Salme ships
Encyclopedia
The Salme ships are two pre-Viking era clinker-built
ships that were discovered in 2008 near Salme village in Saaremaa
, Estonia
. Both ships were used for ship burial
around AD 750 and contained the remains of more than 40 warriors killed in battle
, as well as numerous weapon
s and other artifact
s.
. One of the ships is 11.5 m long and 2 m wide, the second one more than 17 m long and 3 m wide.
were discovered in the two ships. Most of them belonged to 30-40 years old males who had been killed in battle
. The smaller ship contained the skeletal remains of 7 individuals. There were at least 36 individuals buried in four layers in the large ship.
s of various types, remains of shield
s, spearhead
s and dozens of arrowhead
s were found in the burial. Most of them had been deliberately deformed to discourage grave robbery.
Smaller objects included one small socketed axe
, knives
, whetstone
s, a bone comb
with ornaments, a bear-claw necklace
, and hundreds gaming pieces made of whale bone and antler with six dice
.
The skeletal remains of two ritually sacrifice
d dog
s as well as hawk
s used for falconry
were found in the burial.
n origin. According to the most likely scenario, a war party of Scandinavians
attempted to carry out a raid against the Oeselians
, but were attacked by Oeselian ships. The sides of the two ships contain numerous embedded arrowheads, some of which are of the three-pointed type used to carry burning materials to set enemy ships aflame. After losing too many oarsmen to the Estonian
archers
, the raiders pulled their ships aground and tried to defend themselves behind them. It appears that after the battle the Oeselians allowed either the survivors or some other group of Scandinavians to ritually bury their dead. The burial is unusual because the ships were not covered with mounds. The site was eventually forgotten by the local inhabitants after it had become overblown by sand and covered with vegetation.
The original interpretation was called into question after the second, larger, ship was uncovered. It is likely that the human remains in it belonged to individuals of noble birth, as evidenced by the large number of expensive bronze sword-hilts and the complete lack of weaponry associated with commoners. The presence of dogs and hawks used for falconry indicates that the original purpose of the trip to Estonia may have been leisure
or diplomacy
.
relates in his Ynglinga saga
that the Swedish king Ingvar
, Östen
's son, was a great warrior who often spent time patrolling the shores of his kingdom fighting Danes
and Estonian vikings
(Víkingr frá Esthland). King Ingvar finally came to a peace agreement with the Danes and could take care of the Estonian vikings. He consequently started pillaging in Estonia
in retribution, and one summer he arrived at a place called Stein (see also Sveigder
). The Estonians
(sýslu kind) assembled a great army in the interior and attacked King Ingvar in a great battle. The Estonian forces were too powerful and Ingvar fell and the Swedish forces retreated. Ingvar was buried in a mound at a place called Stone or Hill fort
(at Steini) on the shores of Estonia (Aðalsýsla).
Clinker (boat building)
Clinker building is a method of constructing hulls of boats and ships by fixing wooden planks and, in the early nineteenth century, iron plates to each other so that the planks overlap along their edges. The overlapping joint is called a land. In any but a very small boat, the individual planks...
ships that were discovered in 2008 near Salme village in Saaremaa
Saaremaa
Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. Both ships were used for ship burial
Ship burial
A ship burial or boat grave is a burial in which a ship or boat is used either as a container for the dead and the grave goods, or as a part of the grave goods itself. If the ship is very small, it is called a boat grave...
around AD 750 and contained the remains of more than 40 warriors killed in battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
, as well as numerous weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s and other artifact
Artifact
- Objects :*Artifact , an object formed by humans, particularly one of interest to archaeologists*Artifact , one of many kinds of tangible byproducts produced during the development of software...
s.
Discovery
The ships were discovered in 2008 during earth removal for infrastructure construction. An archaeological expedition has been working on site since 2008. It is possible that at least one more ship is yet to be discovered during future excavations.Location
The ships were located near the ancient coastline, about 1.5 m above water level. The location is 230 m from modern coastline and 4 meters above modern water level.Ships
Both Salme ships are clinker-builtClinker (boat building)
Clinker building is a method of constructing hulls of boats and ships by fixing wooden planks and, in the early nineteenth century, iron plates to each other so that the planks overlap along their edges. The overlapping joint is called a land. In any but a very small boat, the individual planks...
. One of the ships is 11.5 m long and 2 m wide, the second one more than 17 m long and 3 m wide.
Human remains
More than 40 skeletal remainsSkeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
were discovered in the two ships. Most of them belonged to 30-40 years old males who had been killed in battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
. The smaller ship contained the skeletal remains of 7 individuals. There were at least 36 individuals buried in four layers in the large ship.
Grave goods
Fragments of more than 40 swordSword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s of various types, remains of shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
s, spearhead
Spearhead
A spearhead is the sharpened tip of a spear.Spearhead may also refer to:-Armed conflict:* Armoured spearhead, a tactical formation* Spearhead, nickname of the U.S. 3rd Armored Division in the U.S...
s and dozens of arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
s were found in the burial. Most of them had been deliberately deformed to discourage grave robbery.
