose.
Scientists re-assembled the surviving timbers, about 20 % of the original Roskilde 6 ship for display. Credit: national Museum of Denmark
The construction of Roskilde 6 has been dated to around AD 1025, the high point of the Viking Age, when England, Denmark, Norway, and possibly parts of Sweden were united under the rule of Cnut the Great.
Cnut The Great (in Swedish: “Knut den Store”) became king over large parts of northern Europe, where commerce and culture flourished in his kingdoms.
Roskilde 6 could carry 100 Viking warriors. It is believed that Roskilde 6 was part of a royal fleet, possibly connected with the wars fought by Cnut the Great to assert his authority over the North Sea Empire.
Seaworthy vessels, like Roskilde 6, allowed Vikings to travel across four continents, colonize Iceland and Greenland and later reach America. The ships allowed the Vikings to bring home traded goods from the Middle East, the Byzantine Empire, and as far away as China.
Their long warships enabled the Vikings to transport invading armies so large that Danish kings were able to conquer England and create a North Sea empire. The ship was also a status symbol demonstrating the aristocracy's might.
In 2014, scientists re-assembled the surviving timbers, about 20 % of the original Roskilde 6 ship, for display in a specially made stainless steel frame that reconstructs the full size and shape of the original ship.
Updated on October 8, 2022
Written by – Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
More From Ancient Pages
-
Geb – Egyptian God Of Earth And Member Of The Ennead – His Laughter Created Earthquakes
Egyptian Mythology | Feb 12, 2019
-
Strange Reports Of A Mysterious Stone-Throwing Phenomenon And Invisible Entity Encountered Worldwide
Featured Stories | Dec 4, 2023
-
Dighton Rock – Centuries-Old-Mystery Still Unsolved
Featured Stories | Sep 8, 2015
-
Fixing Archaeology’s Dating Problem – New Method Developed By Scientists
Archaeology | Sep 17, 2021
-
New Evidence Of Roman And Medieval Leicester
Archaeology | Dec 10, 2015
-
The Marduk Prophecy Of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar I And The Stolen Statue Of A God
Featured Stories | Jul 4, 2019
-
Mysterious Undeciphered Carvings And Script On Stela Of Montoro
Archaeology | Aug 14, 2017
-
Indus Valley Civilization Far Ahead Of Its Time Has Baffled Scientists For Centuries
Ancient Technology | May 18, 2017
-
Mystery Of Egyptian Queen Hetepheres I’s Bracelets Solved!
Archaeology | Jun 2, 2023
-
Trove Of Coins Dating Back To The 1100s Found On Visingsö, Sweden
Archaeology | Apr 8, 2024
-
Mysterious 4,000-Year-Old Table-Like And Unique Dolmen Discovered In Galilee Hills, Israel
Archaeology | Mar 6, 2017
-
Mysterious Ancient People Who Mastered Thought-Transmission Through Space And Spoke At Distance
Featured Stories | Apr 26, 2021
-
Remarkable Discovery Of Ancient Drilled Bear Teeth In Kansas – How Did They End Up On The Great Plains?
Archaeology | Mar 25, 2022
-
Intriguing Ancient ‘Horoscope’ Scroll Found In The Judean Desert
Artifacts | Apr 2, 2024
-
Mystery Of A 5,000-Year-Old Mass Grave In Poland Reveals A Family Tragedy
Archaeology | May 14, 2019
-
Mysterious Ancient Andean Waskiri Structure Built For Unknown Purpose Investigated By Scientists
Archaeology | Apr 14, 2023
-
Fearsome Koa Warriors Fought For Spiritual Energy And Mana, The Life-Force
Featured Stories | Jul 22, 2019
-
Dandaleith Stone: Scotland’s Rare Symbol Stone Of The Picts – Will It Be Deciphered Now?
Ancient Symbols | Jan 21, 2016
-
Ötzi Had Dark Skin, Bald Head And Anatolian Ancestry- DNA Reveals
Evolution | Aug 16, 2023
-
Fossil Bones From The Largest Penguin That Ever Lived Unearthed In New Zealand
Fossils | Feb 10, 2023