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The
remains of the 22 meter long warship in it´s subterrainian glass
sarcophagus. Note the anchor, which is entirely identical to the
anchors of today. Photo: Eigil Nikolajsen.
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An
ongoing Danish debate on whether or not it should be legal to
place candles or Christmas decorations in churchyards, would be
very difficult to understand for a Viking. If a person was
prominent, there was no end to the effort put into designing his
grave, and how well provided for he would be in the afterlife. The
Museum by the Kerteminde fjord is an excellent example of this.
No
doubt, the deceased was a man of importance. His 22 meter long
warship served as coffin for him and his gravegoods. With him in
the ship were found 11 horses, several dogs, and a wealth of
weapons, jewellery, clothes, and even a boardgame to pass the
time.
Descriptions
of the Viking Age reveal that a dead man could be accompanied by a
thrall. In Ladby, however, no remains of humans were found.
Examinations indicate that the corpse and the most costly
artefacts were removed from the grave shortly after the quite
elaborate burial ceremony. Perhaps grave robbers plundered the
site, but it may also have been decendants who had converted to
Christianity, and who wanted to give their deceased relative a
church burial.
The
Ladby ship is the only recognized ship burial in Denmark. The ship
itself is almost totally gone, but it´s print in the underground
remains in a glass sarcophagus, protecting it. The ship was
reconstructed as early as 1963 - the Imme Gram - but a recent
Ph.D-thesis has generated new knowledge on the actual appearence
of the ship by using computer processing. Several people and
organizations are currently considering the possibilities of
building a reconstruction - among whom is the Museum of Kerteminde
itself.
Latest
a private maritime research centre has build a Viking ship which -
although it is not a reconstruction - is inspired by the design of
the Ladby Ship.
Ladbyskibets
Museum
Vikingevej 123
5300 Kerteminde
tlf. 65 32 16 67
Homepage www.kert-mus.dk/ladbyskibet/dk/main.html
The
museum is placed in short distance from the town of Kerteminde on
the East coast of Fyn - 20 kilometers from Odense.
Opening
hours:
March - May: 10.00 – 16.00 Monday closed
June - August: 10.00 – 17.00
September - October: 10.00 – 16.00 Monday closed
November: 11.00 – 15.00 Monday and Tuesday closed
The
museum is closed in December, January and February
The
Ladby Ship Museum is an administrative part of Kerteminde
Museum.
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