Viking Shipyards

Unfortunately, a real Vikings shipyard has yet to be discovered. If we can successfully locate a shipyard this could teach us how the Vikings actually went about building their impressive ships. We might eventually learn what actual tools were used, along with the origin of the materials. For example, it is possible that the shipyards were built in close proximity to the construction materials. It is equally possible that shipyards were built strictly with a view to location on the water or in strategic areas, We won't be able to answer these questions unless we are fortunate enough to locate a shipyard.

Archaeological excavations have however revealed several places where ships have been repaired. One such place is Paviken on the island of Gotland. Here traces of a "dry dock" have been found, where the ships could be repaired, along with numerous rivets and tools.

One particularly interesting place which is being studied is the Fribrodre River on Eastern Island of Falster. Many fragments of the timbers of ships suggest that this was a breaking yard for older ships. This site appears to have been a place where ships could be repaired with the materials from older broken up ships.

The site is situated in far eastern Denmark near the Baltic south coast. This is an area with distinctive Slavic influences. These Slavic influences are also visible at the Fribrodre River site. There is evidence of wooden dowels to attach the planks of the ship. The use of wooden dowels was a method favoured by the Slavic shipbuilders. The Scandinavian shipbuilders favoured the use of clench nails to attach the planks.

Several boats which have been found show a mix of Scandinavian and Slavic shipbuilding technology. This only indicates to us that there was contact between the two cultures. There is currently no evidence of active collaboration.

LastUpdate: 2015-04-10 12:01:41