SOURCE3 A reproduction of a dragon ship carved on stone from Gotland, Sweden, in the eighth century CE
SOURCE2 The Gokstad ship, which was excavated from a burial mound in Norway in 1880
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. What key innovations did the Scandinavians introduce to their longboats in the eighth century CE? 2. Discuss the purpose of the carved dragon heads on Viking longships. 3. How did the design of the Viking longships enhance their capabilities for warfare and raids?
Such Viking vessels were built for raids and warfare. They are called longships because of their slender shape. Sometimes they are called dragon ships because the carved head of a mythical monster was occasionally mounted on the prow of the boat. It is remarkable that the timber for these ships was cut with only an axe. Unlike in modern shipbuilding, the Vikings constructed the hull first and then cut and inserted the frame. Did you know? The longest Viking ship ever found, described in this section, was sunk deliberately in Roskildefjorde along with other ships. It is believed this was an attempt to create a barrier against enemy ships trying to attack the harbour. Although it was sunk in Denmark, evidence suggests the boat was built in Dublin, Ireland. 7.6.2 Design and navigation The prows of Viking ships were often elaborately decorated with figureheads representing dragons (see SOURCES2 and 3 ) or serpents (see SOURCE1 ). However, the Oseberg ship, shown in SOURCE1 ,may not be a typical longship because it was found in the excavated burial site of a Norwegian Viking queen. If you look closely, you will see that its stern also features a finely carved pattern of smaller dragons and vines. Another important feature of the longship is that the woollen sails had patterns, as can be seen in SOURCE3 . It is likely this crisscross stitching had a practical purpose — it gave the sails the strength to withstand strong winds.
TOPIC7 The Vikings 173
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