Smaller objects included one small socketed axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
, knives
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
, whetstone
Whetstone
Whetstone may refer to:* Whetstone, a sharpening stone used for knives and other cutting tools* Whetstone , a benchmark for measuring computing power* Operation Whetstone, a nuclear test program in the 1960s- Places :United Kingdom...
s, a bone comb
Comb
A comb is a toothed device used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibres. Combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists...
with ornaments, a bear-claw necklace
Necklace
A necklace is an article of jewellery which is worn around the neck. Necklaces are frequently formed from a metal jewellery chain. Others are woven or manufactured from cloth using string or twine....
, and hundreds gaming pieces made of whale bone and antler with six dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
.
The skeletal remains of two ritually sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
d dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s as well as hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s used for falconry
Falconry
Falconry is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer flies a hawk or an eagle...
were found in the burial.
Interpretation
According to an early interpretation offered by Jüri Peets, the lead archaeologist at the site, the ships and the dead are of ScandinaviaScandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n origin. According to the most likely scenario, a war party of Scandinavians
Scandinavians
Scandinavians are a group of Germanic peoples, inhabiting Scandinavia and to a lesser extent countries associated with Scandinavia, and speaking Scandinavian languages. The group includes Danes, Norwegians and Swedes, and additionally the descendants of Scandinavian settlers such as the Icelandic...
attempted to carry out a raid against the Oeselians
Oeselians
The Oeselians were a historical Finnic people inhabiting Saaremaa , an Estonian island in the Baltic Sea. They are first thought to be mentioned as early as the 2nd century BC in Ptolemy's Geography III. The Oeselians along with Curonians were known in the Old Norse Icelandic Sagas and in...
, but were attacked by Oeselian ships. The sides of the two ships contain numerous embedded arrowheads, some of which are of the three-pointed type used to carry burning materials to set enemy ships aflame. After losing too many oarsmen to the Estonian
Estonians
Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...
archers
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, the raiders pulled their ships aground and tried to defend themselves behind them. It appears that after the battle the Oeselians allowed either the survivors or some other group of Scandinavians to ritually bury their dead. The burial is unusual because the ships were not covered with mounds. The site was eventually forgotten by the local inhabitants after it had become overblown by sand and covered with vegetation.
The original interpretation was called into question after the second, larger, ship was uncovered. It is likely that the human remains in it belonged to individuals of noble birth, as evidenced by the large number of expensive bronze sword-hilts and the complete lack of weaponry associated with commoners. The presence of dogs and hawks used for falconry indicates that the original purpose of the trip to Estonia may have been leisure
Leisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
or diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
.
Legendary background
Snorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
relates in his Ynglinga saga
Ynglinga saga
Ynglinga saga is a legendary saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It was first translated into English and published in 1844....
that the Swedish king Ingvar
Ingvar
Yngvar Harra Proto-Norse *Ingu-Hariz was the son of Östen and reclaimed the Swedish throne for the House of Yngling after the Swedes had rebelled against Sölvi....
, Östen
Östen
Eysteinn was the son of Eadgils and Yrsa of Saxony. He was the father of Ingvar. The Eysteinn tumulus in Västerås near Östanbro has been linked to King Eysteinn by some popular historians...
's son, was a great warrior who often spent time patrolling the shores of his kingdom fighting Danes
Danes
Danish people or Danes are the nation and ethnic group that is native to Denmark, and who speak Danish.The first mention of Danes within the Danish territory is on the Jelling Rune Stone which mentions how Harald Bluetooth converted the Danes to Christianity in the 10th century...
and Estonian vikings
Oeselians
The Oeselians were a historical Finnic people inhabiting Saaremaa , an Estonian island in the Baltic Sea. They are first thought to be mentioned as early as the 2nd century BC in Ptolemy's Geography III. The Oeselians along with Curonians were known in the Old Norse Icelandic Sagas and in...
(Víkingr frá Esthland). King Ingvar finally came to a peace agreement with the Danes and could take care of the Estonian vikings. He consequently started pillaging in Estonia
Ancient Estonia
Ancient Estonia refers to a period covering History of Estonia from the middle of the 8th millennium BC until the conquest and subjugation of the Estonian people in the first quarter of the 13th century during the Northern Crusades.-The Mesolithic Period:...
in retribution, and one summer he arrived at a place called Stein (see also Sveigder
Sveigder
Sveigðir, Sveigder or Swegde was a Swedish king of the House of Yngling in Norse mythology. He was the son of Fjölner, whom he succeeded as king, and he married Vana of Vanaheimr, probably one of the Vanir. Lured by a dwarf, Sveigðir disappeared into a stone and never came back...
). The Estonians
Estonians
Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...
(sýslu kind) assembled a great army in the interior and attacked King Ingvar in a great battle. The Estonian forces were too powerful and Ingvar fell and the Swedish forces retreated. Ingvar was buried in a mound at a place called Stone or Hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
(at Steini) on the shores of Estonia (Aðalsýsla).