The Ladby Ship

Fyn, Kerteminde · Danmark · Museum

Eleven horses and four dogs were killed and laid in the ship with the chieftain — and before the rust had set, someone had gone down into the grave and emptied it.

Beneath the mound by Kerteminde Fjord lies a 21-metre Viking ship exactly where it was lowered, the only preserved ship burial in Denmark. Between the stern and the mast was a grave chamber holding a chieftain. The body has rotted away, but traces remained of a Byzantine tunic woven with gold and fur fragments from the bedding. Eleven horses and at least four dogs were sacrificed with him; their bones still lie visible in the bottom of the ship. And someone came back. Rust on the shield boss shows the grave was broken open and looted shortly after the burial — someone climbed down into the dark to the chieftain while the sacrificed animals still lay fresh. Around 600 objects have been found, among them silver mounts, bronze vessels, gaming boards and 45 arrowheads with fragments of their shafts. You walk down into the dark and stand above what was left.

FAQ

Hvor ligger The Ladby Ship?

The Ladby Ship ligger i Fyn, Kerteminde, Danmark.